aloe vera

Does anyone have a good fertilizer they can recomend for an aloe vera? Mine is turning a funny colour, needs help fast!

 

Don't know of any fertilizers that will help - first thing I though was it is more likely to be over/under watering. If that is in order, perhaps you could either repot it (if it needs it), or just refresh the top inch or two with a good multi purpose fertilizer.

 

A funny colour?
Do you mean brown?

Very little fertilizer required, and not at this time of the year.
A weak liquid feed when its growing fast is good enough I reckon.
It needs to be kepf a bit on the dry side in the winter otherwise the roots rot.
What situation is it growing in?

 

Fertilize with any house plant food, according to the directions, once a month. They don't like a lot of water, feel down the pot the top 5cm should be dry before re-watering, they store moisture in their leaves. They should be kept in warm conditions. If you think your problem is that it is over watered, (you can check by taking it out of pot and if there's a rotting smell - it is too wet) re-pot in dry soil then water sparingly after that....
hth

 

It is in a small pot on my kitchen window, and yes it looks a bit brown and sap seemed to be dissappearing fom the leaves so I gave it a good water and kept giving it a drop more every few days. (before I was only spraying it every night) I think now I have prob overwatered it so i will repot it in fresah dry compost and see if that helps.
Thanks

 

If it goes to aloe vera heaven persephony just give me a shout and I'll send you another (baby). I can't stop mine throwing pups off. I never fertilize them and don't water until they are bone dry.

 

I have just brought one today. It is in sand and then at the top there are little pebbles.

How often should I water?

 

Thats an open ended question Snappers.

You water when its dry, allowing it to get fairly dry between watering especially at this time of the year, perhaps a bit more in the summer months

 

Hi, Snappers.

At this time of the year I would say very little. I am (perhaps wrongly) assuming yours is in a pot indoors?

I brought a baby one from the Isle of Wight which lived outside on the verandah there and it now for some eight years has lived in a very dry rockery and is lucky it sometimes knows what water is and blooms beautifully each year with bloom stems a meter and a half tall.

Good luck as it's an amazing plant and excellent for cuts and grazes and skin care .... just break a piece off, rub across the wound and put the piece in a plastic baggy in the fridge to use again and again ... a miraculous addition to any garden.

 

A woman I know in Cyprus puts them in the food processor and makes her own creams and stuff with it-can`t say she looks particularly young with living in the harsh sun rays but I tried it whilst out there on my sunburn-it is indeed a miraculous plant-like having the Golden Fleece flung on my shoulders, and the relief was unbelieveable.

 

In the Caribbean its sold by the locals to the (British!) tourists who get severe sun burn and can also be rubbed on other types of burns. Like Claire says, very cooling.

I have one in the bathroom and it seems to thrive on me forgetting to water it. But then its a succulent so I guess that's why!

 

I to can confirm the amazing repair propeties of Aloe vera.
I had a rather nasty boiling water burn on my arm awhile ago and Aloe came to the rescue. It truly does work.
Every home should have one.
Good luck with yours persephony
robert

 

Is there any difference with my aloe vera because mine is in a pot inside, and in the pot is sand, NO Soil so I just wondered if the watering would be different.
Also, if you want to use it, do you just cut a part off at any point or take it from the bottom.

I have a few damaged stems on mine so should I take these off or does it repair itself?

Sorry for all the qeustions, this is the first one of these i have ever owned.

 

Would anyone have a photo of one of these plants so I could see what size they are, and if I am not sounding cheeky would anyone have a cutting to spare :thku:

 

They can get pretty big Nathan, but usually most people keep them window sill sized, if that makes sense.:D

I've got a few but most dont look much as they dont like my frost free greenhouse min4C, they tend to like it a bit warmer.