Aloe TRICHOSANTHA

Aloe, like almost all succulents, is undemanding in care. The century plant loves light very much, and therefore it is best to place it on window sills of windows located in the southern part of the room. However, it can also be grown in shaded places, but it should be borne in mind that with a severe lack of light, aloe leaves will stretch out and turn pale. In summer, the plant can be moved to fresh air, but rainwater must not be allowed to fall on it. A century plant that has spent a long time outdoors has clear advantages over one grown exclusively indoors. Thus, it has more powerful spines, as well as a well-formed stem.

In summer, aloe needs fairly abundant watering. But in winter it should be watered very rarely and using exclusively room-temperature water, or slightly warmer. If watering is too meager, the leaves will become very thin, with a small amount of juice in them. Due to the fact that the century plant's roots are very thick and fill the pot completely, when watered, the water rushes into the tray almost without delay. That is why it makes sense to water the plant by pouring water into the tray rather than into the pot. In addition, the finest roots that are able to absorb moisture are located at the very bottom. In order to avoid the appearance of rot on the roots, the remaining liquid must be poured out of the tray 30 minutes after watering. Air humidity does not matter for aloe. But sometimes it needs a warm shower to clean dust off the leaves.

In summer, the century plant requires moderate air temperatures, and with the onset of winter it must be moved to a cooler room. The plant tolerates sharp temperature changes remarkably well. Thus, most species are able to withstand a temperature drop down to 6 °C (43 °F). But there are also species that require a temperature of at least 15 °C (59 °F).

You can make the soil mix yourself; to do this, you need to mix leaf soil and turf soil with sand and humus in a ratio of 1:2:1:1. Also add charcoal and brick chips. Peat should not be included in the composition. The soil should have a slightly acidic reaction. You can purchase a ready-made soil mix for cacti. It is recommended to add a little brick chips and charcoal to it. While the plant is young, repotting is carried out every year. An adult aloe needs repotting much less often, and it is performed once every 2 or 3 years. Deep flower pots are chosen for this, without forgetting about good drainage.

Fertilization is carried out only once every 4 weeks, and only during the spring-summer period. For this, a mineral fertilizer for succulents and cacti is used (making a very weak solution). Fertilizing must be stopped in mid-autumn and not resumed until spring.

The plant may be targeted by scale insects. To get rid of them, you should wipe the leaves as often as possible with a cloth moistened in soapy water.