Nurture your Aloe Vera back to health and lush growth with these foolproof care secrets.
Aloe vera is one of the most popular houseplants due to its ease of care and versatility. This succulent plant has fleshy, spiky leaves that can treat burns and other skin conditions. However, even easy care plants like aloe vera can run into problems now and then.
In this article, we’ll cover the ten most common issues with caring for an aloe vera plant and how to fix them. With just a little troubleshooting, you can get your aloe vera plant thriving again in no time!
1. Weak, Stretched Leaves
If your aloe vera leaves are growing tall and spindly, with a lot of space between each leaf, it likely needs more sunlight. Aloe vera thrives in bright, indirect light. Inside, place it near an east, west, or south facing window.
You can’t shrink existing stretched out leaves. But moving the plant to a sunnier spot will help new growth come in more compact. Just avoid direct hot sunlight, which can scorch the leaves.
2. Dry, Tough Leaves
When aloe leaves turn dull, wrinkled, and tough, it’s often a sign of underwatering. Aloe vera prefers its soil to dry out between waterings. If you wait too long between waterings, the leaves start to shrivel.
Give your aloe a thorough soaking to revive it. Water until it runs out the bottom of the pot. If water doesn’t absorb well gently loosen the dry soil first. It may take 2-3 thorough waterings to plump the leaves up again.
3. Squishy Leaves
If your aloe’s leaves are overly soft and puffy looking, it likely has been overwatered. The succulent leaves swell up and may start to fall apart when handled.
Unfortunately, overwatered aloes can be hard to revive Remove any mushy roots and replant in fresh, dry soil Keep it on the dry side in bright, indirect light to encourage new growth. Discard if rot has spread too far.
4. Brown Leaf Tips
It’s common for aloe leaf tips to turn brown. This can happen if the air is too dry, the plant is getting too much sun, or from inadequate watering.
Try misting the plant daily or using a pebble tray to increase humidity around the aloe. Filter harsh sunlight. Make sure you water thoroughly when the soil is partly dry. Trim off any dead tips if needed.
5. Yellowing Leaves
As lower leaves age, they will start to yellow and fall off. This is natural. But if many leaves rapidly yellow, it could indicate overwatering or underwatering issues.
Check that you are not overwatering and allowing the soil to dry adequately between waterings. Fertilizer burn and improper lighting can also cause yellowing so make sure those are not factors.
6. Red Leaves
Sometimes green aloe leaves will turn red or reddish-brown. This is usually caused by sunburn, especially when moving the plant from indoors to outside.
While aloe vera thrives in full sun, it needs time to adjust to prevent burning. Slowly introduce it to increased light over 7-10 days before leaving it in full outdoor sunlight to prevent reddening of leaves.
7. Brown Spots on Leaves
Brown, dry spots on the leaves are typically caused by using tap water. As the water dries, it leaves mineral deposits behind that burn the leaves.
Avoid splashing water on the leaves when watering. Use distilled or rain water if possible. Otherwise, water at the base of the plant, avoiding contact with the leaves to prevent spots.
8. Stem Collapse
If your aloe’s stem turns soft or collapses, it is likely due to overwatering. The soggy soil causes the stem tissue to rot and collapse under the weight of the plant.
Avoid this issue by watering only when the soil has had time to partly dry out. Make sure the pot and soil drain well. Remove any dying stems and reduce watering frequency.
9. No Flowers
Lack of flowering is no cause for concern. Aloe vera blooms in late fall or winter, after a dormancy period. It rarely flowers indoors. But even a healthy plant may not bloom based on conditions.
Encourage aloe vera to bloom by allowing a dormancy period with reduced watering in summer. Repot in fall in fresh soil. Place in a sunny window and wait for flower spikes to emerge during short daylight hours.
10. Pests
Aloe vera is prone to mealybugs, scale, and aphids. Check leaf undersides for white, cottony mealybugs or brown scale insects. Sticky residue indicates sap-sucking pests.
Treat insects by spot cleaning with a Q-tip dipped in alcohol. You can also use neem oil or insecticidal soap sprays. Isolate and treat infested plants quickly to prevent spreading.
With a little extra care when problems arise, the aloe vera plant can rebound quickly. Just be attentive to its needs, adjust care accordingly, and your “medicine plant” will be thriving once again. Let those thick succulent leaves grow so you have a handy source of gel for sunburns and skin irritation!
Offsets Propagation: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Carefully take the Aloe Vera out of its pot, treating it like the valuable gem that it is.
- Find the offsets, which are also called pups and are little copies of the mother plant.
- With a clean cut, take the pups apart and make sure each one has its own roots.
- Rot is the worst thing that can happen to plants, so give them a day or two to heal.
- Use a mix that drains faster than a sink in an infomercial to give each dog its own pot.
- Water sparingly, like a miser, until the pup establishes itself.
Light and Temperature
Aloe Vera plants love the spotlight but cant handle the paparazzi flash. Bright, indirect sunlight is their sweet spot. Keep them away from the harsh afternoon sun to avoid a sunburnt scandal. And remember, theyre not fans of the cold, so keep them cozy when temperatures drop.
Regular check-ups can save your Aloe Vera from a trip to the ER. Prune any unhealthy leaves to keep the plant in top shape. And dont forget to repot when the plant outgrows its home or the soil becomes a compacted mess. Its like giving your plant a room upgrade.
Aloe Vera Care Guide! // Garden Answer
FAQ
What does an unhealthy aloe plant look like?
How do I know what’s wrong with my aloe plant?
Should I cut the brown tips off my aloe plant?
Do aloe vera plants have problems?
This article is about aloe vera plant care problems that almost every gardener comes across when growing this beautiful house plant. When it comes to caring for aloe vera, just like many other garden plants, expect some challenges with common problems such as yellowing of leaves, wobbly aloe plants, aloe plants turning grey among others.
Is drinking raw aloe plant beneficial or harmful?
Aloe vera has numerous benefits when used in the correct dosage, benefits that include its antioxidant, healing, laxative and anti-inflammatory action. However, if consumed in excess, it can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, hypoglycemia.
How to keep aloe vera plants healthy?
Solution – Whatever the case, you should cut brown tips from your Aloe plant with a disinfectant knife or pruning shear. It helps keep your Aloe Vera green and healthy. Naturally, the leaves of the Aloe Vera should move upwards away from the base of the plant. If you have flat leaves, it can be due to insufficient light.
How do you care for aloe vera?
Ideally, you need to place your aloe vera in a bright location with indirect sunlight. If you put it away from the light, the plant stretches its leaves searching for light. If you keep placing it away from sunlight for an extended period, it might lose most of its leaves.
Why am I having problems with my Aloe plants?
To understand why you are having problems with your aloe plants, we need to know how aloe plants grow in their native environment. Aloe plants are drought-resistant and need the potting soil to dry out between each watering.
Are Aloe vera plants low-maintenance?
Generally aloes are low-maintenance but if you’re seeing brown leaf tips, drooping or noticing any other telltale signs of an unhappy plant, it’s always best to act fast. Knowing how to care for Aloe vera plants is essential to enjoy all the benefits of these stunning succulents.