How to grow Aloe Vera in the orchard or garden: Success assured

Hello to all gardeners! In today’s article we are going to learn how to grow Aloe Vera in the garden or garden following some very simple tips. First, we will see a brief introduction about the Aloe Vera plant , its properties and benefits and, finally, its cultivation (planting, care, irrigation, harvest, pests and diseases, etc).

Aloe Vera Plant

We are going to start the article by knowing a bit of history and characteristics of the Aloe Vera plant (where it originated, what its leaves, its stem, its flowers are like, …).

History and origin of Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is native to Africa and its name comes from the Arabic term «alloeh» which means «bright and bitter substance».

Characteristics of the Aloe Vera plant

Its scientific name is Aloe Vera but we can also refer to this plant as Aloe Vera , Aloe from Curaçao or Aloe from Barbados . It belongs to a group of plants known as » succulent plants «, within the Asphodelaceae family .

The stem of this plant is quite short (about 30 centimeters). Its leaves are lanceolate and canaliculate. They grow very clustered (arranged in a rosette), creating a fairly dense structure, reaching up to 50 centimeters. Small spines or teeth can be seen on its margin .

The flowers of Aloe Vera grow to a height greater than the leaves, as you can see in the picture below:

Properties, uses and benefits of Aloe Vera

There are hundreds of different varieties of Aloe . However, those with important curative or medicinal properties represent a minority (3 or 4 varieties).

The Aloe Vera gel or juice can be extracted from any part of the plant. It is a liquid / gel with many properties . Some of them we already know from advertisements for creams, gels, etc.

Next, I leave you a list of the main benefits, uses and properties of Aloe Vera :

• Decoration inside the house or garden
• Regulates the pH of the skin as it can penetrate the pores of the skin and eliminate the bacteria that clog them.
• Invigorating
• Solar filter
• Prevents dermatitis
• Soothes irritated or inflamed skin
• Regenerator
• Scrubber
• Antiulcer
• It is also edible (for example, in salads). However, it is very important to remove the skin before being consumed.
• And many more uses …

Also, if you have the plant at home, you can cut its leaves, remove the «skin» and thorns and apply the extracted part to irritated, swollen or burned areas. So, next, we are going to learn how to cultivate it.

How to grow Aloe Vera step by step

Although at the end of the process it is the plant that «takes care» of us, before it grows older we are the ones who have to take care of the plant.

Therefore, we will see what are the key points for our Aloe Vera plant to develop successfully.

Sowing and type of soil to plant Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera requires sandy soils with good drainage . The plant reproduces by cuttings that are small plants that grow on the sides of the large plant and that will serve us for new plantings.

Weather

This plant does not withstand temperatures below 10 degrees well, so it prefers warmer climates .

Irrigation of Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a plant that does not like water too much and can endure long seasons without it. It is very important that stagnant water does not remain when irrigation is applied (approximately 1 time every 10 days on summer days).

Pests and diseases of Aloe Vera

Luckily, it is a plant that has hardly any pests or diseases . There are rarely major production issues related to this issue. However, if we have to highlight any, it would be: aphids, mites, whiteflies or miller beetles .

The greatest difficulty is manual weeding in organic crops. Against weeds, black mulches like the one you see in the photo below are usually used .

Harvest Aloe Vera

There are 2 harvests a year: late fall and late spring . When we go to cut the leaves we have to select those thicker and make a small incision at the base of the leaves to cut them easily.

The leaves have their own natural substance called » aloin » that protects them and allows them to be kept in better conditions until they are sold or processed in the industry. These leaves can be sold directly in the market or be transformed to obtain cosmetic and medicinal products.

Growing Aloe Vera in pots

In addition to growing Aloe Vera in the ground we can also do it in pots. The process is very similar as long as we choose the right pot well.

If you doubt which pot is the most suitable for each crop, I recommend that you take a look at the following article: « How to choose a pot for the garden: The best tips «.

Documentary about the cultivation of Aloe Vera in the Vega de Sevilla

To end the article I leave you here a very interesting documentary that I have found about the cultivation of organic Aloe Vera in the Vega de Sevilla .

In it, two men farmers tell us how they have been working in the fields all their lives and why they decided to invest in the cultivation of Aloe Vera.