Why every Mother should have a few Aloe Vera Plants

Hi,
Well I don't just mean mothers of course, I mean everyone in charge of children. But Aloe Vera is the perfect cureall for all those daily mini-disasters that happen to small kids, grazed knees, scratches, stings, sunburn, mild burns, sore skin etc. Cut a small section of a thick Aloe Vera stem, snip off any prickles, open carefully and gently apply the "goo" directly to the injured skin. Usually Aloe Vera gives instant relief and helps assure speedy recovery.
(The writer of this Blog has no medical experience, please consult your medical practitioner for advice)

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Care of Aloe Vera Houseplants

Never crowd an Aloe Vera plant with leaves 12 inches long needs a pot of least six inches in diameter. A healthy plant will outgrow its container in a short time Plastic or heavy terracotta pots are best.

Ideally, aloe vera prefers bright, filtered light with a southern or eastern exposure; indoor plants can be kept in a western window as well. This plant likes fresh air, so keep it on a window sill if possible.

The soil should dry out between waterings. For this reason, it is important to plant it in rapid-draining sell. High humidity can be harmful to this otherwise hardy houseplant and since the thick leaves store moisture for days, the most important tip in the home care of aloe vera plants is to avoid overwatering them. To test your soil, put some of it in a pot and pour water over it. If the water stands or is slow to drain, add pumice to the soil to improve drainage. A good blend is 50 per-cent pumice to the same amount of potting soil.

The best way to determine when to water your aloe vera plant is the knuckle test. Poke your finger into the soil up to the first knuckle. If it is dry to that point, water.

Feed your aloe vera plant monthly except in winter, when the plant rests. A low-nitrogen fertilizer is best. But be sure to follow the directions on the package.

Aloe vera can be grown from cuttings (pups) or seeds, but it takes much longer to brow from seeds. Start with cuttings from someone else's plant or buy a small plant from a garden shop.
A healthy aloe vera plant will outgrow its container and you may need to transplant it to separate it. Pups grow around the mother plant and crowd the pot. You can either plant the pups separately or place the entire plant into a larger pot

The pups send out their own roots and detach easily from the mother so the plant seems to fall apart when you lift it from the pot. To remove pups, gently lift them out of the soil. If any roots are torn let the pup dry for three or four days if not it can be placed directly in soil. Pups must have healthy roots to grow-successfully.

Though most growers claim the aloe vera leaves should be about three feet long to be effective for healing, the leaves of the houseplant can be used at one foot. Growing the plant in a pot dwarfs it, so the leaves will not grow as large as they would if the plant were growing in the ground.