How to Grow Aloe Vera in Water? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Growing Method

Aloe vera is a rising star among plants, combining edible, medicinal, cosmetic and ornamental uses in one. Also known as Lu Hui, Ne Hui, Xiang Dan and other names, it is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant of the genus Aloe in the lily family, native to the Mediterranean and Africa. Its leaves are clustered, large and thick, growing in a rosette or at the top of the stem. It is easy to grow and very popular with the public. Let us take a look below at how to grow aloe vera in water!

Plant Selection

For hydroponic aloe vera, it is best to choose a small, compact plant, as it will also be easier to shape in a vase. Cut a plant to be grown in water, with its roots attached, from the base of the mother plant in a pot. If the plant is small, you can dig out the whole plant, remove diseased and rotten leaves, and keep only the intact, healthy aloe.

Root Cleaning

For hydroponic growing, you must wash and disinfect the plant's roots to ensure the conditions for success are met. Soak in clean water for 15-20 minutes and gently wash several times until there is no soil on the roots and no mud or sand in the water. After cleaning, soak in a 0.1% potassium permanganate solution (generally the prepared solution looks light purplish-red) for 15 minutes, then rinse with clean water and it is ready.

Planting Method

To make planting hydroponic aloe vera easier, you can add some hydroponic substrate, small stones and the like to the bottle, which helps hold the aloe's root system in place. When placing the aloe in the vase, smooth out and spread the roots. Be careful not to let the whole plant be submerged in water. If you are worried about root rot, you can let the aloe's roots just barely touch the water surface. In addition, the leaf surface must not touch the water.

Care and Management

1. After planting, you can place the hydroponic aloe vera in a cool, ventilated place, and do not expose it to direct sunlight. To help the roots grow quickly, you can use black cloth to cover the lower half of the vase.

2. After the aloe has grown hydroponic roots and adapted somewhat to the hydroponic environment, move the hydroponic container to a brightly lit place and switch to a foliage plant nutrient solution for long-term growing, replacing the hydroponic nutrient solution once every 15-30 days.

3. In summer, aloe vera has a brief dormant period. During dormancy, the growing container should be moved from a brightly lit place to a semi-shaded and ventilated place.

4. In winter, the growing container should be placed in a sunny spot indoors. A room temperature above 5 degrees C is enough for it to overwinter safely. If you want the aloe plant to bloom, the winter room temperature needs to be above 10 degrees C.

Precautions

1. When growing plants at home, people often pour tea water or rice water into flower pots. Do not do this when growing hydroponically. For hydroponic aloe vera, clean water is best. Pay attention to changing the water regularly, once every 2-3 days, promptly remove rotten roots, clean the container, and make sure there is no odd smell in the water.

2. Aloe vera is a foliage plant, and it also has certain fertilizer requirements. After hydroponic aloe vera grows new roots in one month, you can switch to a foliage plant nutrient solution for long-term growing. Depending on the specific situation, you can replace the nutrient solution once every half a month to once a month.