Aloe Vera Advice please

[miss_corerupted]

Hi
My friend in work has given me 3 aloe vera plants. I want to look after them but last time in had 1 it died. i think i may have overwatered it. Does anyone now how much i should water it, feed it etc

thanks

Emma

[lainey lou]

I only water mine when I remember and I now have 6 pots of the stuff coz it keeps making babies!! I do use it a face moisturiser though.

[FionaH]

I was told to just spray mine with water, it hasnt died yet but its not making babies either. How do you use it as moisturiser?

[lainey lou]

Just squeeze out the middle and put it on my face! Keep it in the fridge in between whiles! It's great for pimples!

[FionaH]

great will tell my son its good for spots

[marigold007]

I've had quite a few of them. They love to be neglected. They are great for when you get a sunburn, which I guess is not completely impossible in this climate.

[FionaH]

Dont you need sun for that......?

[Comfreyfan]

I'm useless with houseplants, I totally forget about them and then probably overwater them, but the aloe plants grow like fury - babies all over the place, as fast as I take them out and re-pot them, there are more and then all the babies have babies - haven't had this much success with breeding since the hamsters!

I can be a bit clumsy in the kitchen, so when I burn myself I snip off a leaf, split it open and keep smearing the goo over the burn, takes the pain right out and it usually heals nice and quickly and doesn't seem to scar too much.

If anyone would like a little plant and can tell me how to get them through the post in one piece you're more than welcome.

[steelsy]

we have an aloe plant - it sits in the kitchen window sill and I only water it when I remember which is probably in all honesty once every coupl of weeks - it seems happy enough though.

[nick the grief]

Treat it like any other cacti or succulent. I start mine off in about April with a light spray of water just to wake them up then after a a month or so depending on the weather I give them a light watering by july it gets up to 2 time a month.

The first year I pot them up in a mixture of 3 parts John Innes No2 or 3 and 1 part Cornish grit, this should be Ok for a year as you won't wash all the feed out with watering like a normal pot plant then Year 2 give them 2 or 3 feeds of 1/2 strength Tomato feed, then year 3 I repot them ... quite a job with around 600 to do !!!

I usually give the last watering in October and that lasts them then.

Hope that helps

[rustylady]

I'm still trying to kill the one that was given to me by my daughter's ex!! I believe they thrive on neglect.

[miss_corerupted]

ah neglect!! that's where i went wrong. right i shall neglect as much as poss. might start cutting bits off them by the sounds of it.

thanks you

[littlepooley]

definately neglect is the way to go! I got given one buy a work friend about 4 months ago and since then it's made loads of babies. I rarely water it and haven't given it any food. Interesting to see that people use it, hadn't even occurred to me!

[taff]

I only water mine whn the leaves go a funny kind of orangey-green colour.
And I remove any babies it has, except one, then re-pot that one on when it's established a bit.

[BrideXIII]

absolutely neglect, i bought a left over mothers day 50% off job 6 years ago, i now have ten, plus everyone that come to my house leaves with one, worse than rabbits they are

i never remember to water them, and considering they are a 'succulent type' they seem to thrive on neglect, I only really worry when they look 'off plump', pinch lightly and if the leaves give rather than feesl firm, stick the pot in the sink, fill with water, and leave for a couple of hours, its magic the way they just suck it up and come back.

and for the spot treatment/moisturiser/sunburn cure so easy, cut off a leaf, slit down the side edge, open out and rub on the skin, i swear by it.