hey everyone! iām fairly new to taking care of plants, and i received this one just the other day. can i get some advice on how to take proper care of it, or what i could possibly do to help it right now?
hey everyone! iām fairly new to taking care of plants, and i received this one just the other day. can i get some advice on how to take proper care of it, or what i could possibly do to help it right now?
Welcome to the plant life. I would recommend getting to know about Aloe Vera from some reputable youtube channels. Aloeās can handle lower light conditions, but thrive in full sun, if you want thick leaves. So first is to figure out if this is going to be indoors or outdoors, and how much light you can provide it. Next, check the potting medium. They do not like moisture retention. So it is best to plant them in chunky succulent/ orchid potting mix rather than anything fine. You would do better to err on the side of under watering than overwatering. They look like they were indoors, so if you were to take them out, you will have to gradually harden them off, by keeping them in the sun for a short time to start with and then gradually move it out for longer. Good luck. There are people with more expertise than I who can offer better advice.
2 gillningarCompletely agree with EnokiTadaās advice! š And welcome to Planta! Everyone here is really nice and thereās plenty of folks here that will be happy to answer any questions you might have while getting acquainted with houseplant care. For starters, you can use a wooden/bamboo/barbecue skewer to test if the soil is dry enough to water. Youāll want the soil to completely dry out between waterings. Stick the skewer all the way to the bottom of the soil, take it out, and if the soil sticks to it, wait at least 2 days, hit the snooze button on the app here, then test again in 2 days. If the skewer comes out clean and dry, and nothing sticks to it, it should be dry enough to water. Planta should be used more like a reminder schedule to CHECK if the plant is dry enough to water, not a surefire way to water. You can go into your plantās individual settings once you add it to your collection on Planta, then set it to a ācustom watering scheduleā to adjust it to how often your specific plant takes to watering it.
1 gillaI swear by Espomaās Organic Cactus and Succulent Mix, but any good chunky cactus mix that IS NOT Miracle Grow brand should work just fine for your aloe š I would carefully twist and peel off the dried and brown leaves at the bottom of the plant, and the little pieces at the bottom are called pups, which you can separate and propagate to form more of this plant if youād like. I can walk you through how to propagate it if you donāt want to keep them with the rest of the plant, but if you want to keep it, itāll help keep the plant fuller and bushier over time. You might find that after a while, with all of the pups growing, you might need to repot into a larger pot to make enough space for it. A terra cotta pot like what you currently have is great for wicking away excess moisture from your plant to help it dry out faster. Just make sure any pot you put it in has at least one large drainage hole. Plastic pots can also work for this plant, especially since theyāll have a lot more drainage holes than terra cotta pots, but thatās up to you. As for watering, given how much space it takes up in the pot, you might find itās easier to bottom-water it. By that, I mean you can place the plant while itās in its pot into a container or bowl (or the container I see the pot is in in your photo), fill that container with water, set a 10-20 minute timer, then take it out to dry and drain in a sink or terra cotta saucer. This can help directly get the water to the roots while reducing the risk of overwatering the plant and getting the leaves or crown of the plant wet, which can lead to crown and root rot in time. That aloe is huge, and really cool, though. And youāve got this!
2 gillningarYou have a TON of aloes in there! Also⦠these guys said everything I would have⦠my only other thought is that you can separate the pups to give them more room to grow
2 gillningarAgreed! If you want some help on a walkthrough on how to separate and propagate the pups (they make for a great gift for friends and family), Iād be happy to go through how to propagate them, but you can split them up into little pots for themselves and give them away. Keeping them in will simply lead to a fuller plant, so itās up to what youād like your aloe to look like š
2 gillningarthank you so much! i appreciate all the advice that iām being given so much and am taking notes!! i think iāll stick with them and try to go for that more fuller look with the plant that you were talking about. :)
0 gillningar