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Aloe vera advice

taragem72taragem72 Posts: 7
in Problem solving
Has been indoor under grow light. I'm concerned about 1- tips browning and curling, and 2- pale color (more evident when viewed live). I was watering once/week (soaking soil), then switched to every 2 wks. upon advice from local nursery. Have fertilized 2 or 3 times with low nitrogen fertilizer.


Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    IMHO you may be giving it too much water. I water mine when it starts to visibly "shrivel" the leaves just start to have a bit of a wrinkly appearance. Water then and they "plump" back up.
    Devon.
  • plant pauperplant pauper Posts: 6,904
    Mine sits in a shady corner (beside the microwave) and gets plunged to it's neck in water every few months or so. (It has been as long as five when I've been away!). It never gets fed and if browny bits appear I cut them off. 
  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,318
    edited September 2018
    Mine gets a bit of water when I remember (usually 'cos I need a leaf!) so probably once a month or so. No brown leaves at this time of year as too many preserving 'accidents' so they are getting picked  :)

    Never fed it.
    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    Just be careful if you have these as I am one of the few people allergic to them, also to tea tree oil, so always do a skin test first. 
  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,851
    Mine just sits in the bathroom,maybe gets a drink from the saucer about every six months,and I never feed it.
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
  • Jules41Jules41 Posts: 178
    They're like alot of cacti and succulents - treat them mean! Very little water or food! My hawarthia have been actively neglected and have all produced lovely flowers ! Just remember the conditions they thrive in the wild -  sometimes no rain for a year or more, and poor quality soil.
  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,851
    Good point @Jules41 When I lived in Southern Spain,if I potted up an Aloe Vera,I used to go across to where there was a sandy cliff,and dig a bit out of there! All my Cacti got the same treatment!
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
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