How to grow aloe vera

Cactuses

Aloe vera is one of the desert plants, which is characterized by its ability to withstand thirst and drought. Aloe vera grows in the south of Jordan, Petra, and on the tops of the sandy mountains, and the sides of the valleys. The aloe vera plant belongs to the lily family (Litiaceac) and its scientific name is (Aloe vera (L.) Burm.fil). As for if we want to describe the aloe vera plant, it is a perennial succulent plant, its leaves are characterized as smooth, sharp edges covered with a white waxy substance, orange flowers that grow on a long raceme. Cactus flowering begins in May to June. As for the cactus roots, they grow on the surface of the ground and the sides of the plant. The cactus stems are short, with thick, spear-shaped, greasy leaves. Their stems are up to 30 cm long and up to 5 cm wide. It is known that each Aloe vera plant bears 15-20 leaves.

Aloe vera species

Among the most important and widespread types of cacti are:

• Barrel cactus: It is similar in shape to a barrel, bearing long thorns that may reach a height of 3 meters.
• Organ cactus: It has long stems, growing in groups similar in shape to organ flutes.
• Old man's cactus: It has long thorns that look like white hair, and they protect the plant from sunlight.
• Luxurious koala cactus: Its legs are soft and easy to break. It may seem to passers-by that it is preparing to jump on them.
• The little bear koala cactus: bear-like in shape, 1.5 meters high and has brown thorns.
• Prickly pear cactus: Its stems are in the form of leaves with thorns. It abounds in dry and mountainous lands, such as North America.
• Saguar cactus: It bears twelve branches, its branches resemble arms, its stem reaches 18 meters in height and 5.6 meters in thickness.

Cactus reproduction methods

The ways in which cacti reproduce differ according to the type and nature of the plant, and among the most important ways in which cacti reproduce:

• By seeds: One of the most famous types of cacti that reproduces by seeds is Nabatah (Aunt al-Qadi).
• Vegetative propagation.
• Stem cuttings such as cactus man plant and prickly pear plant.
• Leaves: Like a tiger's skin plant.
• The offshoots (offshoots) are like the endowment plant.

How to grow an aloe vera plant

To grow aloe vera in a correct and successful way, the following steps must be followed:

• Provide a small cactus plant for cultivation, as it can be purchased from an agricultural store.
• Cultivation of aloe vera plant in a large and wide pot, because aloe vera grows branches and small aloe vera plants.
• Cultivation of aloe vera in soil suitable for it, as this soil must be characterized as having medium fertility, and capable of leaking excess water from it; Because the aloe vera plant, in its nature, contains water by a large percentage, which may reduce the success rate of plant cultivation, if the excess water is not disposed of through the soil.
• Make sure to put the aloe vera plant in a sunny place; Because the aloe vera plant needs sunlight, so if the aloe vera is placed inside the house, it must be placed on the window or balcony of the house; to facilitate the access of sunlight to it.
• Before carrying out the process of irrigating the aloe vera plant, the soil of the plant must be examined to ensure that it needs irrigation or not, by dipping the finger inside the soil, and letting the soil surface dry completely before watering it. It is known that the aloe vera plant needs less irrigation in the winter; Because its soil drains water more slowly, as excessive irrigation of aloe vera may damage or rot the plant.

Aloe vera plant care tips

To take care of the aloe vera plant after planting it, you must follow the following steps:

• Putting the aloe vera plant in a sunny place; Because placing it in dark places that do not reach the sun's rays negatively affects the flowering of the aloe vera plant, bearing in mind that the aloe vera plant needs to be exposed to the sun from 6-8 hours a day.
• It is possible to leave the aloe vera plant outside on warm summer days, but it is not recommended to leave it outside on cold winter days. As the aloe vera plant consists of 95% of water, so it may be subject to freezing, and the loss of its strength and hardness due to the melting of water after freezing, as it returns to the liquid state and the harsh texture of the cactus turns into a soft and tender texture.
• Aloe vera is one of the plants that do not need a lot of care and watering. It may need watering every (10-14) days in the summer, and its need for watering decreases in the winter. The soil of the plant must be dry at a depth of (5 cm) before watering it.
• When moving a plant from one pot to another, it is best to leave it without watering for two to three days. This is for the root to adapt to the new soil to which it was transferred.
• The best way to irrigate plants is to rely on rainwater. Because the aloe vera plant naturally stores rainwater and then relies on its water reserves, which is the natural environment for aloe vera cultivation.
• The cactus plant needs to add fertilizer during the period in which its activity is active, which is between the months (April-September), noting the need to stop applying fertilizer during the winter season; Because it grows slowly and will not benefit from adding fertilizer.
• It is better to change the pot of the aloe vera plant after purchasing it to a larger and wider one to give it more space for growth, because the pot when buying the plant is usually small.
• Aloe vera needs dry, sandy soil to grow well.
• It is preferable that the size of the pot in which the aloe vera plant will be placed is three times larger than the root of the plant and the soil and gravel it holds. This is because the aloe vera plant, when it grows, spreads over wide distances.
• Putting some pebbles and stones in the plant's pot will reduce the soil moisture, which is the closest to the preferred and natural soil for growing aloe vera.