by Sara Taylor Elizabeth
(New York)
Dunno why, but I spent quite a lot of time resisting aloe.
And then, I got it for my birthday. Obviously, I didn’t pay much attention to it.
In time, I got to like it (it was a gift from someone special), so I decided to give my undivided attention to it.
In the process, I got it to grow faster and if you want your aloe succulent to grow fast(er), this is what you need to do.
How Fast is Fast?
A typical aloe succulent definitely grows faster than other succulents such as cacti. But, how fast is that?
If you keep it indoors, it will take up to 4 years to reach a fully grown plant. In this case, it will feature leaves of around 20-25 cm in length.
Once you add it to your little paradise, even within a month you will notice its growth. One of the indicators is a newly formed leaf in the rosette. This will keep repeating each next months.
Still, in terms of size, in four months or so, you will notice a major size increase of the leaves both in terms of the length and the width.
Obviously, succulents don’t grow very fast and by itself and neither does our aloe succulent.
So,
How to Get your Aloe to Grow Faster?
Once you plant anything, you are anxious for it to grow ASAP! This is why you try many tricks to boost growth.
But, patience is key.
With aloe, this is are the tips and tricks that give the guaranteed success!
- Proper Care
The right kind of nurturing is the best way to speed up the growth of your aloe plant.
Proper care includes several factors that you always need to bear in mind when growing aloe indoors.
This starts even before the planting itself and it is deeply concerned with the general well being of the aloe.
Let’s take a look at these.
- Choose the pot. Over the course of time, I tried plastic, clay, and terracotta pots. So long it’s not plastic and it has drainage holes at the bottom, either of the latter two will do the trick. For each repotting, you better choose a wider container, over a deeper one. In general, a pot three times the root ball size is just fine. (This is how you skip the frequent repotting that merely disturbs the plant.)
- Mind the soil. Your aloe succulent prefers the occasionally dry soils. Just, don’t let it dry out completely! The optimum soil will be sandy soil or loose soil. Basically, the most important thing is to go for the well-draining soil since aloe won’t tolerate too much moisture.
- Careful with watering. Do it regularly and don’t overdo it is all you need to know about watering your aloe succulent. With too much water you will just cause the root to rot. Instead, give it a full drink letting the water run through the pot. This is the best you can do to keep the optimum moisture level.
- Light and temperature. The proper growth rate strongly depends on the atmosphere where you keep your aloe succulent at. I learned the hard way that aloe DOES NOT LIKE HEAT! Bright and sunny, yet not too hot spots are ideal for you aloe. The minimum direct sunlight exposure is some 6 hours, but the more the merrier! Counters and windowsills are the target places for keeping your aloe at. Again, avoid too much direct exposure; it might scorch the leaves and make them blanch. And, rotate, rotate, rotate!
- Fertilize. Not too much, though, but an occasional houseplant fertilizer specifically designed for the succulents will do the trick. A liquid blend or ideally 10-40-10 (higher phosphorous content) proved to be the best for the aloe succulent in my case. You can fertilize twice a month, but only throughout the active season that is somewhere from April through September. No need to do it in the wintertime when aloe is dormant. I noticed that the best time to fertilize is immediately after the watering when the excessive water runs out.
- The Banana Peels
Yup, the banana!
Banana peel contains potassium which is great when fighting pests and plant diseases. Moreover, it aids the plant in sustaining the optimum consumption of water and other nutrients.
To use the banana peels on your aloe succulents, you can try two these hacks.
- “Fresh” Banana Peels
All you need to do here is bury the banana peels in the potting soil before the actual potting. This will release the potassium and strengthen the plant.
You can put either the whole peels or you can chop them to pieces and distribute them in the soil.
Soon, your aloe will take it all in and you will notice the change before you know it.
- DIY Fertilizer
Being keen on experimenting, I tried making my own fertilizer from banana peels. And, it worked!
I chopped the banana peels to pieces and let them soak in water for two days. Then I used the mixture on my aloe succulent by pouring it directly into the soil.
This hack made the plant stronger and more vivid not to mention that it grew faster. I mean, that was the point of this all.
Conclusion
All the fans of aloe succulents are often disappointed by its slow growth. And, we know that us plant lovers want our beauties to grow like NOW!
So, the best thing you can do to promote the growth of your aloe is to give it the right care and make sure to keep it in the right environment. For more info, check out Indoor Garden Nook.
The aloe will thank you by increasing its growth rate and to boost it additionally you can try the banana peels trick.
Try these out and let us know your experience!
