Ways to reproduce aloe vera successfully
It is one of the succulent plants with the greatest presence in homes due to the ease of its cultivation and its many properties. Precisely because of its many medicinal applications, knowing how to reproduce aloe vera becomes essential. Doing it correctly will depend on whether we can enjoy more of an extremely generous plant. And we do not say this, only, because of its multiple uses. We also say this because, with proper care, it is extremely easy to multiply our plant. It is enough to know exactly how it should be done to achieve it.
Reproducing aloe vera is not done in just one way. Actually, we can choose between three different ones depending on the circumstances in which we find ourselves. And, despite what we may believe, there is no one better than another. Aloe vera is an extremely resistant rustic plant. And it is enough to understand its natural origins to understand this point. We are talking about a plant capable of developing in the most hostile environments. A survival capacity that is extrapolated not only to its care but also to how to multiply it.
Let’s find out what are the ways to reproduce aloe vera. Or, rather, what are the options that this wonderful plant offers us to be able to enjoy it as much as we want.
3 WAYS TO REPRODUCE ALOE VERA
Before knowing the steps to follow, it is worth learning a little more about the care of aloe vera. And no: it is not something that we can ignore. Only if we give it what it needs can we successfully reproduce aloe vera. Because, even for those budding plants, we need to take into account some vital factors in their cultivation. On the one hand, it is essential that our new plant projects have good light. And, added to this, they can only thrive if we have them in a well-defined temperature range: between 17 and 27 degrees.
In addition to this, let’s not lose sight of anything else. Regardless of the method of reproducing aloe vera that we choose, it is essential to thoroughly prepare the planting site for future plants. It is not only key to use a substrate for cacti and succulents: we will also have to work hard to create good drainage. In a mature plant, these two aspects are crucial for its survival. It is not difficult to imagine that for a budding plant they are even more so. Only if it has a suitable substrate that, in addition, drains correctly, will it be able to prosper. For this, nothing like putting a good clay base.
With these aspects in mind, let’s look at three different ways to reproduce aloe vera successfully.
1. Through suckers, the most common way to reproduce aloe vera
A way to reproduce aloe vera that is closely linked to the transplant. And it is that, with proper care, our plant will not be the only one that lives in the pot. A healthy aloe vera begins to create suckers: small plants similar to the mother that usually grow around the stem of the latter. If this is our case, we are in luck. Not only because it is a perfect way to multiply our plant. Also because she herself is showing us that we are cultivating her correctly.
This technique to reproduce aloe vera is the most common. But beware: it cannot be done in any way. To begin with, we have to wait until the suckers are mature. Or, put another way, to be large enough to support a transplant. On the other hand, turning them into individual plants involves transplanting the mother plant as well. And it is that, in order to be able to separate them with great care from it and without damaging them, we will have to unravel the roots of each other before planting them separately. The ideal for these suckers to prosper: that they have, in addition to the main root, at least three more accessory ones.
With the suckers separated from the mother, it is time to plant them and transplant the original plant. Follow Paula’s advice to know how to accommodate your new plants in their new growing spaces.
By the way: even if we don’t want to reproduce aloe vera, removing the suckers from the mother plant is important when they are many or have reached a good size. It is important to understand that they are still plants that compete with each other for nutrients and space, so transplanting them to a new pot not only allows us to multiply the plant. It also makes it easier for you to survive.
2. Reproduce aloe vera by leaves
As we have already seen when talking about how to propagate succulents, doing it through its leaves is one of the easiest methods. And, without a doubt, it can make our lives much easier. Not only because we can take advantage of a broken leaf to obtain a new plant. Also because, at a given moment, we can get one of a sheet that they give us or that we get.
Getting our leaf to prosper successfully requires taking a few things into account. If we voluntarily remove the leaf from the plant, the ideal is that we take it from the lower ones of the plant. In addition, it is important to try to extract it completely. And no: we will not be able to plant automatically. The base of the leaf, either cut or extracted, lets out that gelatinous liquid typical of aloe. Well, to prevent it from rotting, we will have to wait for the plant to create a crust in this area. If we rush, the blade will rot. Knowing when it’s time is simple: when you’re out of jelly, it’s time to plant.
And how? Simple: inserting the lower part of the leaf in a specific substrate and waiting for it to take root.
3. With stem cuttings, another easy way to reproduce aloe vera
It is the last of the ways to reproduce aloe vera, and very similar to doing it by leaves. It is only applicable to mature plants, which have been shaping the plant through different stems. And it cannot be done lightly either: it is important to wait until they have good dimensions so that their multiplication is easier. A strong stem will have a much better chance of thriving as a new plant than one that is still in its infancy.
For this option of reproducing aloe vera, we will have to make an incision in the stem that we choose as close as possible to the base of the roots. And with care: that our cut cannot, in any case, damage the roots of the original plant. Once the plant scab is created, the stem is placed in a pot with a specific substrate and wait for it to prosper!
Three ways to successfully reproduce aloe vera with a single goal: to make you enjoy one of the most complete succulent plants in the plant world even more.