Transplanting an aloe house plant

As long as I can remember, there has always been some sort of gardening in my life. I remember when I was a little girl, my mom had a beautiful vegetable garden in our backyard. She grew squash, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, beets, and I don’t remember what else. She managed to grow an abundance of produce, even in the hot Arizona summers.

She also had an affinity for growing house plants. She had so many that her bay window almost disappeared behind them.

I have carried on my mom’s love of house plants. Most of which I have acquired from “cuttings” of other plants, or as gifts.

This past May, I was “up north” with a friend, and we were shopping for bedding plants for our outdoor flower gardens. I found an aloe plant and decided I wanted to add to my collection for natural remedies.

When I brought it home, it was in the typical plastic 3” pot that you find most bedding plants sold in.

I immediately re-potted it into another pot that measured approximately 4 ½” in diameter by about 5 ½” deep. I placed the plant in my kitchen window, which faces east and gets a lot of sun.

Today, at the end of August, I found that I needed to re-pot the aloe again as it had outgrown that pot.

Aloe plants have very shallow roots and can “drown” easily if the soil they are in does not drain well. Plastic is actually not a great choice for an aloe plant, but it was what I had at the time so I used it. The plant has obviously done well, but I think I can give it a “healthier” environment by using a terracotta pot instead of the plastic.

Terracotta "breathes" and can absorb excess moisture if you accidentally overwater your plant. However, remember that terracotta has a limited capacity to absorb water, so avoid deliberately overwatering. Doing so will not protect your plant from root rot, fungus, or insects.

When re-potting, choose a pot that is at least 2 inches wider in diameter than the plant's current pot. Additionally, consider selecting a deeper pot. For my aloe, I opted for a pot about 8 inches in diameter, as the spikes are roughly 13 inches tall. A larger pot offers more support at the base of the plant, helping to prevent the aloe from tipping over.

Select a balanced size when choosing a larger pot; ensure it’s not excessively large, as this can increase water retention due to the extra soil, potentially causing root rot and soil disease.

Once you have chosen the pot, be sure that there are sufficient drain holes in the bottom of the pot. Terracotta generally has one large hole directly in the center of the bottom of the pot. This large hole can pose a problem with soil leaking out of that hole when you water the plant. A remedy for this can be anything from a piece of cloth, a plastic screen of sorts or simply a large rock. The rock will help block the soil from washing out but will still allow the water to drain. This is a tip that my mom shared many years ago. Rocks are typically free, and you can’t get more natural than that.

In choosing your soil, I urge you to do some research to find out which soil will feed your specific plant the best. Every plant species is different and has different soil needs, whether it's a higher pH level or higher acidic count, you will have more success if you know your plants and what they need to survive.

Obviously, aloe is a succulent; therefore, it needs a soil that will drain well and is somewhat gritty so that it does not retain a lot of moisture. You can purchase a commercial cactus or succulent potting mix, or, of course, you can make your own. Again, do some research and find out what works best for you and the type of plants you want to grow.

I hope you find this information helpful, and maybe even inspirational. Growing indoor plants can seem a little overwhelming, but considering the benefits they can bring to your indoor space, I think it's worth it, and the more you know… the more you can grow!

Happy gardening!