Last Updated on December 17, 2022 by Griselda M.
Aloe vera are succulent plants that are really easy to grow. They tolerate a wide range of conditions and require minimal water and care. They do grow, as do all plants, and from time to time we need to thin them out and replant them so that we do not end up with an overgrown Aloe vera plant issue. This article shows you how to do this, and will probably result in your house, your garden, and all of your friend’s gardens eventually being full of these beautiful plants.
How To Care And Maintain An Overgrown Aloe Vera Plant?
Aloe vera plants are really tough. They grow naturally in the Arabian Peninsula – which is a rather harsh environment. When the plants grow they divide and produce more and more aloe plants. From time to time you can remove them from the pot, or ground, and break the clumps of aloes up.
This is really easy to do. Repot the excess plants in decent succulent soil or give them to friends. If you have too many, you can always harvest some to make your own aloe gel. More on that later. Aloe roots are fibrous and you may need to trim them a bit to get the clumps apart. As long as there is a little bit of root on an aloe it will take root.
Do You Need To Harvest An Overgrown Aloe Vera Plant More Frequently?
Harvest or replant as you see fit. I have had aloes in pots that have been there for a decade, and others that get out of hand and crowd the pot in a year or so. I am a bit of an aloe fanatic actually and have planted rows of them outside my house, and in the streets and pretty much everywhere I can.
My main reason for this is I love flowers and what flowers do for the birds (and bees).
Learn more about All About Aloe Vera Plant White Fungus
What To Do If Your Overgrown Aloe Vera Plant Is Too Big To Care For?
Aloe vera plants do not actually get very big – they just get crowded. If your Aloe vera plant starts to get very big, then it is probably another type of aloe! This is not a problem – just thin it out as needed and pot it into a bigger pot. All aloes are beautiful.
How To Harvest An Overgrown Aloe Vera Plant?
If you find that your Aloe vera clump starts to get too crowded and you have run out of people to give aloe to, you can always harvest a few for making aloe gel.
Again a word of caution – unless you are absolutely sure of the provenance of your aloe and know it is a culinary variety, I would advise against eating the plant. Aloe vera is a very genetically diverse species and some breeds are cultivated for making edible products. Others that are ornamental can contain toxins that are not ideal for human consumption – they may in fact be carcinogenic.
Aloe gel on the other hand is well worth making. I just take an aloe leaf and peel it with a potato peeler. Old-school peelers like these work well. Once you have the aloe fillets, as they are known, you can put them in a blender and make the gel. You end up with heaps of it so give a lot away. You can keep it in the fridge for a few weeks.
I don’t really even bother doing this anymore – if I burn myself, I just take a leaf and break it off and rub it on the burn.
Read more about Aloe Vera Stem: What It Is And How To Root It?
How Long Are Aloe Plant Roots?
Have you ever thought about how long are aloe plant roots? You would be surprised to know that these beneficial plants actually have a shallow root system that spreads out widely. For this reason, aloe plants don’t need a very deep pot to grow, similar to other cacti and succulent varieties. Using a plant pot that is no more than 16 0r 17 inches deep is quite fine as these plants will grow quite comfortably in them.
It is also enough to accommodate their roots. However, to ensure that your aloe plant roots grow in an outward direction without being cramped, a large shallow container is recommended for the best results. Ensure that the plant pot has good drainage holes to get rid of excess water and maintain the aloe root system healthily.
How Can You Tell How Old an Aloe Vera Plant is?
So, how can you tell how old an aloe vera plant is? Well, these ornamental succulents display telltale signs of their maturity. When identifying the age of a mature aloe vera plant, looking at the size of the leaves is a great indication. This is because fully grown plants can measure more than three inches across their base. Additionally, the weight of the aloe plant leaves also weigh between 1 and 3 pounds when they reach maturity.
However, although these ornamentals can reach their full growth potential in two to five years, this may not be the case in all instances. The reason why I say this is because their growth will depend heavily on several factors. These include the region they’re planted in, the climate, and the environment they are afforded to grow their best. Another sign you should look out for to determine how old your aloe vera plants are is to see whether they bloom.
Flowering aloe plants have to be mature and over four years old to bloom. No flowers mean that your plant has not reached this age yet. After planting, these succulents are also known to produce pups by the age of eight months. Looking out for the above indicators should give you a fair idea of the age of your aloe vera plant.
How Do You Start a New Aloe Vera Plant From The Old One?
Ever wondered how you start a new aloe vera plant from the old one? If you are a beginner or established gardener who appreciates the beauty that these ornamental succulents afford your indoor or outdoor garden, then knowing how to propagate them from your existing aloe plant will be quite beneficial. This type of planting is made possible but propagating your aloe vera from the offshoots or pups grown around its base.
Additionally, you can also use stem cuttings to start a new aloe vera plant. Although it may sound complicated, the propagation process is actually quite simple. It is an easy task to do if you carefully follow a few tips.
Aloe Vera Propagation Tips:
1. Offshoots
Removing baby aloe offsets is one of the simplest ways to propagate these plants from existing ones. These pups can be easily located as they grow around the parent plant and pop directly out of the soil at the plant’s base.
2. When to Divide Your Aloe Plant
When you have located the new growth, ensure that these pups are about four inches in height before separating them from their parent plant. By this time, these offshoots would have grown their own root systems, so separating them to start a new aloe plant would prove favorable.
3. Rest Your Aloe Plant
After dividing your plant, it will need time to heal. For this reason, it is best to rest your plant and the offshoots you have removed for about a day. If your plant is healthy, you will see the formation of calluses over the cuts. This is a sign that your aloe vera is recovering well.
4. Pot Your Aloe Pups
You can now pot your offshoots after the formation of calluses. Ensure that you use a cacti soil mix that has excellent drainage properties. Your plant container should also have drainage holes to rid of excess moisture. A DIY cactus soil mix should include gravel, crushed granite, sand, perlite, pumice, and garden dirt for the best growth results.
Conclusion On Overgrown Aloe Vera Plant
Aloe vera plants grow fast and multiply. You can break clumps up and replant them, or you can harvest some for making gel. This plant does not get very big, so if your aloe vera plant is reaching heights, the chances are it is another aloe. Enjoy it. All aloes are beautiful.
For other plant-related topics, check out our other articles. I hope you got the answer on how to care, for and manage, an overgrown aloe vera plant. Thanks for reading!
FAQ
How to divide an overgrown aloe vera plant?
There are plenty of ways to divide a big aloe plant—the best is to use a sharp knife. The next step is to cut off the base and place the new plant on its side. Next, slice the aloe leaf from the bottom up, cutting along the vein until it's just barely attached. Then, slice away the top of the plant down to the new bottom. You should be left with two new plants that look a little different.
What can you do with an overgrown aloe vera plant?
You can harvest the gel, you can do that with the guidelines we mentioned in the section above. You can also split the plant in two aloe vera plants and re-pot them or gift one half to a friend of yours, that way you can bring some positive energy and vibes to someone else life.
How to trim overgrown aloe vera plant?
If you have an overgrown plant like this, you may think the best course of action is to simply keep watering the plant until you reach a point where the plant seems healthy and lush. But this only creates more work for you because the plant becomes waterlogged and you’ll be required to keep pulling off all the leaves. A better strategy is to prune the plant back by half. It’s still going to look the same size, but it will be easier for the plant to absorb water and nutrients. Once you’ve trimmed down the plant, you can water it thoroughly, making sure that you don’t leave any dry spots, and then add some fertilizer to promote new growth.
How do you take care of a large aloe vera plant?
A very large aloe vera plant will need a lot of water. While the leaves are still green and lush, it's essential that they are not allowed to dry out. Watering and maintaining a constant temperature can help to keep the plant happy. Keep an eye on the root end, which is susceptible to rot. Be sure to give the plant light, but not too much. Aloe vera needs lots of sun. If you notice signs of trouble, it's time to take action.
Branko is the world‘s most enthusiastic gardener! He is always on the hunt for the perfect flower, bush or tree to add to his ever–growing garden. He is known for his love of all things green, and his passion for nurturing the plants he grows is unmatched. He loves to get his hands dirty and can often be found humbly tending to his garden at all hours of the day. Branko is the go–to guy when it comes to gardening advice – he is always happy to share his knowledge and wisdom with anyone who will listen. He also loves to play pranks on unsuspecting visitors, so beware if you enter his garden!
