My Aloe Vera started blooming recently. I’ve never seen this particular variety bloom before. I thought I’d share with you some of my photos and give you information of what I know about Aloe Vera plants.
The bloom on the right is from a Arizona variety of Aloe Vera plants. The leaves have tiny needles along the edges. I have these Aloe plants planted in my flowerbeds with tree cover. They are hardy and tolerate a mild winter. They bloom every year for me here in south Texas in the months of December through March.
Now the Aloe Vera plant that has bloomed the first time for me this year is your typical variety of Aloe. After all the years I’ve been around this plant I don’t ever remember seeing it bloom. So imagine my surprise when I saw the tall spike shooting up out of my old, very mature plant.
Aloes are semi tropical succulent plants that consist of 95% water. They are extremely frost tender and should only be grown outdoors in areas with no chance of freezing weather. Aloe plants make great house plants when given a sunny location in your home. Container grown plants benefit from spending their summer outdoors in light shade. Full sun, especially in the heat of the day, will burn the tender leaves. The Aloe plants do thrive in warm climates like here in south Texas.
I found out that older plants bloom when they have remained in the same pot for a few years. They produce a tall stalk covered with bright yellow or coral colored flowers.
Aloe plants are propagated by removing the offsets that are produced around the base of the mature plant when they are a few inches or taller.
The soil should be moderately fertile and fast draining. I use the ‘cacti mix soil’, which has a mixture of commercial potting soil, perlite and coarse sand. It’s best to use a wide container rather than a deep one, because the Aloe plants have a shallow, spreading root system. When potting my plants I put a layer of broken terra-cotta pot pieces at the bottom of the container before adding my soil. You could use gravel or small rocks as well. This will ensure fast drainage. Aloe plants do not like to sit in water. You’ll have a bunch of rotting plants if you do. During the summer the soil should be soaked and allowed to dry out before watering again. When I am fertilizing my other potted plants and flowerbeds with Miracle Grow All Purpose Fertilizer I usually show some to my Aloe plants too. Just a note that established mature plants will survive a drought really well, but for the benefit of the plant water is necessary.
Here’s a tip on caring for your Aloe plant during the winter months. Because the Aloe Vera plant stores a large amount of water in its leaves and root system watering should be minimal during the winter while the plant is in a somewhat dormant state.
The Aloe Vera has medicinal properties recorded since biblical times. It’s thick gel is used for burns, cuts, stings and rashes. It has also been used in a variety of beauty products. However, the outer skin has no essential value.
I can remember from my childhood my mother and grandmothers having Aloe plants in a pot close by for burns. I have learned that the gel is also good for insect stings and plant stings. The gel is also good to use for the same problems on our pets. Just slice the leaf open and apply gel side to the affected area.
Well, my Aloe Vera plant bloomed most of March and part of April. It was a beautiful site on the front porch of my art studio.
God is so good to us! He has created so many helpful, beautiful plants all around us. Praise Him!
My life has been busy the past few months and I’m not getting to post as often as I would like. I got to spend time with my grandsons during their short visit to Texas. Helped my mother prepare for a living estate sale, my parents home being moved and dairy barn torn apart for lumber and transplanting plants from the farm to our home place. I helped my husband get his sister settled in a retirement home. Now I am preparing for a big event in Delaware May 7th, when my son marries a wonderful young lady from there. We have another big event in June. Our son-in-laws retirement from the Navy in San Diego. Then the family moves to Texas, close to us. Fun times with grandchildren in the future. Finding the time to write a blog and do any crafts or painting is hard for me. So until my next post, God only knows……….God Bless You!
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