In today’s post, I will show you how to repot aloe vera yourself. You will learn how to choose the right pot for your aloe vera, how to prepare the soil and how to replant the aloe vera at home to enjoy this wonderful plant.
The best way to repot aloe vera is to prepare the soil well, choose the right pot and move it gently so as not to damage the plant’s roots. Divide the roots into smaller parts and place them in new soil.
If you want to know the details, I invite you to read the entire article.
How To Repot Aloe Vera?
Aloe is a succulent that grows best in quite difficult conditions. Thanks to its water storage capacity, it can survive in desert conditions that would kill most other plants.
This ability of aloe to survive in harsh conditions, however, can be difficult for aloe owners who are used to treating plants completely differently.
Once you’ve learned how to care for aloe vera, however, it will finally be time to replant it.
To prepare well for it, you should take into account the following elements that affect the success of the entire process, that is:
- preparation of a suitable pot
- use of the right soil
- proper repotting
- watering after repotting
With these steps in mind, let’s move on to selecting and preparing a pot for repotted aloe vera.
Prepare a pot
The pot for our aloe vera is not only a decorative element. It also has another important function, namely to help us regulate the humidity.
When choosing a pot for repotting aloe vera, pay attention to the size and number of drainage holes at the bottom of the pot.
It is through these holes that excess water will pour out, and I am talking about excess here on purpose. Many beginners think that aloe, like Echeveria and other succulents, does not like a lot of water.
Nothing could be more wrong.
Aloe vera likes a large amount of water but for a short time, this means aloe just doesn’t like standing in water. When the roots are in the water for a long time, the aloe turns brown.
That is why it is so important that all the elements that affect our aloe are properly selected and the first of them is the right pot.
When choosing a pot for planted aloe vera, choose one that has large drainage holes and there are at least 4 of them. Thanks to this, the water will be able to flow freely from the pot, of course, assuming that you will have properly prepared soil.
When choosing the right pot for repotting aloe vera also remember that it is a fairly branchy plant, so the ideal pot should be wider than height. This makes it more difficult to overturn it once the aloe vera grows up.
And now…
Now that you know which pot to choose for the aloe vera, let’s move on to the soil preparation.
Aloe repotting – what land?
Many stores offer ready-made soil mixtures for repotting succulents.
In my experience, however, such soil is usually too fertile, compact and retains too much water to be immediately used for replanting aloe vera.
Due to this, I suggest you prepare the soil yourself. To do this, you will need a few ingredients:
- soil (ready mix for succulents can be)
- expanded clay
- stones for the aquarium or polystyrene
The expanded clay, which is available in stores, is quite large, so it is best to crush it with a hammer. In the photo below you can see a mixture of crushed expanded claydite clay.
I marked the broken LECA with the red arrow, which will be perfect for the earth mixture for the aloe you are repotting.
To break the expanded clay without getting dirty everywhere, throw it into a plastic bag. A few hammer blows should do the trick.
Time for stones.
Aloe likes well-drained soil, so it is necessary to mix it with inorganic elements. The stones for the aquarium are quite suitable for this because they are prepared as a substrate for living organisms.
This means that they should be well cleaned, but if you have any doubts, pour boiling water over them. Just drop it on a sieve and pour hot water over it. By scalding them in this way, you will remove any fungi that could be on their surface.
Remember to choose the size of the stones properly, because too large stones will not match well with smaller aloe vera.
You can see the stones I use in the photo below.
If you want to diversify your composition, you can also use coloured stones of different sizes or sand.
See what stones I add most often.
The choice is huge, so it’s best to visit an aquarium shop and find something that suits you best.
When you prepare the stones, expanded clay and sand (optional), it’s time to mix these ingredients in the right proportions.
In my opinion, the best soil mix for aloe vera is:
- 3 parts of the land
- 2 parts of small and medium stones
- 1 part expanded clay or pumice stone
The most convenient way to measure out is to use a measuring cup or just an ordinary spoon.
Then mix the ingredients as in the photo below.
The soil shown in the picture is quite dry because I burned it in the oven. Sometimes I do this to be sure when repotting that I do not transfer bacteria from the previous one to the new plant.
I do this in a casserole dish. It is enough to preheat the oven to 150 degrees C and put the soil in it for at least 30 minutes.
In this way, you will get rid of not only bacteria and fungi, but also dry the soil, making it easier for water to pass through.
So let’s move on to the replanting itself.
Remove the aloe vera from the pot
We start by taking the aloe vera out of the pot. Start when the ground is dry, which will make your task easier.
Rest the aloe vera on your left hand and remove the pot from the plant with your right hand.
Loosen the roots
Then gently loosen the soil so as not to damage the roots.
The aloe vera shown in the photo needed more than just replanting. It has grown so much that it can be multiplied using new shoots – I will describe it in the next post.
When you look closely, you will also see dots on the leaves. This is the second reason why this aloe vera came to me. I will describe this case in the section on aloe diseases.
Coming back to replanting aloe vera, I want to mention one more thing at this point.
Once you take the aloe out of the pot and remove the soil around the roots, some sources say it is good to leave the aloe for two or three days for the roots to dry out. I honestly admit that I have never done that because I only start repotting when the aloe vera soil is very dry.
If your soil is not like that, it definitely won’t hurt the aloe vera if you leave it there for a few days for the roots to dry out.
Pour the soil into the pot
Pour the previously prepared soil on the bottom of the pot. Match the amount of soil to the aloe vera so that its roots touch this first layer of soil when the stem of the aloe is flush with the rim of the pot.
The recipe I have given for a mix of soil for succulents is not perfect and I must admit that I sometimes sprinkle another tablespoon of small stones just before the aloe vera seed is exploded.
I do this most often when the soil I am using is completely new. Such soil is usually very compact and I am always worried that it will hold too much water.
Place the aloe vera in the pot
It’s high time to put the aloe vera in a pot.
I do it this way:
- put the pot on the table
- Match the aloe vera so that the stem of the aloe vera is flush with the rim of the pot
- check that the aloe vera is in the center of the pot
- cover the roots of the aloe vera with soil
- gently knead each layer
Repotting aloe vera is not complicated but requires patience and diligence. In the beginning, the biggest problem for me was to arrange the plant in the middle of the pot, but with time I gained practice.
When Do We Replant Aloe Vera?
I would like to add a few words on when it is best to replant aloe vera. The best time to properly replant aloe vera is spring and summer. This is when the plant is growing, which should help it survive repotting into a new pot.
In our climate, aloe vera has to grow at home, so it’s a bit easier for us and you may be tempted to replant in autumn or winter, but remember that then aloe is dormant and it may be much more difficult for him to accept the new soil.
However, if you decide to replant your aloe in the fall or in the ground, which I strongly advise against, give up using fertilizer. As a rule, we fertilize succulents only in spring and summer. In winter, these plants rest and fertilizer can even harm them, as it will disturb their natural growth rhythm.
Watering exaggerated aloe
Once you’ve replanted your aloe vera properly, there are some very important things you need to remember.
Aloe vera, like haworthia, does not like its roots to be wet for too long. Therefore, you need to water it properly.
I don’t water my aloe vera immediately after repotting it. I let them lie down for one or two days, and then water them just like any other aloe.
If you want to know more, check out my article on how to take care of aloe vera.
Fertilizing, repotting aloe
You can start fertilizing overstretched aloe vera a month after you replant it.
However, remember that very often the prepared soil for succulents already contains fertilizer and in this case, additional fertilization can do more harm and nothing will help.
However, if your soil is not a ready mix with fertilizer, you can use ready-made liquid fertilizers for cacti and succulents. They can be bought most often at a garden store.
As for the frequency of fertilization, it is best to check what the manufacturer of your fertilizer recommends. As a rule, you should not fertilize succulents more than once a month, as this will create conditions very different from the natural ones. Such plants will not thrive and may even become sick.
Summary
As I mentioned before, replanting aloe vera is not that complicated.
You need to take care of a suitable pot, soil mixture and gently move the plant from the old pot to the new one.
Also, remember to give the aloe two or three days before you water it for the first time after repotting, and to fertilize it properly.
That’s it for a guide on how to replant aloe vera. I hope this post will help you take care of this wonderful plant and enjoy having it.
PS If you find this article helpful, please share it. He can also help his friends ?
Thanks,
Marzena
