A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 Love my Aloe Vera

All Hail the Aloe Vera! I was working at my daughter's school, making popcorn in a professional popper. While cleaning the thing (immediately after using, I might add) I bumped my arm on the kettle, held it there, then rolled my arm upwards on the thing. I've got about a 5x3 inch semi-circle shaped burn by my elbow. My hubby suggested I put aloe on it 2.5 hours later. So, we slathered it onto my bubbled, swollen, reddish-gray skin. Immediately my pain subsided, and now my burn is only a slightly raised, red splotch (still huge though). God, I love my aloe vera!

Can you believe I actually came home, moved my aloe out into the sunny front porch and didn't even consider applying it to my burn?!

They are a wonderful plant.....sorry to hear about the burn though,.....hope its better

Yes, A. Vera is a great plant. I've had one or more from the same clone since the early 1970's. However, I've never let it get potbound before. Here are 2 pics of what happens to an older potbound plant!

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k97/mepcharm/DSCN03761.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k97/mepcharm/DSCN0400.jpg

margaret, that is awesome!

Wow, margaret, I didn't even know that I could get blossoms on my aloe. I can't wait for those!

Oh, and the burn is healing very nicely.

Sarah..Sorry to hear you burned yourself, but glad you had aloe to put on it and that it has helped!

Margaret...I have a pot that has been that full for years...I guess mine must not be pot bound...I didn't realize they would bloom either, Thanks for sharing the pictures!!!

I've had aloes for years and never let them get pot bound. They look so much prettier that way. And I didn't know they bloomed either. No more single aloes for me!

I have never had good luck with an aloe. I think I OVERWATER them! I saw some smaller plants in town the other day, maybe I should try one more time!

It's easy to overwater an aloe. If you want to try again, we can talk you through it!

Great! I was in our local Super Wal Mart last weekend and saw a beautiful aloe that I kept eyeballing. Maybe I will go this afternoon and get it and try once again! Does it have to be put into direct sun? My window is FULL!!!

I've heard some people say NOT to put Aloe in the sun, & others say they love the sun!

I think I have some sort of a mutant here... I couldn't pay the darned thing to go pot bound, cuz it doesn't seem to care if it has roots or not! It just sort of lays there on top of the soil, looking half-happy ...but it hasn't grown AT ALL in 2 years! :rolleyes: I've stuck the base of it into the soil umteen times, but it gradually falls back on its side & just lays there! (I've threatened to throw it out, cuz it's not even pretty, but I can't bring myself to toss anything that acts like it's alive!)

When I had Shingles (really bad) a few years back, Aloe juice was the ONLY thing that gave me any relief from the itch. Then when I had my fake knees installed, I put Aloe on the incisions several times a day... & have VERY light scarring now!

too funny!


A lot of places say that Aloes like indirect sunlight as opposed to full sun. However, my personal expert (Margaret E. Pell) says otherwise and I totally believe her. Afterall, is the desert full of indirect or direct sunlight? Direct sun, of course, is all there is out there in the desert. Aloe's do get a tan, though, when in lots of direct light.

Margaret DOES know her succulents!
I'm half tempted to send this rootless wonder to her, to see if she can train it to behave like an Aloe!

Even its baby thinks it has air roots! :rolleyes:

I'd like to trade this in for a REAL Aloe & quit insulting the planter it's in!

That is what mine looks like Patty! I can't seem to get mine to grow any roots either! I don't what else to do with it anymore!

Hi, all. Aloe loose their roots when they are overwatered a/o overfed. Don't give them fertilizer, they neither need nor want it. I always give all my aloes as much direct sun as possible. A. Vera will get a sort of straw-tan color when it's getting enough light. Mine gets that level of light only in the summer when I can put it outside. In the winter it's back about 1 1/2 feet from a south window and gets ~2-3 hours direct sun and lots of very bright indirect. It is entirely green right now. It's prettier green, but I partly atribute its blooming to having gotten enough sun for several months last summer. Here's what I would do with your aloe, Patty (and PLEASE don't send it to me , not only would it freeze in the mail, but I have NOWHERE to put it! ). I'd use a clay pot about half the size you've got it in, a quick draining soil - not straight potting mix. cactus soil is ok, or read what I do under "soil suggestion..." in this forum. I'd put it in as much sun as I could give it, water it next week, and not again until mid March. The plant you have may suffer a bit, but healthy, pretty offsets are what you're going for. spring is coming, this is a good time to revamp this plant. By mid to late summer you should have some good offsets to pot up.

land of oz sorry to hear that u burned ur self aloe vera is wonderful i thing my son was cooking some noodles on morning (5am) the cat ran under his feet while is was training the water off and the water spashed back on him and got him down below his belly botton he had third degree but after we went to the er and the gave him a cream to put on it after that was gone i useed aloe it healed up nicly

good morning margaret i need to know how to cut a piece off of my aloe vera plant

Hi. You PMed me and I answered. How big is your aloe? How many stems?