This amazing plant can be seen in many homes. Aloe does not just decorate window sills. The plant has powerful healing properties, purifies the air in the room where it grows. In order for the flower to retain all its properties, it needs proper care. This will be discussed in this article. You will learn about the rules of plant care, how it propagates, how often you need to water aloe in summer and winter.
Botanical Description
In Arabic, the name of the plant is translated as “bitter”. The plant belongs to the family of asphodeliaceae (Asphodelaceae). This is a succulent - a culture that can do without water for a long time, storing moisture inside the tissues. The homeland of aloe is Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
The leaves of the plants are in the shape of a sword. At the base, they are wide and tapering to the tips. Concave on the inside. They are quite thick and fleshy, covered with a wax layer, which protects the plant from scorching sunlight.
Aloe flowers are inconspicuous, located on long peduncles. A characteristic feature of the succulent is its amazing "will to live." To retain deficient moisture, the plant closes the stomata - vessels on the leaves.
Popular types of aloe
The most common representative in the family floriculture is the aloe tree. The fleshy narrow leaves of this plant are used in folk medicine and for cosmetic procedures. With good care, Aloe Arborescens can grow up to a meter in height. Spikes are located only on the leaves, the trunk of the plant is smooth. Below it is more rigid, and at the crown - soft.
Aloe vera
Another popular variety. The plant does not exceed 50 cm in height. Spikes are located on the edges of the leaves, which are much wider than that of the tree-like. Bright green leaves are slightly corrugated, collected in spiral twisted rosettes. The stalk is shortened. One of the most famous medicinal plants is aloe vera. How often to water the plant, how to care for it? Detailed information is provided later in the article.
Motley aloe
Decorative variety of plants. It grows up to thirty centimeters in height. In a healthy plant, the leaves are colored dark green with white stripes. They may have soft spikes. On a very short trunk, the leaves are twisted in a spiral.
Spinous aloe
Another beautiful ornamental plant resembling motley aloe in its shape, but on the rough surface of the leaves, instead of white stripes, there are small dots. This variety does not grow above 30 cm. The plant is unpretentious, but, like all members of the family, requires proper care. You can read more about what conditions should be created for representatives of the asphodelia family and how often to water aloe.
Capacity selection
If aloe looks painful and has stopped developing, probably the quality and size of the pot is not suitable for it. The capacity should be of sufficient volume, not too large and not very narrow. Ideally, the depth of the pot should be equal to half the length of the leaves of the flower. Until the root system has grown enough, the plant will not produce new shoots.
The pot must have drainage holes and a deep pan so that you can water the flower from below. In the summer, when the plant needs more moisture, this is especially important. When transplanting plants, pots are needed 2.5 centimeters more than the previous ones. These parameters relate to both diameter and height.
The soil
For the development of succulents, soil quality is important. Heavy clay soils are not suitable for them. It is more advisable to use the finished composition for cacti, or you can mix in a ratio of 2: 1 leafy rotted soil with river fine sand. In addition, you can make a more complex mixture by combining humus, sand, leaf and soddy soil in equal proportions. Pumice, expanded clay or washed large river sand can become drainage.
How often to water aloe: methods and principles of watering
Most beginner gardeners believe that a plant needs to be watered after the earth in the pot has dried. Yes, with other indoor plants this principle works, but with aloe, everything is somewhat different. It is important to know how often you need to water aloe vera, colorful, spinous and other popular types of culture. Therefore, in order for the “home doctor” to please with its unusual beauty and retain its useful properties, we suggest that you deal with the principles of watering a plant in indoor floriculture.
Watering the plant is carried out in two ways: from above, until the water begins to enter the pan, or from below, immediately filling the pan. These methods have their advantages and disadvantages. When filling the pan, you can prevent the leaching of nutrients from the soil mixture. This type of irrigation is suitable for plants whose root system is folded so that the roots responsible for the absorption of water are located below. Most often these are smaller members of the family.
The frequency of aloe watering depends on many factors:
- plant age;
- season;
- maintenance conditions - drainage quality, air humidity, temperature;
- material of which the flower pot is made.
The drainage layer is of great importance - an excessively thick layer of expanded clay will not allow moisture to pass to the roots. For large species, watering from above is preferable. It allows you to evenly saturate the substrate and saturate the root system with moisture.
To understand how often to water aloe in summer and winter at room content, you need to know how this plant develops in nature. It is necessary to create conditions for it that are as close to natural as possible.
The period of active vegetation
During this period, the plant enters in the spring and summer. How often to water aloe at this time? Under natural conditions, in the homeland of these exotics, several heavy rains occur, which allow the plant to stock up on moisture in case of drought. And in indoor floriculture at this time, aloe requires a rare but plentiful watering. In the intervals between humidifications, the earthen lump should completely dry.
It is important to know how often you need to water aloe in the summer, depending on the weather. If the summer was wet and cool, the interval between humidifications can be from 3 to 10 days. So that the root system is saturated with moisture, it is advisable to use the immersion method, since the suction roots are in the lower part of the container.
Young plants are grown in a smaller volume of soil, it dries faster, so more frequent watering is required.
Rest period
In the fall, plant growth stops, as daylight hours are reduced. Aloe begins preparation for a period of rest. The grower should know how often to water aloe at this time. Gradually, the gap between watering should be increased. In autumn, you can moisten the substrate every three weeks. In winter, the flower is moderately watered every 30-45 days. Water treatments are carried out in the morning so as not to freeze the roots. This mode is supported only when organizing a period of rest, which involves a decrease in room temperature to +15 ° C. The rest period lasts from the second half of November to the end of February.
Reproduction: watering the shoots
Many gardeners claim to know how often to water an aloe flower when it comes to an adult plant. And how to moisten the processes during reproduction? First of all, it should be noted that cuttings are most often used in propagation in indoor floriculture. This procedure can be carried out year-round, but it is customary to consider spring as a more favorable time for reproduction.
To cut the cuttings started up the roots faster, they are placed in a container with fine sand, deepening by two centimeters. Within a week, cuttings are watered abundantly to accelerate growth. Ten days later, the shoots that have taken root are seated in separate containers. How often to water aloe during this period? This must be done once a week.
Often, root shoots or tops are used for reproduction, they are very carefully cut and left on a napkin for several hours, so that they slightly wrinkle. After that, they are planted in prepared containers with a substrate to a depth of two centimeters. Before the roots appear, it is only necessary to spray the seedlings regularly, and after the roots appear, the plant is watered as usual.
Transplant Watering
Florists know that for any plant, transplanting is a great stress. How often to water aloe before and after this procedure? If you plan to transplant an adult plant into a new pot, you should stop watering two weeks before the upcoming procedure. The soil should dry completely. Only in the event that an earthen clump strongly adheres to the walls of the pot and cannot be obtained in any other way, abundant watering is allowed.
From an old pot, a flower is taken out with an earthen lump. It is crushed and carefully ground the earth with your hands, trying not to damage the roots. In the new pot, a drainage layer should already be laid. The new soil mixture for the plant is well dried. Set the flower in a new pot, cover it with soil and compact a little. At least 1 cm should remain from the top soil layer to the edge of the pot. A layer of river sand or expanded clay should be laid on top.
The transplanted plant is put in the shade and is not watered for five days. If during the transplant you find diseased or damaged roots, cover them with crushed charcoal.
Transshipment plants
Unlike transplantation, transshipment is carried out without softening and removing soil lump. To do this, you need to pull out the flower along with a lump of earth from the pot. A layer of drainage is poured into a pre-prepared larger pot, the plant is set in the center and new soil is poured, slightly compacting it. As a rule, this procedure is carried out in the summer. How often to water aloe after transshipment? After the procedure, the plant is watered abundantly, adding soil if necessary. Aloe pot should be changed as the plant grows.
Water requirements
Experienced gardeners argue that the quality of water for irrigation of aloe is sometimes more important than its quantity. It is strictly forbidden to use tap water. It must remain at least 24 hours in order for chlorine and lime to escape from it. The temperature of the water is also important. It depends on the time of year. In spring, it should be in the range +20 ... + 22 ° C, in summer +30 ... + 35 ° C, and in winter +5 ... + 7 ° C.
Application of liquid top dressing and watering
Aloe needs timely fertilizer application. Before feeding, the plant is watered abundantly. This is due to the fact that fertilizers applied to the dried up soil can cause a burn of the root system. Fertilize the flower during transplantation and in the spring. Liquid top dressing can be applied to the ground or poured into a pallet, preventing the composition from getting on the leaves and stalk.
Preference should be given to complex mineral fertilizers, which are intended for succulents. They are bred strictly in accordance with the instructions.
The healing properties of aloe
They are due to the composition of the plant. The pulp of the leaves of the plant contains enzymes and volatile, vitamins and tannins, essential amino acids and minerals.
In total, over 200 nutrients were found in the flower.
- Aloe juice is a powerful antibacterial agent. It stops the growth of streptococci, staphylococci, and resists dysentery and tuberculosis bacillus. Aloe juice preparations are used to treat conjunctivitis, rinse the nose and gargle.
- With poisoning, aloe removes toxins from the body, cleanses the blood, strengthens the immune system, and normalizes metabolism.
- The leaves of the plant are often used to treat skin: for burns, for the treatment of purulent wounds. The juice of the “home doctor” contains substances that promote tissue regeneration.
- Aloe-based drugs relieve inflammation, have a beneficial effect on digestion, and improve intestinal motility.
- Found the use of succulent aloe leaves in cosmetology. Based on them, effective anti-aging creams are made.
Contraindications
After listing all the beneficial properties of aloe, it should be added that it is a miracle elixir for humans. However, when applying it for treatment, it is necessary to consider contraindications:
- do not take drugs from the agave for women during critical days, expectant mothers and babies;
- contraindication is acute inflammation of the gallbladder, gastrointestinal ulcers, hemorrhoids during exacerbation;
- use with caution in diabetics, people with heart disease and the immune system.
Even if you do not plan to use aloe for treatment, get this plant in your home. It will purify the air, enrich it with oxygen and simply delight your eyes.