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What to do with my Aloe plant #760225

Asked July 06, 2021, 11:02 AM EDT

Hi There, I bought an aloe plant in March/Aprill 2020 and started her out inside. I kept her outside through the summer and brought her inside in the fall. I moved about a month ago and when I got to my new place I put her outside. There is a large tree that is in the backyard where I placed her that makes it pretty shady back there, but I think that she may have gotten a burnt. What I can do to help her flourish again? Should I bring her back inside? Also, can I make aloe juice from this plant? Thank you, Cynthia Molina

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

The foliage does not appear to be sunburnt, but it is always a good practice to move indoor plants outside gradually by getting them accustomed to shady outdoor exposures first. Full sun indoors isn't nearly as intense as direct sunlight outdoors, so leaves need time to adjust (or the plant must grow new leaves that are tolerant of more light).

Keeping the plant outside for the summer is probably better than keeping it inside. The light levels (even in mostly shade) will better meet its energy demands, and the ambient humidity could help reduce watering needs. Some succulents actively grow during the cooler weather of winter months (even when indoors) and stay fairly dormant during the summer, while others do the opposite. If you notice your aloe growing new leaves this summer, you can give it a dose of fertilizer (as per label instructions) if it hasn't been fertilized in the past several months. This may boost growth a bit while not going overboard; aloe and succulents in general don't have high nutrient requirements.

We don't have information regarding how to process or use the juices for medicinal purposes, assuming this is the correct species of aloe for that purpose. Either way, it will likely destroy one or more leaves in the process, and since succulents are slow-growing, this would limit how useful the plant will be in generating extracts regularly. You may be able to find useful extraction tips online from educational (.edu) websites or other trustworthy sources of information that provide scientific references and address any safety risks.
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/aloe-vera

Miri

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