Varieties
Aloe 'Miami' / Vera / 'White Beauty'
Origin
Native to tropical and southern Africa, Madagascar, the Arabian Peninsula
Air purifying
Toxic to pets/people
General Care
Light
Bright. Those with spiny leaves tolerate direct sun.
Temperature: 18-24°C (spring-fall). Give a rest at 10°C (winter).
Humidity
Average. Tolerates dry air.
Water
Every 1-2 weeks. Water plentifully (spring-fall), allow thoroughly moist but not soggy potting mix to surface-dry. Water sparingly (winter), allow barely moist mix to dry almost fully. Avoid watering centre of growths. Drought tolerant. Always check moisture level before watering. Aerate mix to improve its condition.
Fertilize
Every 2 weeks (spring-fall). Use organic houseplant fertilizer, according to package instructions.
Maintenance
Every 1-2 weeks, rotate plant to ensure even growth. Every 1-2 months, dust leaves with a soft, damp cloth and inspect plant for pests, when doing so. Remove damaged or spent leaves by their sheath. Trim brown or yellowing leaf tips to a point. Avoid removing more than 20% of the plant at once.
Potting and Repotting
Soil-based potting mix. Every 1-2 years (spring), move plant into a planter 1-2” larger (diameter and depth); or, repot in the same planter, using new potting mix, after cleaning planter and partially trimming back roots and foliage. To prevent rot, maintain depth of thick basal leaves in new pot, and sprinkle coarse sand or perlite over surface. Top dress annually, once maximum convenient planter size reached.
Special Points/Common Problems:
- Separate and pot up rosette-shaped offshoots or pups from underground stems or stolons (spring-summer)
- May produce stalks of brightly coloured flowers (summer). Once flowers fade, trim stalks to their base.