Aloe vera is a popular succulent known for its medicinal properties. As the plant matures, it eventually outgrows its container and needs repotting. Repotting aloe vera is a straightforward process that will allow your plant to continue thriving.
When to Repot Aloe Vera
Repot aloe vera when the roots have filled the current pot and start emerging from the drainage holes at the bottom. This is a sign that the plant is becoming rootbound and needs more space. The best time for repotting is during the spring and summer when the plant is actively growing. Avoid repotting during the winter months.
Supplies Needed
Before getting started gather the necessary supplies
- Aloe vera plant that needs repotting
- Container 2-4 inches larger than the current pot
- Well-draining potting mix formulated for cacti and succulents
- Hand trowel or shovel
- Gardening gloves (optional)
Step 1 – Water the Plant
Water your aloe vera plant thoroughly 24 hours before repotting. This will make it easier to remove the root ball from the old pot. A hydrated plant will also experience less transplant shock.
Step 2 – Remove from Pot
Carefully remove the aloe vera from its current container. Tilt the pot on its side and gently slide the plant out. Use a trowel or shovel to loosen the root ball if needed. Check for any rotted or dead roots and trim them off with clean scissors.
Step 3 – Prepare New Pot
Fill the new pot about 1/3 full with fresh succulent potting soil. Tap the container on a hard surface to pack down the soil. Make sure the pot has drainage holes at the bottom.
Step 4 – Transplant Aloe Vera
Place the aloe vera in the center of the new container. Fill around the root ball with more potting mix, firming the soil with your hands to remove air pockets.
Leave 1-2 inches between the soil line and the pot’s rim to allow space for watering Do not bury the plant lower than it was originally growing
Step 5 – Water the Repotted Plant
Give the newly repotted aloe vera a thorough watering Allow excess moisture to drain from the bottom before returning the plant to its location
Aftercare
Allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings. Provide the aloe vera with at least 6 hours of bright, indirect sunlight daily. Fertilize occasionally during spring and summer using a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted by half.
Repotting into a roomier container filled with fresh potting mix allows your aloe vera plant to grow bigger and stronger. Follow these simple steps for repotting success. With the proper care, your aloe will continue thriving for years to come.
How to Repot an Aloe Vera Plant
Its easy to repot an aloe vera plant. If I could only make one herb related recommendation to a gardening newbie, it would be to keep an aloe vera or two around — and give this useful herb away to share the wealth after a repotting session. The aloes are easy to care for, nearly indestructible, and surprisingly effective at treating the discomfort of minor burns and bug bites. In many cases, a little dab of gel cools a burn better than an over the counter preparation. I maintain a number of commuter aloe vera plants that spend winters indoors and summers outside. The only established aloe vera plant I ever lost was one I accidentally left out during the first hard frost of the season. Even with that specimen, I believe the protected, central offshoots were salvageable. Ive kept these plants for nearly two decades in one form or another, and every year in spring and fall, I repot at least one, producing six, ten, twenty or more smaller plants in the process. Thank heavens for neighbors and friends, or Id be overrun with spiny succulents. Although the requirements below produce optimum repotting results, aloe vera is very forgiving. Repotting this wonderful herb isnt the chore it appears to be. Youll see. Grab a trowel and follow me to the next section.
| Healthy Aloe Vera Transplants |
| Rootbound aloe vera |
How to Repot an Aloe Vera Herb Plant What you’ll need:
- Garden gloves
- Hand trowel
- Knife
- Small and medium sized pots
Mature “pup” - Potting soil
- Garden sand or perlite
Some transplants will be tiny (pups), while others will be larger. Once freed, remove any dead foliage from around healthy stems. This may release some liquid (gel), but thats okay. Eventually, youll be left with the central “mother” plant, which can also be replanted or replaced in the same pot. This will likely be the largest transplant specimen. Place the mother plant as well as liberated smaller transplants on their sides in a warm, shaded location overnight. There may be quite a few, but smaller plants can be placed together in four inch and larger pots, if necessary. Keep these in-process plants away from water and curious critters, including the family cats and dogs. The next day (this task can actually wait up to a week), start filling pots with a combination of potting soil and sand or perlite. I like to use equal parts soil to sand. This provides enough nutrition for a season as well as good drainage. Fill the pots two thirds full at first. Add plants to the prepared pots, centering or spacing them evenly. Add and firm soil up to the crown using your hand or the back of a hand trowel to remove air pockets.
| Mass of tangled aloe vera roots |
Once planted, place pots in bright to dappled light either indoors or out. Dont water plants for the first 72 hours or so, and then water sparingly. I admit I havent always been diligent in my aloe vera repotting strategies. Ive repotted pups (baby plants) into unadorned garden earth and soil with pool filter sand mixed in (a no-no) as well as into soil with all the fixings. My plants have done well regardless. Actually, great soil with lots of compost and moisture retentive additives tends to be too rich and wet for aloe vera anyway, so less is usually more.
| Separated offshoots |
How To Repot And Divide Aloe Vera Plants ( Repotting Tips )
FAQ
When should you repot an aloe vera plant?
What kind of soil does an aloe plant need?
Do aloe plants like bigger pots?
Do aloe plants need a lot of sun?
Should you repot aloe vera?
Aloe vera has a shallow and wide root system that likes to spread out close to the surface. As the plant grows and needs repotting, it’s best to move up to a wider pot, rather than a deeper one. Repot your aloe when it becomes rootbound or if its pups seem to be overcrowded.
How do you repot aloe vera plants?
Often house plants will come in peat-y compost which retains water. As aloe veras like a free-draining, gritty soil, repot your plant in either a specially-formulated succulent compost [as detailed above] or mix your own with three parts peat-free compost and one-part horticultural grit, available from garden centres.’
Do aloe vera plants droop after repotting?
Healthy aloe vera plants don’t usually have any problems after repotting. But don’t panic if yours looks a little droopy at first. If it doesn’t bounce back after a few days, it may be suffering from transplant shock. Check that you’re not overwatering, and avoid fertilizing it for at least one month.