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Aloe Vera plant Lanzarote, how to look after it?

AmylovesplantsAmylovesplants Posts: 23
in Plants
Hi. I bought this Aloe Vera plant back from lanzarote yesterday.

Does anyone know how to look after it and what's the next step I need to do with it?

Also, are those the little babies growing in the middle? Cause I thought they grew around the outside?

Posts

  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    Firstly, it's a bad idea to bring live plants into the country. You have no idea what sort of diseases or bugs you could be importing, so please don't do it again.

    Now that it's here, it needs very gritty soil, infrequent watering, good light but better out of the sun (north or east facing windowsill). I put mine outside in a sheltered spot from June until the end of September. It won't tolerate any frost at all, but they do like a bit of fresh air.

    The small leaves in the centre are young leaves growing, not babies. If it has 'pups' they will form around the edge, as you say.
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • AmylovesplantsAmylovesplants Posts: 23
    I bought it inside the airport on the way back home but thanks for your advice.
  • AmylovesplantsAmylovesplants Posts: 23
    Do you think it needs to be in a larger pot?
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    I would probably go a bit wider but no deeper, just to make it more stable - they are quite top heavy plants. They grow slowly though, so don't need a lot of room.
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    amyh2893 said:
    I bought it inside the airport on the way back home but thanks for your advice.
    It's not illegal or even restricted to bring plants back from holiday in the EU but that still doesn't mean it's not a bad idea. Plenty of pests and diseases have been introduced to this country thanks to the lax import laws that have been part of our EU membership.

    I'd go for a terracotta pot as that will help regulate the moisture in the soil. Pick a pot that isn't much bigger than the roots are now and add a layer of grit to the bottom of the pot for drainage. The roots and the base of the plant can rot if they stay wet. Repot it using a proper cactus soil mix but keep the soil level at least 1cm lower than it is now and fill the rest up with pure grit. I'd probably wash off that old compost, let the plant dry out and then repot it into dry soil. don't water it for a week or so after repotting as any damaged areas need to heal over before getting wet. Only water the plant when the leaves start to feel a bit softer and then soak the soil and let it dry out completely afterwards. It might only need watering once a month in the summer and maybe not at all during the winter once it's established but the plant will tell you when it needs water. Feed using a specialist cactus liquid plant food.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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