Plant notes

Keeping Aloe Vera Alive in My Flat: What Actually Works

I've killed exactly two aloe plants before figuring out what I was doing wrong. Now my third aloe has been thriving on my kitchen windowsill for nearly two years, and I've learned that most advice about these plants being 'impossible to kill' is wildly optimistic. Here's what actually works in my experience.

Watering Less Than You Think

My first aloe died from overwatering, which I didn't even realize was possible at the time. I was watering it weekly like my other plants, and the leaves went soft and brown from the base up. Now I water mine about once every three weeks in summer, once a month in winter. I stick my finger deep into the soil, and if there's any moisture at all, I wait another week. The leaves should feel firm and plump - if they're wrinkled, that's when it actually needs water. I also learned to water the soil directly, not the rosette, because water sitting in the center can cause rot.

The Right Pot Makes All the Difference

My second aloe died because I planted it in a decorative pot with no drainage hole, thinking I'd just be careful with watering. That didn't work. Now mine lives in a basic terracotta pot with a proper drainage hole, sitting inside a slightly larger ceramic pot to catch drips. Terracotta is brilliant because it's porous and lets excess moisture evaporate. I use cactus compost mixed with about twenty percent extra grit - I bought a bag of horticultural grit from the garden center for a few quid and it's lasted ages. Regular potting soil holds too much water and the roots just sit there getting soggy.

Light Requirements in a Real Flat

Everyone says aloes need 'bright indirect light' but that's vague. Mine sits on a south-facing windowsill where it gets direct morning sun for about three hours, then bright indirect light the rest of the day. When I first got it, I put it straight into full afternoon sun and the tips went brown and crispy - yes, you can sunburn an aloe. I moved it back from the window for two weeks, then gradually shifted it closer. In winter, I move it directly onto the windowsill because the light is weaker. If you only have north-facing windows, an aloe probably won't thrive - mine looked pale and stretched when I tried that in my old flat.

Dealing With Pups and Repotting

After about eighteen months, my aloe started producing pups - little baby plants around the base. I left them alone for ages because I was nervous about separating them, but eventually, the pot got crowded. Last spring, I carefully unpotted the whole thing, gently pulled apart the pups that had their own root systems, and replanted the mother plant in fresh soil in the same pot. The pups went into small individual pots. I lost one pup, but three survived and are growing well. The key was waiting until the pups were at least a third the size of the mother plant and letting everything dry out completely for a week before repotting so the roots weren't waterlogged.

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