One of the most popular houseplants is the aloe plant. These adorable succulents are commonly available in a range of sizes. Cuttings are typically used to propagate a favorite plant since they produce viable plants more quickly than seeds. Growing aloe from seeds, on the other hand, is rewarding, relatively simple, and can provide you with the possibility to have some unusual and unique plants in your collection. Here are methods for growing aloe from seeds and increasing your supply of these beneficial plants.
How to Collect Aloe Seeds
Aloe plants must be four years old or older before producing reliable seeds. The exact period depends on the species, and some plants take up to a decade to mature. The plant can produce seeds once it has finished flowering. You can collect seeds from wasted blooms or purchase them from a trustworthy source. The first approach requires you to know how to collect and keep aloe seeds.
Gardeners with mature plants have most likely spotted the seeds in the flowers after they have turned brown and lost their petals. What do aloe seeds resemble? They are small, grayish brown to black in color, and flat. Light-colored or white seeds are not suitable for harvest and will not germinate.
Seeds are located on the plant in dried pods and must be retrieved by splitting the pod. When the pods are ready, they will be brownish-green. Maintain a basin beneath the pod to collect the seed and dispose of the empty pod. If sown outdoors, aloe seed propagation might begin immediately or wait until the following spring. Keep seeds in a cold, dark place in a paper envelope. For best results, seeds should be used within the year they were gathered.
Related: How to Grow Succulents?
How to Grow Aloe Vera from Seed? (7 Steps)
In this post, we’ll go through how to cultivate aloe vera from seed using a simple, low-cost method that produces healthy plants to keep at home or share with friends and family.
Step One: Harvest Aloe Vera Seed
Wait until the mature plant has flowers, which is where the seeds are, before harvesting aloe vera seed pods from a pollinated aloe vera plant.
However, keep in mind that mature plants will be about four years old before you can harvest seed pods from them, so you may have to wait a bit.
However, when the seed pods within the bloom develop a brownish-green color, they are ready to be harvested.
To start harvesting, open the seed pod and examine the color of the seeds.
Harvestable seeds will be dark brown or black in color.
Allow the seeds to ripen for a longer period of time if they are lighter.
When the seeds are mature, open the seed pods over a container to catch the seeds as they fall out.
The pods can then be discarded.
Related: What Succulents Grow Indoors?
If you store seeds properly, you can keep them for up to a year.
And you should keep them in a paper envelope in a cold, dark, and dry area.
If your aloe vera plant does not have flowers, you can try to propagate it by carefully clipping the aloe vera pups off the parent plant.
Growing your aloe vera from seed, on the other hand, is a more cost-effective strategy to ensure the health of your soil.
Step Two: Pick the Right Container
To cultivate aloe vera from seed pods, choose a container that is not too large.
Your seed pod container should also have sufficient drainage.
Also, keep in mind that you will only be using this container momentarily.
Because you will repot the plant later, a perfect container is not required for this phase.
Step Three: Select the Proper Soil.
Plant your aloe vera seed pods on soil that drains well and does not become too wet.
Horticulturists advocate mixing half peat and half horticultural sand into the soil to keep mold, weeds, and other diseases at bay.
Step Four: Sow your Aloe Vera seeds.
You should slightly water the soil now that you have well-draining dirt in a properly sized pot with good drainage.
Then, place your aloe vera seeds on top of the dirt and cover them with a little layer of earth.
Also, if you want to relocate your aloe vera seeds outside when it gets warmer, you should plant them in the spring.
If you keep your aloe vera indoors, you can plant it all year.
Related: How Succulents Reproduce?
Step Five: Water the Aloe Vera.
When your seeds are still young, you should sprinkle the soil in your container with a spray bottle once daily to keep it moist.
Some individuals choose to cover their aloe vera seed pots in plastic to keep the humidity in, but this is optional.
Simply sprinkle the aloe vera seed pods on a regular basis until seedlings appear, which should take three to four weeks.
Step Six: Repot your aloe vera.
When seedlings and a few leaves appear, transfer your plants to a larger pot large enough to accommodate a full-sized aloe vera plant.
Also, place the aloe vera seedling in two inches of dirt and water it just like an adult plant.
Finally, utilize the same well-draining soil that you used to grow the aloe vera seed pods.
Step Seven: Take Care of Your Mature Aloe Vera.
In the hot months, water your adult aloe vera plant every two to three weeks, and less in the colder months.
If you water it correctly, the soil around two inches beneath the surface of the soil level should remain dry.
You should also keep your aloe vera in a warm place in your home or outside, where it will receive at least six to eight hours of sunlight per day.
Finally, remember that overwatered aloe vera will grow brown tips on its leaves, so keep an eye out for this.
Related: Will Succulents Leaves Grow Back?
Why Should I Plant Aloe Vera?
You should grow your own aloe vera plant since it has great therapeutic characteristics that can treat a variety of health issues.
Overall, aloe vera can assist to heal burns, relax and cure stomach problems such as IBS, clearing up acne without irritating the skin, and enhance oral hygiene.
In addition, unlike some other medical plants, aloe vera is generally safe to use.
Aloe vera, like other succulents, is easy to grow and makes an attractive houseplant.
Conclusion
Growing aloe vera from seed is a straightforward and inexpensive process, especially if you already have one or know someone who does.
Furthermore, aloe vera is a lovely houseplant as well as a medicinal plant that is useful to have on hand for minor burns, stomach upsets, and skin breakouts.
