How to plant aloe vera?

Aloe vera is one of the succulents, or non-cacti succulents, that has achieved the most popularity in recent years. Its numerous medicinal properties and its easy cultivation have made more than one buy a specimen to have at home.. But although it is a plant that reproduces very well by separating its shoots, you may be interested in knowing how to sow its seeds.

Planting is an experience that can be magnificent, since you see the ‘birth’ of a plant, one that you then take care of with care, and when it comes to one that is also beneficial for health, it is even more interesting. So If you want to know how to plant aloe vera, then we will explain it to you.

Table of Contents

  • 1 How to get seeds from aloe vera?
  • 2 How is aloe vera or aloe sown?
  • 3 How do you take care of the aloe vera seedbed?
    • 3.1 Irrigation
    • 3.2 Treatments against fungi
    • 3.3 light and heat
  • 4 How long do they take to germinate?

How to get seeds from aloe vera?

This is important to know, because of course, if we already have a plant that has flowered, we will not need to buy seeds. However, so that a Aloe vera to flower must be at least 4 years old from seed. By that age, its leaves will measure about 30-35 centimeters in length more or less.The Aloe Vera plant has a yellow flower.

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How is the Aloe vera flower?

When does it bloom? she does it in spring, but it may take a while if the temperatures are still cool. In fact, it needs somewhat high temperatures to produce its flowers, around 20ºC. Once it does, we will see that a stem sprouts from the center of the rosette of leaves, at the top of which will be the flowers. These will finish their development as soon as said flower stem reaches its final size, which is usually about 40 centimeters high.

As soon as the yellow, thin tube-shaped flowers open, pollinating insects such as bees or wasps will pollinate them. Shortly after, the pollinated flowers will wither and the fruit will begin to ripen, which will be in the form of an elongated capsule 1 centimeter long by 0,5 centimeters wide. In this image you can see what the fruits and seeds of aloe vera look like:Aloe vera fruits are capsules

Image – ResearchGate.net

Anyway, to ensure that the flowers are pollinated, you can take care of this task. To do this, you only need a small brush brush. You pass it through one flower, then another, and then you pass it through the first one again. You have to repeat every day until they wither, but it’s worth it.

How is aloe vera or aloe sown?

Obtained the seeds, now is the time to sow them, but how? Okay, you must first find out if you have everything you need, to know:

  • Small pots up to 10,5cm in diameter
  • Special substrate for succulents
  • Watering can with water
  • Multipurpose fungicide
  • a sunny place

You got it? Then you have to follow this step by step:

  1. The first is to fill the pot with the substrate, but not completely. Between the surface of said substrate and the edge of the container there must be at least half a centimeter of distance, since that way when you water you will not lose water.
  2. Then you have to water. The substrate must be very moist before sowing the seeds, but beware: not waterlogged.
  3. Next, take the seeds and place them on the surface. Put them as far apart as possible; Moreover, if the pot measures 10,5cm, the ideal is to put a maximum of 3 seeds. Why? Because if more are sown and they all germinate, then by separating them they could suffer irreversible damage, to the point of drying up.
  4. Finally, you should treat them with an ecological spray fungicide, and cover them with a little substrate, no more than a thin layer so that the sun does not hit them directly, because if it did they would not germinate.

How do you take care of the aloe vera seedbed?

Aloe vera grows fast

The care that we will give to the seedbed will be minimal, since the only thing that the seeds really need is light, heat and humidity, but without having the substrate flooded. But even if they are very basic, they have to be done well because it will depend on whether or not we have new plants. So let’s see how to take care of it:

Irrigation

The substrate for succulents is a mixture of soils that, if it is in the sun, dries very quickly. That’s why, we have to try to keep it moist daily. And in order not to make a mistake with the irrigation, what we will do is introduce a wooden stick to the bottom, and if we see that it comes out clean, we will water.

Treatments against fungi

The seeds of the plants can be damaged by fungi, especially if it is summer and they are in a humid environment such as a substrate that is not given time to dry completely. Thus, it is worth applying polyvalent fungicide once a week, even if the seeds have already germinated.

light and heat

In addition, to achieve a higher germination rate and, incidentally, that the plants grow well from the beginning, we must place the seedbed outdoors if possible, so that it is exposed to the sun’s rays directly and receives heat. But if we don’t have that possibility, we can leave it inside the house as long as we put a lamp on it that stimulates the growth of plants.

How long do they take to germinate?

Aloe vera is sown in spring

If the seeds are fresh -which they are if they are taken from the plant- and viable, it will not be long until we see the first aloes sprout: maybe a week or two at most as long as we plant them that same year, in summer. Now, if we have bought them or if they are old, or if they are sown in autumn or winter, they will take longer to sprout.

The important thing here is that they have enough natural light, and that the temperatures are high.. Aloe vera is a plant that does not like being cold very much, so to get its seeds to sprout, they must be sown when the mercury in the thermometer reaches at least 20ºC.

We hope you have a very good planting and that you get new aloes vera soon.

How to plant aloe vera?

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