Aloe Vera flower: Know benefits, grow and care tips

What is an Aloe Vera flower?

An Aloe Vera flower blooms once its plant is more than four-year old. Aloe Vera flowers hang in a cluster, and are orange, red, yellow, or pink in colour. They are tubular in shape. Once the flowers bloom, they last for several weeks.

See also: All about Shami plant

Aloe Vera flower: How to grow them?

While Aloe Vera plants can be commonly seen, one can’t see them bloom very often. Aloe Vera flower bloom only in favourable weather conditions. Insufficient sunlight is the main reason why Aloe Vera flowers do not bloom easily.

If you want the Aloe Vera flower to bloom, find a spot where you can get sunlight in abundance. Avoid places with shades as these plants and flowers love sunlight. While Aloe Vera plants can also be grown indoors, there are no chance for them to bloom inside a house.

How often Aloe Vera plants should be watered?

• Aloe Vera flower plants are fleshy and hold water in their leaves. They don’t need constant watering.
• Aloe Vera flower plants require water when the top layer of the soil dries up. Keep a watch and once the top layer dries up, water the plant. Frequent watering will result in rotting of roots and eventually it will die.
• Also, if you find wrinkles on its leaves that means the plant is facing intense heat. Move the plant under a shade and water it.

What are the benefits of growing Aloe Vera flowers?

There is no particular use of the Aloe Vera flowers except ornamental. Aloe Vera flowers help in pollination. Seeds from the Aloe Vera flowers can be used to grow more Aloe Vera plants.

How to harvest and dry Aloe Vera flowers?

After your Aloe Vera plant flowers and these flowers start to dry, it’s a good idea to harvest them as they will not grow back and instead actually drain the nutrients from the soil. To harvest, cut the Aloe Vera flower stalks from the bottom.  Note that cutting the flower stalks from the base only will aid the Aloe Vera plant to grow better. You can dry the harvested Aloe Vera flowers by drying them under the sun.

Aloe Vera flower uses

There are no uses of dried Aloe Vera flowers. You can enjoy the ornamental value of the Aloe Vera flowers until they dry. Once dry, you can collect seeds from that and use them for propagation.

What are the benefits of an Aloe Vera plant?

Aloe Vera plants have many health benefits. They are good for skin and hair. They are rich in antioxidants and used as a medicine to treat ailments, including diabetes and gastro-related problems. Aloe vera flowers are used for preparing herbal infusions.

They are also used for ornamental purposes.

How to grow an Aloe Vera plant at home?

• To grow an Aloe Vera plant, take a pot and make a small hole at the bottom for drainage.
• Plant the Aloe Vera plant in such a way that there is some distance between its roots and the pot’s base.
• Fill the pot with soil, sand, and manure. Water it and place it outside to get direct sunlight.
• Don’t over water the Aloe Vera plant as its leaves are fleshy and hold water.

See also: Vetiver: A basic guide to a plant with many uses

FAQs