How to Fertilize an Aloe Vera: The Complete Guide – Sembrar100
Aloe vera is one of the plants that offers the greatest benefits in medicinal matters and that, in addition, requires less care during its life.
In general, it is very resistant because it is a plant used to living in xerophilous areas naturally.
The detail is that in this area of the world she must undergo the winter shutdown and it is necessary to help her when that time comes.
Faced with this reality, the aloe vera fertilizer is the action that you must take without a doubt and today here we will tell you how to carry it out.
Why is it important to pay Aloe Vera?
The fertilizer in aloe vera helps to enhance the nutrients present in the substrate, so that the plant consumes them and is healthier. Aloe vera is able to thrive in almost any substrate, even those that are not very fertile, but that does not mean that they should always be kept that way.
In fact, fertilizers are interesting because they help you prepare for winter and, later, to recover from the break and in spring get back to how you like it.
How often should we pay aloe vera?
Due to the type of plant, aloe vera does not require very frequent subscribers. Twice a year will be more than enough to meet the objectives.
The first of them is proposed at the end of the summer or at the beginning of the autumn. In this way, it will gain strength for the cold winter days that all plants have some impact on.
The second is ideal at the beginning of spring, when the cold passes and the plant begins to green again. These subscribers are recommended even when you have the plant protected from the environment. Remember that it is not suitable for frost anyway.
It is also interesting to apply fertilizers when transplanting, especially when planting suckers in a new space.
What nutrients does aloe vera need?
Aloe vera has a latent requirement for the main macronutrients: phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and nitrogen (N).The latter is the one that should be valued with greater interest, since the summer heat promotes a real loss of the amount of nitrogen present in the soil.
The compensation will be done with the summer fertilizer and that is why it is important to apply enough organic matter. In the case of micronutrients, various studies have shown that you are not particularly picky about any of them and that you could get what you need only from what is present in the soil.
What kind of fertilizers does aloe vera need?
The fertilizers that you use for aloe vera can be the same that you apply in a general way in your other crops, such as homemade compost or earthworm humus.
If you have it available, you could apply some cactus compost during early spring. These fertilizers are best recommended in a liquid version and that you administer them with the irrigation water to facilitate the absorption of nutrients more easily.
How do we prepare fertilizer for aloe vera?
Worm humus is considered one of the best fertilizer options for aloe vera and below we will tell you how you can do it at home. Take note of the steps and put them into action as soon as possible:
- Unlike other organic fertilizers, earthworm humus requires the use of a special container to work the compound. This is known as a vermicomposter. It is a container that is sold at any farm supply store or that you can even make yourself if you feel confident.
- Locate the vermicomposter in a shaded space. It is important that you keep it protected from rain and wind to avoid problems with worms. The space must allow for airflow as well.
- Place the first layer of material with moistened coconut fiber. This is not part of the compost as such, but it is essential to create the environment.
- Add the worms you have selected before any material to decompose. Remember that in the end they are living beings and need time to adapt to this new environment. Just one day for this is more than enough. The container must be covered.
- Incorporate material so that the worms begin to consume it and create humus. Here you can take advantage of the shells that are left over when preparing meals, dry leaves from the garden, paper napkins that do not have ink, egg shells, coffee grounds, etc. Do not include meats or cooked food.
- After adding each layer of organic matter, add a new layer of coconut fiber. Repeat the process as many times as you consider necessary.
Over the days, the worms will begin to excrete by natural action. This is the earthworm humus that you will use as fertilizer. The humus is collected in the final tray of the container and has a texture like earth.
How do we detect if aloe vera needs fertilizer?
On a few occasions, aloe vera will emit signs that it is showing a nutrient deficit because it really is a very resistant plant. However, if you are a dedicated grower with a good understanding of the behavior, you will notice variations in width and gel content.
Aloe vera tends to grow in length under similar conditions in almost any environment. But the width and the internal content could present important variations that you need to assess for greater utility.
In the end, although aloe vera can thrive in many environments and is even used for decorative purposes, the greatest value is inside. Aloe vera fertilizer is a practice that not many people use because they consider that they do not need it.
But the reality is that it is a living organism, like any other plant in the garden, which needs some love from time to time. If you love your aloe vera plants and want them to always be in optimal condition, don’t forget that compost is food for them.
And since you only have to apply it twice a year, it is not something that will take up a lot of time and, on the contrary, it will give you incredible benefits.
Bibliographic references
- Aloe Vera. aloe vera Cultivation and utilization, LJ Álvarez, MY LÓPEZ GÁLVEZ, AM Vega – 2012 – books.google.com
- Response of aloe vera (Aloe vera) to increasing doses of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in Liberia, Guanacaste, A Rodríguez Morales – 1996 – sidalc.net
- Evaluation of the crop yield of aloe vera barbadensis miller under the application of two bocashi-type fertilizers, in the village of Siberia corregimiento de …, ED Morales Trejos – repository.unad.edu.co
- Organic compost and aguaje substrate in the nursery of suckers on the development of Aloe vera «sábila» seedlings in Iquitos, loreto-2018, A Chávez Lecca – SUNEDU – renati.sunedu.gob.pe
- New technologies for the cultivation of aloe vera and its agro-industrial potential in Colombia, FA Carrascal Ortíz – 2020 – repository.udca.edu.co
Maybe you are also interested in: