Potted Aloe Vera Cultivation Techniques
Aloe vera has high ornamental value and excellent medicinal, health-preserving, and beautifying effects, making it very popular. The key points of its cultivation techniques are as follows:
1. Choosing Suitable Soil: Aloe vera prefers well-drained loose sandy soil. For each pot, the soil should contain one-fifth sand, two-fifths slope soil, one-fifth farmyard manure, and a small amount of garden soil. Regardless of the age of the aloe seedlings, the soil should be changed once a year. When changing the soil, the original soil ball should not be damaged. Place the soil ball with the seedling into a larger pot, and fill the gaps around the bottom and sides of the pot with mixed fertile soil.
2. Controlling Light and Temperature: Aloe vera likes clear sunlight and higher temperatures but avoids strong light exposure. In spring and winter, increase the duration of light exposure, while in summer and autumn, provide half-shade to avoid direct sunlight. The most suitable growth temperature for aloe is 15-20°C, with the lowest temperature not falling below 2°C.
3. Watering and Fertilizing: Although aloe vera likes moisture, it should not be watered daily, and excessive watering must be avoided. The irrigation water must be clean and sterile; if tap water is used, it is best to leave it for 7-10 days before use. Based on the dryness or wetness of the pot soil, water less in spring and winter, and more in summer and autumn. Generally, fertilize once every three months by poking three or four small holes in the pot soil with a small stick and adding a few fermented soybean grains or fermented water into each hole.
The Marvelous Leafy Ornamental Plant: Aloe Vera
Aloe vera, also known as oil onion, dragon horn, and elephant gall, belongs to the lily family and is a perennial evergreen herb. Its shape resembles sisal hemp but is slightly smaller. Its leaves are dark green, sword-shaped, and cluster in a rosette pattern. They have a glossy surface, thick fleshy texture, and small spines on both sides. The leaves remain green all year round, exuding vitality. During the transition between winter-spring or summer-autumn, flower spikes emerge from the leaf clusters, blooming deep red with orange-yellow or red-spotted spike flowers; occasionally white ones appear, which are elegant and charming. Both its form and color give people a feeling of freshness, elegance, and simplicity. It is an ideal ornamental plant for beautifying the environment or decorating living spaces. In recent years, many countries around the world have experienced an aloe vera craze, mainly due to the growing interest in the miraculous reputation of this tropical plant that has been treasured since ancient times.
Modern scientific analysis shows that aloe contains a large amount of natural proteins, vitamins, chlorophyll, active enzymes, essential trace elements for the human body, and aloin among other 70 components. It has pharmacological effects such as laxative, stomachic, menstruation-promoting, detoxifying, swelling-reducing, pain-relieving, itching-stopping, heat-clearing, bowel-moistening, blood-cooling, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antitumor, and anti-ulcer properties. It has varying degrees of therapeutic effects on gastrointestinal diseases, liver diseases, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension; especially on various burns, scalds, and sunburns, showing significant therapeutic effects, and also having inhibitory effects on filterable viruses, fungi, and cancer cells.
Recently, aloe vera has entered supermarkets abroad, becoming a new star in health and beauty medicines. In many countries and regions, food with aloe vera as an additive or raw material is hailed as high-grade food. In the United States, aloe sandwiches are fitness supplements, priced expensively; their aloe juice and aloe scones are also valuable. In Japan, aloe has become a health food on the dining tables of thousands of households, including aloe dumplings, aloe pastries, and aloe brandy wine, covering a wide variety.
Aloe vera also has magical effects in beauty care, with many of its components providing good nutritional moisturizing effects on human skin. It can make hair black and shiny, accelerate skin metabolism, reduce the formation of facial wrinkles, enhance elasticity, and make the skin radiant and smooth. It also has therapeutic effects on rough skin, freckles, scars, and acne. In the United States and Japan, scientific technology has been applied to process aloe juice, producing a series of aloe beauty cosmetics that have gained prominence in supermarkets. Fujian and Guangdong provinces in China have also developed aloe hair growth liquid and hair conditioner for market trials, receiving widespread consumer approval.
Aloe vera also has certain uses in the paint industry. Adding a small amount of aloe powder to paint ensures that the paint does not peel off items for a long time.
Aloe vera is truly a great treasure, yet it is very easy to cultivate. It can adapt to any type of soil, but the ideal planting soil consists mainly of marsh mud and sand, with added humus soil, maintaining weak acidity. Clay is unfavorable for drainage and should be avoided. It prefers warmth and cannot tolerate cold. In warm southern, southwestern, and parts of eastern China, it can be cultivated outdoors; in northern regions, it is generally potted. Potted aloe vera grows well under indoor dry conditions and scattered light, and is extremely drought-resistant, with no major issues even if not watered for ten to fifteen days.
Aloe vera can be propagated through cuttings or division. Cuttings are taken between March and April, cutting mature old plant tops as cuttings, about 10 cm long, removing the lateral leaves at the base, drying them for 2-3 days until the cut slightly dries, then inserting them into the potting soil, keeping the pot soil moist, rooting within 20-30 days. Aloe grows quickly, so repotting should be done annually in spring. When repotting, remove the old plants for medicinal use and select appropriately sized young plants for replanting. Control watering for newly potted plants. In summer, place them in a well-ventilated semi-shaded outdoor area and water them thoroughly, but only water in the evening during hot summers. In autumn, control watering. Keep indoor temperatures above 5°C for safe winter survival. As long as sufficient base fertilizer is applied, additional fertilization is usually unnecessary.
You might consider trying to grow some, for both ornamental purposes and immediate consumption or medicinal use.
Cultivation Techniques for Aloe Vera
Aloe vera belongs to the lily family and genus Aloe, currently widely used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food, being a key developing variety of new vegetable types. Below are introduced its variety characteristics and cultivation techniques:
1. Botanical Features
- Roots: Mostly fibrous roots, some bulbous.
- Stems: Mostly perennial woody plants, without stems or short stems, many shrubs or climbing plants.
- Leaves: Herbaceous aloe leaves mostly base-born, shrub and tree aloe leaves stem-born. Most are alternately arranged, spirally arranged, and form rosette leaf clusters. Leaves are succulent, fleshy. Some have spines on the back or surface. Leaves have entire margins, often with wavy saw teeth, some with fine hairs.
- Flowers: Terminal or lateral, raceme, umbel, panicle, cylindrical, or head inflorescence, usually infinite inflorescence. Flowers red, brown, pink, yellow, orange-red, or milky white.
- Fruit: Mostly capsules, some berries. Seed coat gray or black, seeds irregularly triangular to flat shapes.
2. Variety Introduction
Currently, the main cultivated variety is Kurasu (also known as Barbados aloe or Cuiye aloe). It has no stem or short stem, freely branching. The leaves form clusters of 16-20 pieces, 60-80 cm long, 10-15 cm wide, relatively thick, obliquely extending upwards, forming rosette leaf clusters; gray-green leaves with a hint of red, thicker epidermis, flat leaves. There are variants such as Chinese aloe and Yuanjiang aloe in our country.
3. Environmental Requirements
- Soil: Aloe thrives in soil with good water and air permeability, high organic matter content, and pH values between 6.5-7.2 being optimal.
- Light: Adequate light promotes robust growth, but it can also adapt to slightly shaded conditions.
- Temperature: Optimal growth temperature is 20-30°C, with nighttime temperatures ideally between 14-17°C. It struggles with temperatures over 50-55°C, and the minimum is 10-12°C. Below 10°C, growth nearly halts, and at 0-5°C, leaves become weak and prone to disease. Below 0°C, aloe leaves will freeze entirely and die.
- Water: Aloe leaf tissue contains 98.5% water, but excessive waterlogging leads to quick death. Excessive water and high groundwater levels are extremely harmful to aloe. Aloe has strong drought resistance, and detached aloe can survive for several months without dying.
- Ecological Environment: Aloe's ecological environment (air, water, soil, etc.) must not be polluted.
4. Cultivation Techniques
- Field Selection: Choose fields with high terrain, low groundwater levels, good drainage, loose, breathable, and fertile soil.
Deep plowing and organic fertilization, apply 2000-3000 kg of mature organic fertilizer per 667 square meters plus 100 kg of leafy vegetable compound fertilizer. Consider the width of ridges for setting up greenhouses and covering shade nets. Generally, single-row ridges are 0.5 meters wide, double-row ridges are 0.6-0.8 meters wide.
- Timely Planting: Planting can occur in all seasons, with spring and autumn being the best.
- Water and Fertilizer Management: Avoid watering at noon, water moderately. If the topsoil 2 cm down is still moist, there is no need to water. Consider the synergistic and balanced effects of various nutrients when fertilizing.
- Sunscreen and Frost Protection: Aloe fears intense sunlight, so it is suitable for intercropping under fruit trees or tall crops. Using shade nets provides good results. In winter, frost protection is necessary. Cover before temperatures drop below 5°C, preferably with small greenhouses for double-layer coverage. Take precautions before frost damage occurs. If outside temperatures fall below -5°C, heating inside the greenhouse is necessary, and ventilation should be provided at midday when temperatures rise.
- Harvesting: Harvest parts include suckers, leaves, flowers, flower stalks, and roots. Suckers can be harvested for propagation. For leaf harvesting, plants must be at least three years old with more than 20 leaves, most weighing over 500 grams. Harvest 3-4 leaves per harvest, 3-4 times per year, leaving at least 12 leaves after each harvest. Harvest from the basal sheath near the base. Each adult plant can produce 1-1.2 tons of fresh leaves per year.
- Daily Consumption Method and Quantity: Edible aloe varieties include Kurasu, Mopile, and Chinese aloe. Aloe can be eaten in various ways, primarily raw like fruit. Adult daily intake, with skin, is 20-60 grams, without skin, 50-100 grams. Infants consume 5 grams without skin. Those in good health should eat it with the skin, while weaker individuals, elderly, and infants should eat it without the skin. Raw consumption is better than cooked. All aloe products should be avoided by pregnant women.
How Families Can Grow Aloe Vera
With the rising popularity of aloe vera in our city, more people are purchasing it. Women buy it to squeeze the juice from the leaves for skincare, aiming for whiter skin and fewer spots and acne. Others purchase it as a home remedy for cuts, bruises, boils, and carbuncles, using it as an anti-inflammatory and detoxifying medicine. Many simply grow it as an ornamental plant. How do you cultivate and manage it? First, understand its growth habits and environmental requirements.
Aloe vera originates from tropical deserts, thus possessing the following characteristics:
- Prefers Heat, Fears Cold: It thrives at temperatures around 20°C. Below zero degrees, it freezes, and at around 10°C, growth nearly stops. Therefore, in Wenzhou, it is best grown in greenhouses during winter, or potted plants should be placed in south-facing, wind-sheltered, sunny areas indoors to minimize frost damage.
- Loose Soil: Sandy soil is preferred. If clayey yellow soil is used, add half sand to promote looseness and drainage.
- Drought-Tolerant, Dislikes Moisture: Desert plants rarely encounter water, so aloe vera is called "the plant that doesn't die from drought." Even if dug up and left in the sun for several days, it won't dry out. Thus, infrequent watering has little impact, but waterlogged soil can lead to root rot and plant death.
- Loves Sunlight: Deserts have almost no rainy days, and the plant is exposed to strong sunlight all day. Planting sites should allow sunlight exposure. Long-term placement in dark areas results in stunted, weak growth.
- Moderate Fertilization: It grows with minimal fertilization, but appropriate fertilization promotes lush growth.
Cultivation and Propagation of Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is a perennial evergreen succulent plant of the lily family, with basal, clustered leaves, narrow and lanceolate, deep green, sharp-tongued, edged with spiny small teeth. It blooms on the flower stem in summer and autumn, with raceme inflorescences, spike-like, orange-red flowers, and triangular capsules. In the seedling stage, the leaves are arranged in two rows, and as the plant matures, they form rosette-like clusters. Aloe vera remains green all year round, fresh and elegant, serving both as an ornamental plant and having certain cosmetic, health-preserving, and medicinal values.
Cultivation Techniques: Aloe vera is native to Africa, preferring warmth, tolerating drought, disliking cold, loving light, and thriving in well-drained, fertile, slightly acidic sandy soil. It is easy to cultivate, adaptable, and grows quickly. Only sufficient organic fertilizer as base fertilizer is needed, with no additional fertilization required. Commonly cultivated home varieties include American aloe, Chinese aloe, and Japanese aloe. Among these, American aloe is large and juicy with full leaves; Chinese aloe is small but rich in juice and sticky fluid; Japanese aloe has thin, curled leaves. Their common trait is their love for light, requiring ample sunlight. Overly shaded environments slow aloe's growth and may cause the leaves to grow long and thin. However, prolonged exposure to strong sunlight can cause aloe to enter a semi-dormant state or halt growth, leading to scorched tips after high-temperature sun exposure.
Aloe vera prefers warmth and fears cold. Temperatures below 0°C can cause frost damage. When balcony temperatures gradually drop below 5°C, move the plant indoors.
Aloe vera dislikes damp environments and fears waterlogging, so watering should not be excessive, typically every 5 to 10 days. Determine whether to water based on whether the soil in the pot is completely dry. Watering should be controlled more strictly in winter, as even relatively dry soil is acceptable to prevent root rot. In high-temperature, high-humidity seasons, aloe vera is prone to black spot disease, which can be controlled with 600x mancozeb.
Propagation Methods: Aloe vera can be propagated by cuttings or division.
1. Cutting Method: Conducted between March and April, cut the robust top of old plants as cuttings, 10 to 15 cm long, removing the lateral leaves at the base, placing them in a cool place for 2 to 3 days until the cut dries, then insert them into the potting soil, keeping the soil moist, rooting within 20 to 30 days.
2. Division Method: During annual spring repotting, separate the young plants from the mother plant and pot them separately. Control watering for newly potted young plants, placing them in a ventilated, semi-shaded outdoor area in summer, watering in the afternoon, maintaining temperatures above 5°C in winter, placing them in a dry, sunny indoor location for good growth.
Development Prospects of Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is a perennial evergreen succulent plant of the lily family, combining medical, cosmetic, health-preserving, and ornamental functions into one remarkable plant. It contains over 70 substances beneficial to the human body, exhibiting pharmacological effects such as catharsis, stomachic, laxative, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anticancer properties. With modern science's increasing understanding, research, and development of aloe vera, an aloe vera craze is emerging worldwide. Currently, aloe vera is widely used in pharmaceuticals, health foods, cosmetics, dyes, metallurgy, pesticides, livestock farming, and other industrial and agricultural fields. Therefore, aloe vera is an economic plant with promising development prospects.
1 Development and Utilization Prospects
1.1 Use of Fresh Aloe Vera Leaves: Aloe vera leaves can be consumed internally or externally. External use includes antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, swelling-reducing, pain-relieving, cell activation, skin softening, and improvement of skin and hair quality. Internal use includes antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, immune system enhancement, regulation of bodily functions, blood purification, and blood vessel softening.
1.2 Development of Aloe Vera Series Basic Materials: To produce large-scale aloe vera products—cosmetics, food, and drugs—large-scale production of basic aloe vera materials is essential. Main types of aloe vera basic materials include aloe vera gel, aloe vera gel powder, and aloe vera oil series.
1.3 Development of Aloe Vera Beauty Cosmetics: Modern medicine and beauty confirm that aloe vera significantly enhances human metabolism and skin cell activity, promoting regeneration and repair. Aloe vera-based beauty series cosmetics are widely used abroad. In recent years, provinces and cities such as Hainan, Guangdong, Sichuan, and Dalian in China have also begun to introduce some aloe vera beauty cosmetics, with promising prospects.
1.4 Development of Aloe Vera Health Foods: In today's era where people prefer natural and pure health products, aloe vera-based health foods such as aloe vera drinks, oral liquids, and mineral crystal powders have great development potential.
1.5 Development of Aloe Vera Medicinal Products: Aloe vera has unique effects on various chronic diseases such as gastrointestinal diseases, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, constipation, and stomatitis. It also excels in treating burns, scalds, and skin diseases. Developing aloe vera pharmaceutical products is highly promising.
2 Suggestions and Recommendations for Developing Aloe Vera Products
2.1 Starting from Agriculture to Develop Aloe Vera Industry: From the current status of aloe vera industry development at home and abroad, the main varieties used now include American Kurasu aloe (Cuiye aloe), Japanese wood aloe, Chinese aloe, and Shangnong large-leaf aloe.
2.2 Using Tissue Culture Technology to Develop Aloe Vera Seedling Industry: Large-scale aloe vera planting requires a large number of seedlings. Using tissue culture technology for rapid propagation of aloe vera seedlings can quickly provide a large number of high-quality seedlings for large-scale production.
2.3 Developing Aloe Vera Processing Industry: While developing large-scale aloe vera planting, product procurement and processing, especially primary processing, must also be considered. Only by processing harvested leaves into primary products (such as aloe vera concentrate or aloe vera gel) can they be preserved for a long time, allowing further processing into finished products for market release.