Aloe Vera

About..two years ago…while living and working in Phoenix…I was offered an aloe vera plant from a friend.  So, I dug it up right then and there out of the Arizona soil, and brought it home with me.  She was one of my first plants… and made the looong drive north with me when I moved to Utah.  We’ve been able to start growing an aloe garden from many of the pups she’s offered us..which we’ve transplanted and you’ll see in the above video.  She…(the lovely plant lady I speak of)..is the LARGE one, I harvest leaves from.

She’s given us a lot of medicine over these last two years.  We use the aloe for cuts, scrapes, burns, bites, and for pulling out slivers.  It feels AMAZING on our skin and hair…and we also use it internally in our elixirs….talk about internal POWER!  It feels like a NECESSITY in our garden….we’ve grown close to each other!  Very Close!

I’m sure many of you out there already know of the polysaccharide power of ALOE..so I won’t go into that here..but for sure.. (if you haven’t already) ..check into David Wolfe’s book “SUPERFOODS“….his chapter on Aloe Vera is VERY educational!!!!!

David offers some great insights into the history of this SUPERFOOD, as well as some awesome growing tips and nutritional benefits…he really breaks it down!  He’s been growing and working with aloe for a lot longer than me..so the depth of the ALOE chapter, as well as every other chapter, offers INCREDIBLE research on every part of working with this superfood and others!

Here’s a few growing tips… that I’ve noticed work really well..in the last two years..

1.  Use a fast draining soil mix.  50% soil and 50% drainage material…like sand, perlite, vermaculite or equivalent.  You can buy these “cactus/succulent mixes at the store..or just make your own for HUGE cost savings!  If you make your own soil, throw some rock dust in there, like Azomite.  THEY LOVE IT!!!!!

2.  They like shade.  Ours thrived with early morning sun and afternoon shade.

3.  Don’t over water!  Let them almost dry out..then soak them till water comes out the base.  (if growing in pots) 

4.  Fertilize with dilute ocean water, using a concentrate like, Thalassa mix.  You can also use Dead Sea Salt.  With Thalassa mix I sprayed the soil down every couple months or so with the diluted mixture.  OR…instead use dead sea salt…every couple of months as intuited…add a little scoop to your watering bucket…. and water!  They need very little I’ve noticed….but they love the ocean water/dead sea salts!!! 

5.  Depending on your climate zone, provide them a microclimate for the winter.  That’s why we keep ours in pots, so we can put them under our deck through the winter…then move them around the yard in the spring!

This is a plant worth growing no matter…. WHERE you LIVE!