BCSS - Forum

Hello all! I'm new here. I would like to multiply an aloe vera plant that I've had for about fifteen years now. I have looked it up and from what I understand, I am to use a clean knife and cut a stem/leaf (that is at least seven centimeters long (3.5")) at the base but there wasn't a whole lot of information to encourage rooting. Just that it is not likely.

I'm curious what any of you have found works well.

Thanks in advance!

Root division from base will help, but only after it has an offset. When it has a decent sized offset (few pairs of leaves) you can twist it off the base and it will work fine.

Hi,

I don't think that A.vera can be grown from leaves which have been cut or sliced off, far too juicy and not much fibre. As you have been advised, take offsets which will probably come with their own roots for a successful increase. Someone will probably contradict me over leaf cuttings!

Suzanne

Certainly rooting an offset would be easy and quick. I hesitate to say that rooting aloe leaves is not possible but I think it will, at the very best, be hard. I notice several pages from herbal enthusiasts on the internet about rooting leaves but the words don't give me confidence in the writers' experience.
Gasterias root from leaves fairly easily but, well, they are not Aloes :-)
As Suzanne said, perhaps there is a grower out there with better experience of trying this with Aloes. Do they propagate all those Kelly Griffin hydrids from leaves? Thinking again I think he used tissue culture.
Cheers
David Lambie
Bristol

Hi,

I am sure that some Aloe leaves will root and throw up offsets as indeed Gasterias will do, but it deoends how and where the leaf is taken from its parent. It is important to take the leaf off without damage, the very base of the leaf must be in tact. I also think that the fleshier the leaf the more difficult it would be.

Suzanne

One big difference between Gasteria and Aloe leaves is that Gasteria leaves can root down and form platelets from even 'broken' leaves - i.e. they don't need to be peeled off completely intact. Gasteria leaf rooting is fairly easy although producing platelets can be hit and miss at times. I am not convinced that Aloe leaves will successfully root down very often(if at all).
As Suzanne suggests, for any chance of success they would need to be complete leaves (not just sections of leaves as is possible with Gasteria), but I would go further and suggest that there would need to be some sort of meristem tissue present on the cut end to enable roots to form and that is not possible without causing some damage to the remaining plant.

I agree completely with BrianMc.
Interestingly, there are a number of videos on growing Aloe vera from leaf cuttings on YouTube. They all go as far as putting the leaf in a pot of soil but none, as far as I have seen, show the end result = new plantlets.

Yes, it is straightforward (some sp. more easy than others though) to grow Gasteria from leaves and this also works well for X Gasteraloe, but never (in my limited experience) with aloes.

So, do I just set it in water or wetted soil?

Thanks for the responses! It took me a little while to get back here. Had a heck of a time locating this post again. I think I've got it now.

It has grown off a few leafs/leaflets? As a new growth. I think I can take that little bunch (three little ones) and pull them away with as much root as possible then set it in whatever medium needed to encourage rooting. I just need some confirmation on the medium, i.e.: wetted soil or water... Suggestions there?

So, do I just set it in water or wetted soil?

Thanks for the responses! It took me a while to get back here. Had a heck of a time locating this post again. I think I've got it now.

It has grown off a few leafs/leaflets? As a new growth. I think I can take that little bunch (three little ones) and pull them away with as much root as possible then set it in whatever medium needed to encourage rooting. I just need some confirmation on the medium, i.e.: wetted soil or water... Suggestions there?

I think I would do well to repot the poor girl. The dirt situation has been the same since birth. Again, any notes on a good medium would be great. Otherwise I'm just going to go with whatever I find on the internet. I haven't had to work had to keep her alive. Aloes are so easy as it is.
[emoji1280]️

The best medium for rooting is a 50/50 mix of John Innes compost and potting grit, just moist, If you try and root the little offset in water it will rot. If you mix up too much medium then you can use the remainder for repotting the main plant.

Suzanne