Alternate Aloe Vera Leaf Experiment

Alternate Aloe Vera Leaf Experiment

By Joseph Parish

This is a companion article to the one previously listed on growing Aloe Vera from a leaf. Most of the procedure is basically the same however we have tried to accomplish the same thing in a different manner. This is perfect if you want to obtain multiple Aloe Vera plants for your home. This was the sister plant of the one which we used to plant in the last experiment. As we stated previously, our Aloe Vera plant leaf was purchased at the Produce Junction in Dover. Just as we stated in our previous instructions the required tools and materials are the same. The difference is encountered with the process used. You may need the following items:

· An Aloe Vera leaf

· Clay pot

· Cactus soil

· Water

· Screen or small stones

· Knife

· Spoon

You will prepare the pot for the Aloe Vera plant by first carefully checking to ensure that it is in good condition and it has holes in the bottom for drainage. Obtain a piece of screen so that you can place it over the hole so all the soil does not leak out as you water the plant. Fill your pot with the cactus soil up to an inch from the top edge. Dampen the soil with a mixture of rooting compound and water. Now we encounter the modified method we are using to grow these leaves. We are taking one complete leaf and slicing it up into several smaller versions. The leaf, which we had purchased is approximately twenty-two inches long. We are going to cut two sections six inches long with the remaining section of ten inches reserved for an additional experiment.

Therefore, using a clean knife we will cut several six-inch sections from the leaf and set all three pieces aside to callous for two weeks. In this case we are bypassing the white growth section in the hopes of rooting our Aloe Vera.

After the three-week period has passed and the leaves have formed calluses, they can be planted. Again, we will use a growth Hormone to kick start the rooting process. To plant the leaves, take the two six-inch leaves and place the leaves in a mixture of plant hormone and water. Be sure that the water mixture is mixed well and place the Aloe Vera plant into the solution for two hours. After placing the cactus soil in your pot take the two six-inch Aloe Vera leaf and insert them at a 30-degree angle. Do not plant the leaf straight up and down. Water these plants on a daily basis. Keep the soil moist for the first four weeks. When watering your Aloe Vera plant fill the pot with water up to the edge and let it soak down into the soil. It will likely drain out from the bottom of the pot. Whenever you notice the soil drying out water the plant. Within a couple of weeks, the plant should sprout some small leaves. Place the pot in a warm, sunny location.

In about two months after it sprouts the Aloe Vera should be ready to transplant. Keep in mind that I have no verified data which would support that this method will work at all but I will keep you informed as we go along.

Our second experiment here involves the longer ten-inch section of Aloe Vera. In this case everything will be the same except we are going to lay the leaf down on the soil and merely sprinkle some soil lightly over the leaf. Again, I do not have any idea if this will work, but what the hell, I am an experimenter so we can take it from there. Again, I will keep you informed as to what is taking place on both experiments.

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