The bactericidal and healing properties of aloe have long been known. This plant is widely used in cosmetology and medicine, and therefore many housewives, wanting to always have a real “doctor” on hand, prefer to grow aloe at home. Despite the fact that this plant is unpretentious, you should still know some features of its content. So, how to care for aloe vera correctly?
Shine
The plant loves bright direct light, and therefore it is best to place a flower pot near windows facing the east or south sides. In order for aloe to not suffer from a lack of light in the cold season, artificial lighting should be created during this period using fluorescent lamps or fluorescent lamps for this purpose. With the advent of spring, it is useful to accustom the "home doctor" to the sun's rays, but it is important to do this gradually, since otherwise it is likely to get burns.
Watering
Abundant watering is detrimental to aloe, in which stagnation of water in the pan is formed. This is because the roots of the plant are very delicate, and therefore prone to decay. How to care for aloe properly in terms of providing it with the necessary moisture? So, it is best to water it by immersing the flower pot in water for 7-10 minutes. It is important to ensure that water does not accumulate in the leaf outlet.
It is known that plant leaves have the ability to store a fairly large amount of moisture. However, Aloe does not like overmoistening, in particular it is relevant for the winter period. So, in the summer, the plant must be watered abundantly, once a week, while in winter one watering per month will be sufficient. Between watering, let the substrate dry slightly.
Humidity and temperature
Aloe is an indoor plant, for the content of which the indicators of humidity do not play a special role, since all members of this family, representatives calmly carry both dry and moist air. In the warm season, room temperature is optimal for aloe , while in winter the plant just needs a temperature regime of 12-14 ° C. If it is not observed, aloe will not be able to enter a period of rest.
Substrate and transplant
A plant should be transplanted only if necessary, when its roots have grown so much that they ceased to fit in a pot. A transplant is best done in the spring. This is due to the fact that just during this period, aloe is filled with vital juices, and the chances of rooting the plant increase.
It is very important to remember that in free conditions aloe mainly grew on dry clay-sandy soil. For this reason, it is not recommended to transplant the plant into saturated black soil. Heavy clay soil is also not suitable for planting. If you need to grow aloe, how to plant this plant correctly? Experienced flower growers recommend purchasing soil specially designed for growing succulents.
If desired, you can make a substrate yourself. To do this, you will need turf land (2 parts), leaf soil, sand and humus (1 part each), to which you need to add charcoal and finely divided brick. As a rule, transplantation of adult plants is carried out once every 3 years, while young specimens should be transplanted annually.
Breeding
The methods of propagation of aloe, whose photo adorns the pages of books about medicinal plants, are different. The plant can be propagated by cuttings, seeds, whole leaves and basal layers. Cuttings can be carried out almost all year round, but it is still better to perform it in summer or spring. When the leaves of aloe just begin the process of forming a rosette, it is necessary to separate the branches or lateral shoots from the plant. The sticky juice will drain from them, and therefore you should let them dry well first, and then plant them.
Fertilizers
It is recommended to feed aloe. Plant should be nourished during the period of active growth, in the spring, once for 2 weeks. Of the variety of existing fertilizers for indoor plants, it is necessary to opt for those that are intended for succulents and cacti. Peat and various fertilizers made on its basis should not be put in the soil with aloe. It is useful to saturate the earth with nitrogen-containing mineral fertilizers.
Other recommendations
If you do not know how to care for aloe and do it wrong, then first of all it will affect the appearance of the leaves, and therefore this part of the plant needs to be given increased attention.
So, aloe leaves should grow up from the base of the plant. If the leaves bend down or grow laterally, then most likely, aloe lacks sunlight. If the leaves curl up or become thin, then the plant probably does not have enough water, and it began to use its own juice in order to maintain moisture.
If the leaves of the plant acquired a brown hue, then aloe, apparently, receives an excess of sunlight. In this case, it is necessary to move the pot with the plant to another place where the sun's rays are not so aggressive.
If aloe grows slowly, then the fact may be that the soil or water has an excess of alkali. It is necessary in this situation to abandon the use of organic fertilizers.
Aloe pests
How to care for aloe to protect the plant from damage by various pests? To do this, you should regularly inspect the plant and, if suspicious signs are detected, take urgent measures. Moreover, the determination of the correct diagnosis is of great importance. Aloe can be affected by pests such as:
- Shield. It sucks aloe juice and contributes to the development of fungal diseases and mold. In order to combat the stems of the plant must be wiped with a solution of vinegar. And for the destruction of scale insect larvae, it is required to conduct treatment with insecticidal preparations, while choosing an insecticide with the widest possible spectrum of action.
- Nematodes. If they are found, the affected roots of the plant should be cut, after which the aloe is rooted again. Watering the soil using drugs such as Vidat and Tekta is also used.
- Spider mite. Spraying the plant with solutions of garlic tincture and alcohol, cold infusion of soap or tobacco will help get rid of this pest. There are also special chemicals aimed at getting rid of the spider mite: Fitoverm, Neoron, Rogor.
Knowing how to care for aloe, you can always have at hand a real "home doctor", whose beneficial properties make the plant indispensable in the treatment of many ailments.