One of the most popular indoor plants - aloe - belongs to the lily family, a group of succulents. Its main distinguishing feature is long, fleshy leaves covered with soft spines. Aloe is grown by indoor flower lovers not only as an ornamental, but also as a medicinal plant.
General Description
Aloe is native to Africa. There are more than 250 species of this plant on this continent. At home, aloe vera is most often grown. In another way, this variety is called the agave. Very often in the apartments of indoor flower lovers you can also see spinous, spotted or folded aloe. Reproduction of all these varieties is usually a simple procedure. The methods of obtaining new plants from the parent are similar.
Basic breeding methods
Getting new plants from the aloe bush, just like from any other succulent, is very simple. This plant can reproduce:
- tops;
- cuttings;
- leaves;
- kids;
- seeds.
Most often, aloe is propagated by children. In this case, young plants just need to be dug up and transferred to a new pot. The rest of the methods have some nuances.
Aloe: propagation by tops, cuttings and leaves
Take planting material from the mother plant as carefully as possible. The tops are cut with a sharp knife so that about 5-6 leaves remain on them. Cuttings are separated at the very stem. The leaf is cut off at the base of the shoot. They take planting material for breeding, usually in February or March. The place of the cut on the mother plant is treated with charcoal. The tops, cuttings or leaves themselves are dried for 5-6 days.
Further, the planting material is slightly buried (about 3 cm) in wet sand. After the roots appear, new plants are transferred to containers filled with earth. Drainage is preliminarily poured into the pots. As a soil mixture, the same composition is usually used in which the mother aloe grows. If there is no such soil at hand, you can purchase a mixture designed for growing cacti in a specialized store. In any case, the soil should be slightly acidic. Of course, planted young plants need to be watered. Propagation of aloe by leaf, top or cuttings allows you to quickly and without much hassle to get several new specimens.
Seed use
This technique is considered rather complicated and is rarely used by amateur flower growers. But in this way you can get a very large number of new young aloes at the same time. Reproduction by seeds will be successful only if a special soil mixture is used, consisting of:
- 1 parts of rotted leafy soil;
- 2 parts washed and steamed river sand.
Such soil is poured into bowls with holes in the bottom. Then seeds are laid out on top of it. Then they are lightly sprinkled with sand. Moisten the soil by lowering the bowls into a pan with water for a few minutes. After the soil mixture picks up moisture, the containers are placed in a greenhouse.
Aloe seedlings germinate, the propagation of which according to this method is actually not a very simple procedure, about 5-6 days after planting. Watering young agaves should be done with a small spray bottle. Seedlings are planted in separate containers after 1-2 true leaves appear on them.
Where to post?
No matter how aloe is propagated - top, cuttings, leaves or seeds - for new plants you need to choose the right place. It is best to install pots with agave on the windowsill of the south window. Unlike many other indoor plants, this succulent is almost not afraid of large doses of ultraviolet radiation. In a dark room, aloe will stretch out, and its leaves will turn pale. In winter, this plant is best also transferred to a bright but cool room (withair temperature 12-13 gr.).
How to feed
Of course, aloe, which can be propagated at home in different ways, will please the owners with an attractive appearance and good development only with proper care. Fertilize the ground under this plant usually twice a month. Aloe should not be fed too often, otherwise it may get sick. As a fertilizer, compounds intended for cacti are most often used.
How to water properly
Too often moisten the soil in a pot of aloe should also not be. This plant does not like overflows. In addition, it does not tolerate stagnant water in the pan. If the humidity is too high, aloe roots can easily rot. The best way to water this succulent is to immerse the pot in water for a few minutes. In summer, aloe is usually watered once a week, in winter - once a month.
Diseases and pests
Aloe is often used as a medicinal plant. However, sometimes it happens that he himself needs the help of the owners. Most often, the agave affects such a pest as a scale insect. This insect pierces aloe leaves with its sharp proboscis and drinks the juice. To rid the plant of scale insects, its leaves and stem should be wiped with a not too strong solution of vinegar.
It also happens that a spider mite starts on aloe. To combat this pest, either a weak solution of alcohol or garlic tincture is used. To prevent mite infestation, aloe should be sprayed periodically.infusion of tobacco.
Root rot is a fairly common disease of this plant. It develops during overflow. When a problem occurs, the agave first slows down growth, and then begins to dry out.
Meet in aloe and other diseases common among indoor plants. But in general, this succulent is quite resistant to all sorts of infections and insect infestation. With proper care, aloe, most likely, will not cause problems to its owners. In addition, if necessary, it will be possible to obtain new plants even from an already dying mother. Propagation of aloe by cuttings, leaves, babies, etc. is an extremely simple procedure.
