aloe vera
How to care for aloe vera?
- Botanical name
- Aloe vera
- Family
- Asphodelaceae
Aloe vera is kept in a bright spot with direct sun. It is watered only when the potting mix has dried out completely.
Aloe vera is a perennial plant.
In short
Propagation
division
Growing conditions
🪨
Soil
light
💡
Light
a bright spot with direct sun
💧
Watering
only when the potting mix has dried out completely
🌫️
Air humidity
low
🧣
Overwintering
must come indoors
📏
Height
30 to 60 cm
⚠️
Toxicity
toxic to people and animals, toxic parts: leaves
Pests and diseases
Listed here is every problem for which the sources name this plant as a host. The problems are not listed in order of how common they are.
Mealybugs
pest- Signs
- Flecks of white waxy wool in the leaf axils, along the leaf sheaths and in other sheltered corners of the plant. Under them sit soft pink bugs and orange eggs. The plant is sticky with honeydew, black sooty mould grows over the leaves, growth stalls and the leaves may drop early. Some species live on the roots and show up only at repotting.
- Prevention
- The females neither fly nor walk far, so you nearly always bring them in with a new plant: check the leaf axils when you buy and keep a new plant apart from the collection for a while. Clear away dead leaves and prunings as they appear, because the eggs are on them. A plant will take a few mealybugs. A badly infested one is often cheaper to throw away than to rescue. In a greenhouse the predators hold them down, the ladybird Cryptolaemus and parasitic wasps, which work in the warm half of the year.
Keep track of your plants with Tendask
Log the task and set a reminder for the next one. Every plant keeps its own history, so there is nothing to guess at.
Related plants
The plant below is in the same botanical family (Asphodelaceae).
Sources about the plant: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants, GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, NC State Extension Plant Toolbox, Royal Horticultural Society, Wikidata. Checked between 14 and 22 August 2026. The problem descriptions also draw on: Clemson Cooperative Extension.