how to: propagate aloe vera leaves

AloeVera1Last November, I published a post on the growth of my first and only Aloe Vera plant. I learned that if properly cared for, these wondrous cacti can live for decades, and many of you had stories to share of such activity. I was simply amazed!

Before owning an Aloe Vera plant, my knowledge on greenery in general was immensely lacking. This included not knowing what the word propagate meant. Over the last few years, many of my own succulents have come and gone (meaning I bought and accidentally killed them), but this lone plant has continued on, flourishing under my amateur watch. Having just had to repot it into a larger home, I knew that the day was fast approaching that I would also have to remove some of its leaves. To this new feat, I was extremely apprehensive. So I studied up on it, and this is how I learned to propagate Aloe Vera leaves.

AloeVera4-1Step 1:

Cut the leaves off of your plant using either a sharp knife, or scissors. Do so at an angle.

Step 2:

Set the freshly cut leaves aside for 1 week, or until sufficiently scabbed over. The waiting time varies from other succulents. Some websites say to wait no longer than 3 days, while others say to wait up to 2 weeks. I waited 1 week, just to play it safe.

Step 3:

After the bottom of the leaves have scabbed over, you are close to commencing the last steps. However, you will need to apply a rooting hormone to aid in the growth of the leaves. I used organic honey, which I applied generously to the ends of the leaf cuttings.

Step 4:

Now you are ready to plant your leaves. Choose a large pot with sufficient drainage at the bottom. Fill it with soil and plant the leaves carefully. Top off with rocks.

Step 5:

Water sufficiently after a few days. That’s all!

While propagating Aloe Vera leaves is a week-long process, in total the steps take less than 30 to complete. This simplicity has made me a little nervous, and I hope that both my new and original Aloe Vera plant will survive my latest attempt at being a gardener. Fingers crossed!

You can get more information on Aloe Vera at monicashealthmag.com.

AloeVera2On a side note, Geoffrey bought me the cutest gifts for St. Patrick’s Day. This included an owl mug and terrarium start-up kit. I suppose if I butcher my Aloe Vera (please, no!), I will alway have a substitute plant.

Do you have any future tips for me and propagating succulents?

<3

Emory

Hello, Followers:
Blog // Instagram // Pinterest // Twitter

by Hello, Scarlett Blog on 03/19/2015  •  Permalink
Posted in diy
Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by Hello, Scarlett Blog on 03/19/2015

https://helloscarlettblog.com/2015/03/19/how-to-propagate-aloe-vera-leaves/

Previous Post
Next Post

20 Comments

  1. rashminotes

     /  11/28/2015

    Hi Emory. As far as your question, succulents are fairly easy to propogate, new plants grow from the leaves, root as well as stem. So any fallen leaf propogates into a baby plant so does a part of the shoot and of course the root.

    Like

  2. Arisetotrash

     /  07/08/2015

    Reblogged this on ARISE-TO-TRASH and commented:
    Honey as a rooting hormone! Who would have known?!?

    Like

  3. bblake10

     /  06/19/2015

    Emory, Oh, I love aloe vera plants. I previously bought a baby one a few years aback. That baby matured quite enormously on my patio. I cut and doled out to loved ones when they visited. In fact, I never had to do much to it for its bountiful life.

    By the way,studies have shown that it’s loaded with tons of vitamins and minerals. In fact, I blended and added same to my orange juice, smoothies or just drank the potent wonder. Eh, perhaps, I should secure another.

    Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your amazing plant.
    Cheers!
    P.S. Thanks for visiting my blog.

    Like

  4. atkokosplace

     /  04/28/2015

    I never knew you could use honey to help it grow! How cool is that?! Thanks for the tip.

    Liked by 2 people

  5. craftypoppy

     /  04/05/2015

    I love Aloe Vera! Would be good to give this a go. Thanks for the inspiration. Will have to add it to my list of ‘detoxing’ activities over the summer. Loving the design of your blog too! Very cute.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lightfeather

       /  02/18/2016

      Yes plant is a all around wonder. I got my hands on one 3 years ago at a farmers market. Since then “she” has given me 26 babies.. Using for many things.

      Like

  6. juliegagen

     /  03/24/2015

    After losing my favorite aloe Vera plant this winter (probably due to lack of light), I’m anxious to try again. So I pinned this project for later. Thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. missmeagen

     /  03/23/2015

    Reblogged this on livepureandsimple and commented:
    Since I didn’t start my Aloe plant, I thought it would be interesting for my readers to get an idea how to grow one yourself! I urge people to try this out, aloe is very resilient

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Run Wright

     /  03/19/2015

    Ooh this makes me want to give it a try

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Cheryl "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser

     /  03/19/2015

    Hi Emory, Florida has so many Aloe plants they just thrive down here and are about the easiest to grow! WooHoo.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Holly

     /  03/19/2015

    I’m looking at re-potting a succulent soon and feeling apprehensive. Those gifts are the cutest!!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hello, Scarlett Blog

       /  03/20/2015

      If you do repot one, please let me know how it turns out. I am always looking for tips, and from real people, and not always the pros. They seem to have magic fairy dust when it comes to growing plants, and I can never live up to their standards.

      And thank you! He’s finally getting me things that I like! haha.

      Liked by 2 people

  11. maomau

     /  03/19/2015

    Oops, I meant to say, I’ve propagated ,any plants.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. maomau

     /  03/19/2015

    I’ve never propagated many plants over the years. As for aloe vera I’ve never done it by by cutting a leaf but I’ve always waited till a baby grew out of its side and cut that out and just stuck it in dirt. I grow a lot of succulents and aloe Vera is a hit or miss for me. One can grow like crazy in one pot and the one next to it will go brown. Jade ones are easy, if you want easy.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hello, Scarlett Blog

       /  03/20/2015

      I’ve read on other sites that Aloe Vera is hit or miss. I hope that mine will be a ‘hit’.

      I have two Jade plants, one that I have owned for a few years, and the other for a few months. My mum said that she used to grow them in the 70s, which instantly made me love the little fellas even more. I haven’t yet needed to repot or propagate it yet. Do you have any suggestions for when I do?

      Like

  13. fridaspeach

     /  03/19/2015

    Hi sweety :)

    Is there a reason for topping off with pepples? :)

    Hugs
    Frida

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hello, Scarlett Blog

       /  03/20/2015

      Hi Frida,

      Many people add river rocks to succulent containers for various reasons. I add them because:

      – they look amazing and make the succulent stand out beautifully (much nicer than dirt)
      – they help separate the succulents in the pot (which is what you are trying to achieve with propagating leaves)

      Finally, it is a myth that one should add rocks to the bottom of their container when repotting succulents. This does not actually help with drainage, so I would advise against it. As long as there is a hole at the bottom of the pot, you should not have any issues with overwatering your succulents!

      Liked by 1 person

  • Hello! My name is Emory. I am a wife, mother of four (three on earth in heaven). This is our life on the Canadian prairies.
    email: helloscarlettblog@outlook.com

  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 2,925 other subscribers
%d bloggers like this: