This amazing plant can be seen in many homes. Aloe doesn't just decorate window sills. The plant has powerful healing properties, cleans the air in the room where it grows. In order for the flower to retain all its properties, it needs proper care. This will be discussed in this article. You will learn about the rules for caring for a plant, how it reproduces, how often you need to water aloe in summer and winter.
Botanical description
From Arabic, the name of the plant is translated as "bitter". The plant belongs to the Asphodelaceae family. This is a succulent - a culture that can do without water for a long time, storing moisture inside the tissues. Aloe is native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
The leaves of plants are shaped like a sword. They are wide at the base and tapering towards the tips. Concave on the inside. They are quite thick and fleshy, covereda wax layer that protects the plant from the scorching sun.
Aloe flowers are inconspicuous, located on long peduncles. A characteristic feature of the succulent is its amazing "will to live." To retain deficient moisture, the plant closes the stomata - the vessels on the leaves.
Popular types of aloe
The most common representative of the family in indoor floriculture is aloe vera. The fleshy narrow leaves of this plant are used in traditional medicine and for cosmetic procedures. With good care, Aloe Arborescens can grow up to a meter in height. Thorns are located only on the leaves, the trunk of the plant is smooth. It is stiffer at the bottom and softer at the crown.
Aloe Vera
Another popular variety. The plant does not exceed 50 cm in height. Spikes are located along the edges of the leaves, which are much wider than those of the tree. Bright green leaves are slightly corrugated, collected in spirally twisted rosettes. The stem is shortened. One of the most famous medicinal plants is aloe vera. How often to water the plant, how to care for it? More information is provided later in the article.
Colorful aloe
Decorative plant variety. It grows up to thirty centimeters in height. In a he althy plant, the leaves are dark green with white stripes. They may have soft spines. On a very short trunk, the leaves are twisted in a spiral.
Spinousaloe
Another beautiful ornamental plant, reminiscent of variegated aloe in its shape, but on the rough surface of the leaves instead of white stripes there are small dots. This variety does not grow above 30 cm. The plant is unpretentious, but, like all members of the family, it requires proper care. You can read further about what conditions should be created for representatives of the asphodelia family and how often to water aloe.
Capacity selection
If the aloe looks sickly and has stopped growing, the quality and size of the pot is probably not right for it. The container should be of sufficient volume, not too large and not too narrow. Ideally, the depth of the pot should be equal to half the length of the leaves of the flower. Until the root system grows sufficiently, the plant will not give new shoots.
The pot should have drainage holes and a deep pan so that you can water the flower from below. In summer, when the plant needs more moisture, this is especially important. When transplanting a plant, pots are needed 2.5 centimeters larger than the previous ones. These parameters apply to both diameter and height.
Soil
Soil quality is important for the development of succulents. Heavy clay soils are not suitable for them. It is more expedient to use a ready-made composition for cacti, or you can mix leafy rotted soil with fine river sand in a 2: 1 ratio. In addition, a more complex mixture can be made by combining humus, sand, leafy and soddy soil in equal proportions. by drainagepumice, expanded clay or washed coarse river sand can become.
How often to water aloe: methods and principles of watering
Most beginner growers find that the plant needs to be watered after the soil in the pot has dried out. Yes, this principle works with other indoor plants, but with aloe everything is a little different. It is important to know how often you need to water aloe vera, variegated, spinous and other popular crops. Therefore, in order for the “home doctor” to please with its unusual beauty and retain its beneficial properties, we suggest that you understand the principles of watering a plant in indoor floriculture.
Watering the plant is carried out in two ways: from above, until water begins to flow into the pan, or from below, immediately filling the pan. These methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. When filling the pallet, you will be able to prevent leaching of nutrients from the soil mixture. This irrigation option is suitable for plants whose root system is folded so that the roots responsible for water absorption are located below. Most often, these are smaller members of the family.
The frequency of watering aloe depends on many factors:
- plant age;
- season;
- Containment conditions - quality of drainage, air humidity, temperature;
- material from which the flower pot is made.
The drainage layer is of great importance - too thick a layer of expanded clay will not let moisture through to the roots. For large species, watering from above is preferable. It allowsevenly saturate the substrate and saturate the root system with moisture.
To understand how often to water aloe in summer and winter when kept indoors, you need to know how this plant develops in nature. It is necessary to create conditions for it that are as close to natural as possible.
Active growing season
The plant enters this period in spring and summer. How often to water aloe at this time? Under natural conditions, in the homeland of these exotics, there are several heavy rains, which allow the plant to stock up on moisture in case of drought. And in indoor floriculture at this time, aloe requires rare but plentiful watering. Between moistening, the earth ball should dry out completely.
It is important to know how often you need to water aloe in summer, depending on the weather. If the summer turned out to be damp and cool, the interval between moistening can be from 3 to 10 days. To soak the root system with moisture, it is advisable to use the immersion method, since the suction roots are located at the bottom of the tank.
Young plants are grown in less soil, it dries out faster, so more frequent watering is required.
Resting period
In autumn, the growth of the plant stops, as the daylight hours are reduced. Aloe begins preparing for a dormant period. The grower should know how often to water the aloe at this time. Gradually increase the interval between waterings. In autumn, you can moisten the substrate once every three weeks. In winter, the flower is moderately watered once a30-45 days. Water procedures are carried out in the morning so as not to freeze the roots. This mode is supported only when organizing a rest period, which involves a decrease in the air temperature in the room to +15 ° C. The rest period lasts from the second half of November to the end of February.
Reproduction: watering shoots
Many flower growers claim to know how often to water an aloe flower when it comes to an adult plant. And how to moisturize the shoots during reproduction? First of all, it should be noted that cuttings are most often used in indoor floriculture in reproduction. This procedure can be carried out year-round, but spring is considered to be a more favorable time for reproduction.
In order for the cut cuttings to sprout roots faster, they are placed in a container with fine sand, deepening by two centimeters. During the week, the cuttings are watered abundantly to accelerate growth. Ten days later, the shoots that have taken root are planted in separate containers. How often to water aloe during this period? This should be done once a week.
Often, basal shoots or tops are used for propagation, they are cut very carefully and left on a napkin for several hours so that they wilt a little. After that, they are planted in prepared containers with a substrate to a depth of two centimeters. Before the roots appear, it is only necessary to regularly spray the seedlings, and after the roots appear, the plant is watered as usual.
Irrigation when transplanting
Flower growers know that for any plant transplantation is the strongest stress. How oftenwater aloe before and after this procedure? If you plan to transplant an adult plant into a new pot, you should stop watering two weeks before the upcoming procedure. The soil must be completely dry. Only if the earth lump is strongly stuck to the walls of the pot and it cannot be obtained in any other way, abundant watering is allowed.
The flower is taken out of the old pot with an earthy clod. It is crushed and carefully rub the earth with your hands, trying not to damage the roots. A layer of drainage should already be laid in the new pot. The new soil mixture for the plant is well dried. Set the flower in a new pot, cover with soil and compact a little. At least 1 cm should remain from the top layer of soil to the edge of the pot. A layer of river sand or expanded clay should be laid on top.
The transplanted plant is placed in the shade and not watered for five days. If during the transplant you find diseased or damaged roots, cover them with crushed charcoal.
Transshipment of plants
Unlike transplanting, transshipment is performed without softening and removing the soil clod. To do this, you need to pull the flower along with a clod of earth from the pot. A layer of drainage is poured into a pre-prepared pot of a larger volume, the plant is placed in the center and new soil is poured, compacting it a little. As a rule, this procedure is carried out in the summer. How often to water aloe after transshipment? After the procedure, the plant is watered abundantly, adding soil if necessary. The aloe pot should be changed as the plant grows.
Requirements forwater
Experienced flower growers say that the quality of water for watering aloe is sometimes more important than its quantity. It is strictly forbidden to use tap water. It must stand for at least 24 hours so that chlorine and lime evaporate from it. The temperature of the water is also important. It depends on the time of year. In spring it should be in the range of +20…+22 °C, in summer +30…+35 °C, and in winter +5…+7°C.
Liquid application and watering
Aloe needs timely fertilization. Before feeding, the plant is watered abundantly. This is due to the fact that fertilizers applied to dry soil can cause a burn of the root system. Fertilize the flower during transplantation and in the spring. Liquid dressings can be applied to the ground or poured into a tray, avoiding contact with the leaves and stem.
Complex mineral fertilizers that are designed for succulents should be preferred. They are bred strictly in accordance with the instructions.
Healing properties of aloe
They are due to the composition of the plant. The pulp of the leaves of the plant contains enzymes and phytoncides, vitamins and tannins, essential amino acids and minerals.
In total, over 200 useful substances were found in the flower.
- Aloe juice is a powerful antibacterial agent. It stops the growth of streptococci, staphylococci, resists dysentery and tubercle bacillus. Preparations made from aloe juice are used to treat conjunctivitis, wash the nose and gargle.
- Whenaloe poisoning removes toxins from the body, cleanses the blood, strengthens the immune system, and normalizes metabolism.
- The leaves of the plant are often used to treat the skin: for burns, for the treatment of purulent wounds. The juice of the "home doctor" contains substances that promote tissue regeneration.
- Aloe-based preparations relieve inflammation, have a beneficial effect on digestion, and improve intestinal motility.
- The juicy leaves of aloe have also been used in cosmetology. Based on them, effective anti-aging creams are made.
Contraindications
Having listed all the beneficial properties of aloe, it should be added that it is a miracle elixir for humans. However, when using it for treatment, contraindications must be taken into account:
- should not take agave preparations for women during critical days, expectant mothers and babies;
- contraindication is acute inflammation of the gallbladder, gastrointestinal ulcers, hemorrhoids in the period of exacerbation;
- use with caution for diabetics, people with heart disease and immune system.
Even if you don't plan to use aloe for healing, get this plant in your home. It will purify the air, enrich it with oxygen and simply delight your eyes.
