When you think of Aloe Vera, most people imagine it as something you slather on after a sunburn. While that is certainly one excellent use for it, there are many other beneficial applications for this magical plant!
This article will discuss the healing properties of aloe vera, how to grow it, use it as a natural facial moisturizer, along with ways to use it in the garden to feed and support the health of other plants.
Even if you aren’t able to grow your own aloe at home, there are still ways to obtain and use aloe vera in your garden. We’ll talk about that too.
Be sure to check out the accompanying video at the end of this post. I show you the various aloe vera plants around our garden, harvesting some leaves, processing them, and how we use aloe vera as a soil drench for newly transplanted seedlings – as well as for other (spoiled!) established plants!
Aloe vera is a popular succulent known for its healing properties and versatility in landscaping With so many varieties to choose from, it can be tricky to select the right size aloe vera plant for your space. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the key factors to consider when choosing an aloe vera plant, so you can pick the perfect match for your landscape.
Why Size Matters
When selecting any plant for your garden, mature size is one of the most important considerations. An aloe vera planted in the wrong spot can quickly outgrow its space, leading to overcrowding, lack of sunlight penetration, and aesthetically unpleasing arrangements. On the flip side, choosing a plant that’s too small can leave empty gaps in your design.
The right sized aloe vera plant enhances your landscape visually and functionally. You’ll want to account for traffic flow, visibility, overall theme, and practical factors like access to sunlight and irrigation. Taking the time to plan for the mature size of your aloe vera ensures you, and your plant, will be happy in the long run.
Common Types of Aloe Vera by Size
Aloe vera spans a wide range of sizes, from petite container plants to giant succulents reaching tree-like proportions. Here are some of the most popular aloe vera varieties organized by mature size:
Small Aloe Vera Plants
- Aloe vera ‘Minnie Belle’ – 6 in tall x 12 in wide
- Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’ – 12 in tall x 12 in wide
- Aloe vera ‘Grassy Lassie’ – 12-15 in tall x 12-18 in wide
Medium Aloe Vera Plants
- Aloe vera ‘Medicinal’ – 24-36 in tall x 12-18 in wide
- Aloe ‘Doran Black’ – 24-36 in tall x 24-36 in wide
- Aloe ‘Blue Elf’ – 24-30 in tall x 12-18 in wide
Large Aloe Vera Plants
- Aloe ‘Hellskoof Bles’ – 3-4 ft tall x 3-4 ft wide
- Aloe ‘Spiraal’ – 3-5 ft tall x 3-5 ft wide
- Aloe vera ‘White Fox’ – 3-5 ft tall x 3-5 ft wide
Giant Aloe Vera Plants
- Aloe ‘Shea’ – 10-20 ft tall x 6-8 ft wide
- Aloe ‘Big Blue’ – 10-15 ft tall x 6-10 ft wide
- Aloe ‘Moonglow’ – 10-15 ft tall x 6-10 ft wide
As you can see aloe vera spans a wide spectrum of sizes suitable for all garden scales. Keep these common varieties in mind as you measure your space and finalize plant selections.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Size
Now that you know the typical dimensions of popular aloe vera types, let’s go over the key considerations for choosing the right size plant for your unique space:
Garden Scale & Dimensions
First, assess the physical parameters of your landscaping space. Measure pathways, beds, borders, patios, and vertical features like fences or seating areas. Make note of fixed elements that can’t be moved, paying special attention to width and visibility for passageways. These measurements will reveal how much open space you have to work with.
Next, sketch out your design to scale, marking permanent features and placeholders for plants. Experiment with different aloe vera sizes by adjusting the placeholders. This visualization exercise will help you home in on the right plant dimensions for harmonious spacing.
Sunlight & Exposure
Aloe vera thrives in full sun and appreciates at least 6 hours of direct light per day. Smaller varieties can tolerate some shade, but larger plants will suffer without adequate sunlight. Assess sunlight patterns in your yard and select an appropriate aloe vera size that won’t overshadow or be overshadowed by other plants.
South facing spots offer the most sunlight, while north facing areas will require smaller aloe vera plants or supplemental lighting. Dappled shade under thinly branched trees is suitable for medium sized varieties.
Maintenance Factors
Larger aloe vera plants need more frequent care and pruning to look their best. They also produce more pups that require separation and repotting. Be honest with yourself about how much time you want to spend on maintenance when choosing plant size.
Also consider your watering zone layout. Smaller aloe vera plants blend nicely into succulent gardens with similar needs. Larger plants may require their own isolated zone to prevent overwatering.
Aesthetic Theme & Focal Points
What look and feel are you aiming for in your landscape? Do you want aloe vera to take center stage or play a supporting role? Dramatic, large scale aloe vera can make an exotic focal point, especially planted singly. Medium varieties add rich texture and contrast among other succulents. Dainty mini aloes provide versatility as accents or mixed among groundcovers.
Take a holistic view of the visual impact you’re striving for, and select aloe vera sizes that contribute to this overarching theme.
Planting the Right Sized Aloe Vera
Once you’ve selected the perfect aloe vera plant for your landscape, it’s time to start planting! Follow these tips for successfully installing your new succulent:
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Amend soil with 50% gritty material like pumice or perlite to improve drainage. Aloe vera hates wet feet.
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Check that the root ball sits level with the soil surface, without burying the base or exposing roots.
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Water deeply after planting, then let the soil completely dry out before watering again. Establish drought tolerance right away.
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Apply an organic mulch like crushed granite to retain moisture and discourage weeds. Avoid excessive mulch contact with foliage.
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Stake larger aloe vera plants to provide support until the root system establishes.
With smart planning and plant selection, your aloe vera will enhance your landscape for years of hassle-free beauty and practical use. Paying attention to size considerations now avoids problems down the road. Choosing the right aloe vera plant truly makes all the difference!
Frequently Asked Questions:
How often should I water my aloe vera?
Aloe vera prefers infrequent but deep watering. Wait until the soil is completely dry before watering again. Smaller aloe vera plants need watering every 2-3 weeks, while larger plants can go 4-6 weeks between waterings.
What size pot should I choose for an aloe vera plant?
Select a pot that is just slightly larger than the root ball, approximately 2 inches wider. Terracotta and plastic pots with drainage holes are ideal choices. For large aloe vera plants, opt for wide, shallow planters instead of narrow, deep pots.
Should I fertilize my aloe vera plant?
Fertilization is not necessary but can be beneficial in spring and summer for active growth phases. Use a balanced 10-10-10 or succulent fertilizer at 25-50% recommended strength every 6-8 weeks. Do not fertilize dormant aloe vera in fall and winter.
How can I control the size of my aloe vera?
Regular pruning of outer leaves keeps aloe vera tidy and contained within allotted space. You can also physically restrict the root spread by keeping the plant somewhat rootbound in a small container.
What causes leggy, floppy growth in aloe vera?
Insufficient sunlight leads to weak, stretched out growth as the aloe vera reaches for light. Rotate the plant or provide supplemental lighting to remedy leggy growth habits.
THE BENEFITS OF ALOE VERA
Aloe Vera, or Aloe barbadensis, has many well-known uses for human health. For example, it is used to soothe skin ailments like sunburns, burns, dermatitis, acne, and eczema. Aloe also helps to reduce scars, prevent or heal razor burn, and serves as a nourishing hair treatment. It can also be used to heal from within, consumed as a beverage to boost hydration, increase digestion, and cleanse. Aloe is also a key ingredient in homemade hand sanitizer!
I plan to write a more in-depth post about the natural (human) health applications of aloe vera in the future. Today’s post is more about uses in the garden, but I know many of you are curious about aloe and skin care, so I will just briefly mention a few things now…
I personally use fresh aloe on my face almost daily, along with homemade calendula oil as my moisturizer. Even though I am in my 30’s, I struggle with cystic acne scars and occasional breakouts – side effects of my Type 1 Diabetes and associated blood sugar and/or hormone swings. While aloe doesn’t eliminate all of these things, it does noticeably help! I know many other people who do the same, for scars, eczema, or just because. I also use it after shaving.
To do this, it is as easy as keeping a fresh whole leaf of aloe in the fridge, cutting off a thin slice each day as needed, squishing it around to extract the gel, and rubbing it on! For those who don’t have access to fresh homegrown aloe, check out this USDA organic, preservative-free aloe.
When you first cut into a leaf of aloe vera, it will expel a yellow goo. This is the leaf’s latex, which is bitter and has an off-putting odor. It also has a laxative effect. This is not the stuff you want to put on your skin, or ever consume!
Wash the yellow latex away and let the plant finish seeping. It won’t do that more than once, so your following cuts will be nice and fresh, and shouldn’t smell bad. Once the latex is gone, the inner gel is totally safe to consume. Many people enjoy it on its own, or adding it to water, juice, or smoothies. Before we grew our own, we took a shot of this organic aloe juice every day!
Note that I do not cut open and expose the gel from the entire leaf at one time. Aloe quickly ferments and loses some of its beneficial properties when exposed to air, unless some type of preservative is added. Hence why I only cut and use a little slice at a time, keeping the rest in tact. You’ll see in the video, around minute 9!
Something else worth mentioning is that while aloe vera does heal and help your skin retain moisture, it also tightens skin and can feel drying for some. For my relatively oily skin, I don’t find it overly drying on its own. However, this might not be the case for everyone. For some skin types, it may be best to use aloe vera as a supplement to another moisturizer, or to be used less frequently than I do.
Also, I was surprised to recently learn that some people are quite allergic to aloe! So if you aren’t accustomed to using it, I suggest doing a small test patch somewhere before slathering up.
Temperature & Zone requirements
The biggest limitation that you’ll need to overcome in regards to growing aloe is that it is frost-sensitive. As a tropical perennial and succulent, a hard freeze will usually kill aloe. Here in zone 9/b10a, we are virtually frost-free and fortunate to be able to grow our aloe vera plants outside in the ground. They’ll do well outdoors in USDA zones 10-12. In zone 9, you can get away with growing them outside but you may want to provide frost protection when it comes on occasion. Even if they look very sad after a light frost, there is still a chance they’ll bounce back!
On the other hand, if you live in a climate with cold harsh winters, plan to keep your aloe in a container. You may want to keep the container outside during the warmer months and bring it indoors in the winter, or if you have the space, keep it inside as a houseplant year-round. Keep in mind that the size of the pot will limit the size the plant can grow to. It is okay to start a small plant in a modest size pot, but plan to pot-up into large containers as it grows. If you don’t have space for large pots, you could grow several smaller ones instead!
Aloe vera can withstand heat and direct sun, though it can get a bit sunburned in the hottest sun. Sunburned aloe vera plants turn red and even brown. Though aloe is said to love sun, we have found our plants grow quite well in nearly full shade too! That said, I would suggest planting aloe (or keeping your pots) in a location that receives bright ambient light and morning to midday sun, but some afternoon shade if you’re in a location with intense summer heat.
Indoors, provide potted aloe vera plants bright ambient light. They don’t necessarily need to be in a windowsill in direct sun, but they will not be happy in a dark corner.
The newly separated aloe pup from the example above is now in the pot on the left. This plant shelf is directly across the room from a south-facing sliding glass door. It doesn’t get direct light, but plenty of bright ambient light! She should be plenty happy here with her other bright ambient-light lovers, the cacti and air plants.
Aloe vera leaves are full of water and gel. That means they love water and want a ton of it, right?! Nope. Not true. Aloe is a succulent, and likewise to cacti, prefer to be more on the dry side. Provide regular, light water and allow the soil to dry out slightly between watering. They cannot handle standing water, and are susceptible to rotting. A very common killer of aloe is overwatering!
Plant aloe vera in well-draining soil. A cactus soil mix is ideal, or potting soil amended with extra perlite, pumice, coarse sand, or small volcanic rock to promote better drainage. If you are growing aloe in a container, ensure the pot has a good drainage hole (as suggested for any potted plant).
Feel free to add a little compost into their planting soil, but aloe vera doesn’t need much in the way of fertilizer. Going forward, plan to give them some mild compost tea or dilute seaweed extract once or twice per year.