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

Hello to all agrohuerters! 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 to 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 knowing a little about the history and characteristics of the Aloe Vera plant (where did it originate, what are its leaves, its stem, its flowers,…).

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, Curaçao aloe or Barbados aloe. 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 grouped (arranged in a rosette), creating a fairly dense structure, reaching up to 50 centimeters. On its margin you can see some small spines or teeth.

Aloe Vera flowers grow higher than the leaves, as you can see in the following photo:

Properties, uses and benefits of Aloe Vera

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

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.

Here is a list of the main benefits, uses and properties of Aloe Vera:

• Decoration inside the house or garden
• It 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
• prevent dermatitis
• Soothes irritated or inflamed skin
• Regenerator
• Scrubber
• anti-ulcer
• It is also edible (for example, in salads). However, it is very important to remove the skin before consumption.
• 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 grow 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 soil with good drainage. The plant reproduces by cuttings, which are the small plants that grow on the sides of the large plant and that will be used for new plantations.

Climate

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

Aloe Vera Irrigation

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

Pests and diseases of Aloe Vera

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

The greatest difficulty is manual weeding in organic crops. Black padding is usually used against weeds, like the one you see in the photo below.

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 the thickest ones 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 preserved in better conditions until they are sold or processed in the industry. These leaves may be sold directly on the market or transformed to obtain cosmetic and medicinal products.

Grow 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 are in doubt about 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 advice «.

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

To finish 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 male farmers tell us how they have been working in the fields all their lives and why they decided to invest in growing Aloe Vera.

References

• Phytoma (2004). Detection of Uromyces aloes on Aloe vera.
• Very Interesting (2019). 7 benefits of Aloe Vera.
• Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (2006). Aloe Vera, edible coating for fruits and vegetables.
• Amar Surjushe, Resham Vasani, DG SapleIndian J Dermatol. 2008 ALOE VERA: A SHORT REVIEW; 53(4): 163–166.

This is all for today agrohuerters. I hope you liked the article and I hope that now when we are asked about Aloe Vera, the cream does not simply come to mind. Tell us about your experiences in the comments about this crop.

And… see you in the next article!

Have a nice day