Aloe aid: why everyone needs a kitchen aloe!

Voodoo Flóra
Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭
edited November 2020 in Growing Medicinals

The other day I burned myself with a cast iron pot and went straight to my kitchen aloe. I was fortunate to be provided one of its stalks, which I cut open. I immediately placed the juicy flesh of the plant against my own. The burn was immediately relieved and eventually healed up completely. I used a rubber band to hold the aloe against my skin. It stayed on even in the shower. I changed the aloe bandage a few times. When the bandage was spent it all went into the compost. The following is a good article about aloe:


Comments

  • MelissaLynne
    MelissaLynne Posts: 205 ✭✭✭

    My kitchen windowsill is always full of aloe starts. :) more often than not when someone comes to visit they go home with an aloe plant.

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @MelissaLynne Me too. Once you know how to grow the plants, they just keep producing babies.

  • happy-trails
    happy-trails Posts: 170 ✭✭✭

    Wow, this is wonderful! I've always used the gel from plants but never wrapped the whole leaf as a bandage. I am always burning my arms while cooking... haha... so I will try this tip next time! How fast does aloe grow from a baby into full maturity?

  • MelissaLynne
    MelissaLynne Posts: 205 ✭✭✭
    edited July 2020

    they don’t really get huge quickly, but they are prolific. You can use the small leaves just like the larger, it is just a little more difficult if you want to harvest the inner pulp.

    This plant was a couple little starts/a cutting about a year ago and has been very neglected since then and yet I have this mess. I don’t think I have a variety that grows the very wide leaves. They like smallish pots and to dry out thoroughly between generous waterings. I forget to water mine for months at a time.


    sorry about picture size, I still haven’t figured out how to make them smaller. 😕

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @happy-trails I have found the aloes grow best and fastest when in bright and NOT direct sun. Also my biggest fail is that I can over water them. Best to have very well draining soil and then occasionally water them once they dry out completely. Make sure the soil gets moist and not soggy. In these conditions a pup can turn into a reasonably sized plant in a month or so.

  • Voodoo Flóra
    Voodoo Flóra Posts: 258 ✭✭✭

    @shllnzl and @MelissaLynne do you find a greater size pot encourages more pups? What is your advice for getting more pups?

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @aprilbbrinkman Extra room in any pot will help get pups, but I have had plants with pups hanging outside of the pot. These plants want indirect sun, fast draining soil and letting them dry out between waterings. If the plant is bright green, not orange tinted, it will probably produce pups eventually.

  • MelissaLynne
    MelissaLynne Posts: 205 ✭✭✭

    @aprilbbrinkman Mine seem perfectly happy in little pots, I haven’t noticed any increased in growth in the plants with more room.