How to Propagate Aloe: 8 Tips for Propagating Aloe

Aloe is a genus of succulent plants with over five hundred species. One of the most popular species is the aloe vera plant, also known as true aloe. Aloe vera is a medicinal plant sometimes used for treating sunburns with its antibacterial properties. Aloe plants grow well outside in arid climates and can grow as houseplants in colder, humid areas. Aloe plants have a circular, rosette form with leaves that grow up to three feet tall.

Propagating aloe is a straightforward process for beginners and experienced gardeners alike.

1. 1. Watch for offshoots around the parent plant. The easiest way to propagate aloe is to remove baby aloe offsets from a parent plant. These offsets, also known as pups or offshoots, grow out of the soil around the base of the plant.
2. 2. Remove your aloe plant from its pot. Once you see offshoots growing up to four inches high around the base of your aloe plant, carefully remove the entire plant from its pot. Shake the plant lightly or use gloved fingers to gently remove existing potting soil. The best time to repot an aloe plant is during its peak growing season in late spring or early summer.
3. 3. Divide your aloe plant. Check the base of the plant for offshoots that have formed their own root systems. If possible, pull the offshoots off the main plant while keeping their new root systems intact. For offshoots that are strongly attached to their parent plant, use a clean knife to carefully remove them.
4. 4. Let your aloe plants heal. Leave the parent plant and the offshoots out of the soil in a dry, temperate place for at least twenty-four hours. Healthy aloe plants form calluses over wounds to speed up recovery time.
5. 5. Repot your aloe plants. Once you see calluses forming on your aloe plants, repot them in new pots—ideally clay pots with drainage holes. For damaged offshoots with weak root systems, apply a small amount of rooting hormone before repotting. Use a well-draining soil mix—like a mix designed specifically for cacti. Popular materials for cactus potting mix include coarse sand, perlite, pumice, crushed granite, gravel, and regular garden soil.
6. 6. Care for your new aloe plants. New aloe plants thrive in dry places with indirect light. Place your potted offshoots near a south-facing window away from direct sunlight. Avoid watering your new aloe plants until their roots have established themselves—typically one to two weeks after planting. Overwatering can result in root rot.
7. 7. Alternatively, propagate with leaf cuttings. Propagating aloe with aloe leaf cuttings is less effective than the traditional method, but it can come in handy when you’d rather not repot your parent plant. Use a clean, sharp knife to remove a leaf near the base of the plant and place the leaf in its own pot with cactus potting soil. Chances are high that the leaf will rot before developing roots, but this method can work on occasion.
8. 8. Alternatively, sow aloe from seed. Another way to grow new aloe plants is to harvest the seeds from pods on mature aloe plants. Germinate the seeds in warm, moist soil until they begin to sprout. Once established, move the new growth to a pot filled with cactus soil.

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