How to separate aloe plants is an essential skill and this guide will provide a detailed step-by-step guide – firstly choosing the right growing season, picking the parent plant etc. until the point of planting the new aloe vera pups.
Many succulents are easy to separate, while some, like aloe vera, can be more complicated. Here is a guide for you on dividing the aloe by removing and repotting the offsets.
Contents
How To Separate Aloe Plants in 7 Simple Steps? The Ultimate Guide!
To separate aloe vera plants, you must first choose the correct growing season, then pick the parent plant, carry out a thorough examination of the plant, look for pups, separate the plants, plant the offsets and then finally repot the parent plant.
1. Choose the Right Correct Season
Before you separate aloe vera plants, ensuring it is the correct growing season is essential. Spring and early summer are the best times to divide most tropical succulents since they are the primary growing season.
Winter gardening is not suitable for this plant as it might die or not do well since the growing season has passed. Growing aloe is best done in warm and hot seasons. If you separate them during other seasons, bringing them indoors is best to provide them with more intensive care and protection.
Bringing them indoors protects them from the cold that may kill them since they are young and not yet established – so it’s best not to plant new ones then.
2. Pick the Parent Plant
Once you are sure the season is right, pick the mother plant and remove it from the pot or container it’s growing in. This will help you view all the roots and shoots attached to the parent. Remove aloe very carefully so you don’t cause any damage to the roots. Gently lay the plant plus the pot and remove the plant slowly.
If the plant grows in your yard, clear the area around it until you see the topmost roots. Once you get it out, clean the roots, removing excess soil, rocks or debris.
3. Carry Out a Thorough Examination of the Plant
Once your plant is safely out of the pot, clean up the roots, removing excess soil, rocks, or debris. Remove any dead or damaged roots and leaves so that if they carry any infection, they won’t transfer it to the rest of the plant.
4. Look for Aloe Vera Pups
Your plant is now clean, and you can easily identify the pup or offsets you need to divide. Carefully look around for all the pups making their way out from the mother plant.
In some cases, the offsets may have grown a little tall. All of them are useful as long as they have established roots to help propagate aloe vera. Look for offsets and natural divisions in potted plants and those growing in the yard. For those growing in the yard, you will need to dig these out completely so you don’t injure the roots.
5. Separate the Plant
You can now divide aloe pups from the parent plant using a sharp and sterilized knife or shears. Sterilized tools prevent the spreading of diseases during propagation.
Make a single cut to detach the offset from the plant while keeping the roots intact. If you are not too sure about using a knife or shears, you can use your hands to pull the plant away from the mother gently.
Once the pups are separated from the mother, keep them in a warm area away from direct light. This allows a callus to form so that the divisions can heal.
6 Plant the Aloe Vera Offsets
Prepare a good potting mix and plant the pups in a suitably sized container. Plant the divisions in the prepared soil, submerging the roots properly.
Do not water them until the roots get established and the plant has grown to a reasonable size. Once they establish, continue with plant care watering regularly and providing sufficient bright indirect sunlight.
7. Repot the Parent Plant
Once you have planted the pups, it’s time to repot the mother in new and fresh soil. Prepare a good potting mix while ensuring it is well-drained so the roots can breathe and not get root rot. Use a larger container than the previous one to give it more room to breathe freely and grow.
Frequently Asked Questions
– Can Aloe Pups Be Left in the Water To Grow Roots?
Yes, you can leave the pups in water to grow roots, but you will need to take them out after a while. This will allow the plant to dry off before planting in the soil. If you need to put these pups in water, use a clean container and water.
– What Happens if You Don’t Separate Your Aloe?
If you don’t separate your aloe the plant will keep growing with all the pups until there is no more space, especially if planted in a pot. However, it is good to note that all these pups growing simultaneously will fight for the same nutrients, grow weak, and may die.
– How To Know Whether You Should Separate Aloes?
To know whether you should separate aloes you should observe what is going on in the pot – if they are in one. When the pups start crowding the plant you must consider separating them. Aloe vera is a clumping plant generally and it is not always necessary to separate it.
It is not a must to remove the offsets if you have them growing in a wide space. However, if they are in a confined space they will compete for nutrients and ultimately negatively impact the mother plant.
Aloe vera produces its pups right at the base. Most times, you will notice there are tons of new pups growing at the same time. You can leave them growing with the mother or separate them to make new plants.
Aloe produces many pups, just like most succulents. The plant produces more pups every time you separate them because new room is created for them to spread out.
Conclusion
This guide will help you learn how to separate aloe plants, grow more of this goodness around your home, or even gift your friends. Aloe vera is one of the best plants to grow in your home and around your yard, as it has many benefits. Propagating aloe vera has never been any easier, but before you start, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Ensure every division has a good number of roots so it will be easy to propagate. This requires you to be very gentle on the pups as they are tender and break easily.
- Avoid as much damage to the pups when dividing your plant. Once cut or wounded, they become susceptible to rot or disease.
- It is good for the plant when you separate pups as they may start competing for nutrients.
- Realize there are many aloe plants, and be sure you have the suitable variety you want to grow. Do not multiply a type of aloe you don’t like; it’s best to destroy it and grow the right one.
With that set in your mind, you are set to start your plant separation journey, and don’t forget to let us know how it works for you!
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