How to Grow Aloe vera? Planting Methods, Precautions and Benefits Explained

Aloe vera looks both beautiful and elegant, and is a great potted plant for the home. Growing a pot of it at home makes people feel very happy when they look at it. It is not only suitable for home decoration, but also has multiple benefits. So how exactly do you grow this plant that is both good-looking and useful? Let's take a look together below.

Aloe vera Planting Methods

1. When planting, aloe should not be buried too deep; the soil should only cover up to the lower end of the aloe leaves, and the soil should not touch the aloe leaves.

2. Water about once every half a month, or use rice-washing water, do not water every day, and do not water at noon. It is enough for the soil surface to be moist when watering; keep the soil dry and refreshing. It is very important not to expose it to sunlight during the first month after planting.

3. When the temperature is below 0°C, it should be placed indoors.

4. Ordinary loose soil is fine for planting, such as soil from a community green belt or garden soil.

5. Use soil that is half dry and half moist. Do not water immediately after the first planting. After that, water about once every 10 days, depending on the soil condition. Aloe is afraid of water; do not water at the roots, and do not water at noon. Water the soil around the aloe; it is enough if the soil surface is moist. Note that during the early planting period, do not let it get rained on and do not expose it to sunlight. After 1 month of planting, it can gradually receive diffused light. When first exposed to sunlight, the leaves turning red and yellow is normal, and it will gradually recover after about 10 days.

Aloe vera Precautions

1. Soil: Aloe vera likes to grow in loose soil with good drainage that does not easily compact. Soil with poor drainage and aeration will block root respiration and cause rot and necrosis, but overly sandy soil often causes the loss of water and nutrients, making the aloe grow poorly.

2. Temperature: Aloe vera is afraid of cold and grows long-term in environments without frost all year round. Growth stops at around 5°C, and at 0°C its life processes are impaired. If it is below 0°C, it will suffer frost damage. The most suitable temperature for growth is 15-35°C, with humidity of 45-85%.

3. Water: Aloe vera needs sufficient water during its growing period, but it is not tolerant of waterlogging. Before transplanting, both the seedling bed and the transplanting site should be irrigated first, and the seedlings should be lifted and planted after the topsoil is slightly dry. In rainy and humid seasons or under poor drainage conditions, the leaves easily shrivel, the roots and stems rot, and the plant may even die.

4. Sunlight: Aloe vera needs sufficient sunlight to grow. Note that newly planted aloe should not yet be exposed to sunlight; it is best to let it see sunlight only in the morning. After ten days to half a month, it will gradually adapt and thrive in the sunlight.

5. Fertilizer: Aloe vera needs not only nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, but also some trace elements. However, to ensure that the aloe is a green and natural plant, try to use fermented organic fertilizer. Cake fertilizer, chicken manure and compost are all fine, and vermicompost is even more suitable for growing aloe.

Aloe vera Benefits

1. Soothes skin discomfort. In the classic method, after toning the skin, apply a soybean-sized amount of aloe gel before lotion, which can quickly improve dry, itchy and peeling skin, especially seasonal skin sensitivity.

2. Aloe gel can be used for face masks in two ways: one is to apply a thick layer of aloe gel directly after cleansing and wash it off the next day; the skin feels very smooth. And if you have symptoms of redness and itching on your face, using it as a mask will improve these symptoms a lot. The other way is to first apply a thick layer of aloe gel as a base after cleansing, then apply a paper mask soaked in aloe juice, hydrosol, or other non-irritating watery liquid. Remove it after about 20 minutes; the skin will feel fully hydrated, watery and tender. Moreover, aloe gel has a very good repairing effect and can nicely repair damaged skin tissue, making the skin smooth and elastic.

3. Aloe gel can be used to blend with olive oil. Put a little aloe gel in the palm of your hand, then add a drop of olive oil, mix well, and use it to wipe the face or as an eye cream. Its moisturizing and anti-wrinkle effect is quite good.

4. Mixing aloe gel with isolation cream. Aloe gel can be mixed with isolation cream before use; this way it will not pill, and it is very moisturizing, so you will not feel that the isolation cream is too thick or too dry. Aloe gel itself also has a certain isolating effect, and when the two are mixed, the isolating effect is even better.

5. Aloe gel relieves pain, itching and redness. If you are bitten by mosquitoes or insects, or if your skin is broken, burned, or otherwise injured, you can use aloe gel. Its unique repairing, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects can relieve symptoms such as pain, itching and redness, and can promote wound healing.

6. Using aloe gel for infusion or as a lubricant is very simple: after applying any essence you want to infuse, apply a thick layer of aloe gel on the face for infusion. Aloe serves as a lubricant and can also enhance the absorption of the essence.

7. Aloe gel + night cream. Add a little aloe gel to the night cream; applied this way, it absorbs quickly on the face and also feels watery. The repairing effect of aloe gel plus the sufficient moisturizing effect of the night cream gives you the best of both worlds.

8. Aloe gel repairs acne. Because aloe gel has some detoxifying and sterilizing effects, friends with acne can wash their face clean and then apply it to the acne. For mature pimples with pus, you can use clean hands to squeeze out the pus, then apply aloe gel to the wound. You can use a little more; it is very effective for the fastest recovery of pimples.

9. Aloe gel can be used as a face cream and makeup primer (making makeup more fitting and longer-lasting).

10. Use as a lip mask. It prevents cracked mouth corners and lip corner ulceration. For problems such as lip corner ulceration and cracks, it can improve them very well.

Several Ways to Eat Aloe vera

1. Aloe lemon juice

Aloe lemon juice tastes very good and is the most popular among various aloe drinks.

Ingredients: 5 cm aloe leaf, 1 spoon honey, 2/3 cup water, 1 small spoon lemon juice.

Method: Wash a 5 cm piece of fresh aloe leaf, remove the thorns, blend it with lemon, then add 2/3 cup water and mix well, then add ice and lemon.

Add blended aloe juice to fruit juices such as apple and orange, or vegetable juices such as tomato and celery, then dilute with boiled water or hot water to make mixed aloe juice. Mixed aloe juice is very suitable for conditioning the body, but if the amount of aloe is too much, the effect may be overly strong and cause negative effects, so be especially careful about this. (Note: If you do not have a blender, you can use a grater to grind the leaf flesh finely, then put the honey into water and mix well with a spoon. This is the basic method for aloe juice. If you want to eat other kinds, you can change the juice and enjoy a variety of flavors.)

2. Aloe vegetable soup

This is a very nutritious vegetable soup, most suitable for drinking when you have no appetite and after illness. Since the essence of the vegetables and aloe has already dissolved into the soup, the nutrition is very rich even if you do not eat the vegetables in the soup.

Ingredients: 2 fresh aloe leaves, 1 stalk spinach, 1 carrot, 2 florets cauliflower, 1 leaf Chinese cabbage, 2 dried shiitake mushrooms, 1 cup chicken stock or meat stock.

Method: First bring the chicken stock to a boil, add the above ingredients, and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes.

3. Aloe juice dried shrimp celery

Main ingredient: 250 g American celery. Auxiliary ingredients: 20 g dried shrimp, aloe juice, half a red bell pepper, red cherries, coriander. Seasonings: soybean oil, light soy sauce.

Method: Wash the American celery (also known as western celery), cut it into pieces with a knife, put it into an oiled pan and cook it, but be sure not to cook it until yellow. Add the dried shrimp to the pan at the same time.

Take 20 g of aloe leaf flesh, boil it to make juice, put 1 spoon of aloe juice into the western celery and cook until dry, so that the aloe juice is absorbed into the celery pieces or sticks to the surface, giving an aloe flavor. Put the western celery pieces and dried shrimp on a white plate, with the dried shrimp concentrated in a mound-like high point, partly visible and partly hidden. Cook half a bell pepper in clear water, take it out, cut it into diamond shapes, and arrange it on the edge of the plate in a radial pattern. Characteristics: fresh, crisp, slightly bitter; the green dish shines in all directions, refreshes the palate, and prevents bleeding gums.

4. Diced chicken with aloe

Main ingredient: 250 g chicken breast. Auxiliary ingredients: 10 g aloe leaf flesh, 1 bell pepper, carrot slices, coriander, red cherries. Seasonings: oil, salt, MSG, wine.

Method: Thaw the fresh chicken breast, cut it into diced pieces, and set aside. Take out 10 g of aloe leaf flesh, boil it in clear water, then cut it into diced pieces and set aside. Put the diced chicken into a hot oiled pan and stir-fry over high heat. Add seasonings and stir-fry until the meat is cooked and tender to the taste, then add the white aloe flesh to the pan and stir-fry, and it is ready to serve, placed on a waist plate.

From the above, we know that Aloe vera not only has a very good beauty effect, and when made into a mask it both improves skin quality and helps remove toxins, but it can also be made into delicious food. It is truly wonderful. Friends who like it should quickly get started and make several delicious aloe dishes to share with everyone.