• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Guides
  • About
  • Contact

Indoor Mint logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Guides
  • About
  • Contact
search icon
Homepage link
  • Guides
  • About
  • Contact
×

Home » Indoor Plant Guides

Published: Mar 30, 2021 · Updated: Sep 5, 2022 by Harshad Sawant · Leave a Comment

10 Things You Must Know Before Cutting Aloe Stem

Cutting an Aloe stem can be a great way to manage your bare-stem Aloe plant.

But is it safe to cut a thriving plant?

Can you grow a new plant from Aloe stem cutting?

I know you must be having many such questions in your mind.

So, in today's guide, I'm going to share a few insights on this topic.

And if you are interested to learn more about it, take a look at the guide below.

aloe stem cutting cover image

Can You Grow Aloe From Stem Cuttings?

Absolutely, yes!

Aloe stem cuttings are useful in giving a new life to an old Aloe plant.

However, you need to follow a certain technique while cutting the stem for this process.

Otherwise, the stem will not form any roots at the bottom, and you will probably have to discard the plant altogether.

In the following section, I have shed some more light on this topic.

So, do take a look at it as well.

10 Things To Know Before Cutting Aloe Stem

Here are a few things you must remember before chopping the stem off your Aloe - 

1. The Old Plant Will Not Survive Once You Remove The Stem

Well, that's the saddest part of cutting an Aloe stem!

When you cut the stem off the plant, the main plant is generally left with no leaves.

This makes it difficult for the plant to produce food and carry out all its internal processes.

And when the plant doesn't receive its food and nutrients, it turns into permanent damage.

So, if you're thinking of cutting Aloe stem, you should remember the fact that the old plant may not survive for long.

2. The Aloe Stem Cutting May Not Regrow At All

This is the other side of the story!

When you cut the stem from the main plant, you expect it to grow like any other Aloe plant.

But unfortunately, that's not the truth!

There is always a possibility that the cutting might not survive at all.

Since the stem cutting doesn't have any roots attached to it, it needs perfect growing conditions to form any new roots underneath.

And for some reason, if it doesn't get the required conditions, you will have to discard the cutting completely.

It won't be useful for any other purpose.

3. You Need To Remove A Few Leaves From The Bottom

Whenever you cut the stem from the Aloe plant, make sure you remove some of the larger and older leaves from the bottom of the plant.

This helps in two ways! 

Firstly, you take the load off the plant, which is quite useful in balancing the plant after repotting.

If there are too many large leaves at the bottom, the plant will not hold its ground and fall off either side.

And it's not great for the root formation as well.

Secondly, when you remove the leaves from the stem, it opens up the bumps on its surface.

These bumps or nodes will help in the formation of the new root system.

So, that's another huge advantage for removing some of the leaves from the bottom.

4. You Should Clean The Stem Before Transplanting It In A New Pot

Yes, you need to clean the stem before the rerooting process.

When you wash the stem cutting, it helps in removing any harmful bacteria or fungus present on its surface.

And it is very important when you expect the plant to form new roots without any external issues.

You can also dry it out naturally if you want.

Just put it near an airy place where you get enough sunlight.

This will take about 3-4 days to dry out the wet part completely.

Once that happens, you can go ahead with the repotting process.

Note: You can also reroot the plant without waiting for so many days.

However, it's always better to have a dry surface while planting the Aloe Vera stem.

5. It Might Take Longer To See New Growth

If you are expecting quick results in terms of new roots growth, you might get disappointed.

It takes weeks to see any such growth on the cuttings.

So, you will need to be patient enough to experience the magic.

It might take some time, but the wait will be worth it for sure.

6. Water The Plant Regularly

Even though the stem doesn't have roots at the time of cutting, the soil needs to be moist all the time.

The moisture present in the soil will help the plant to soak up the required amount of water from it.

So, you must water the plant at regular intervals.

And if you are not sure when to water the Aloe Vera cuttings, you should simply check the surface of the topsoil.

Touch the soil with your finger and see if it has any moisture content or not.

If the soil is dry, add some water to it and repeat the process next time.

Important: Use the pot that has a couple of drainage holes at the bottom.

These holes will greatly benefit in removing excess water from the soil.

7. Provide Enough Sunlight To Your Aloe Plant

Aloe Vera loves direct sunlight!

It is meant to survive in harsh sunny conditions.

So, don't keep the stem cuttings indoors or in a location where it might receive indirect sunlight.

You should keep it in full sun, which will help in promoting food production in the leaves.

And ultimately, the root formation process will get a boost as well.

Aloe Plant does well if it gets 3-4 hours direct sunlight.

In this plant's case, the more, the better!

Hence, move the stem cuttings pot to a sunny place and provide enough water to it.

8. Do Not Provide Fertilizers For A Few Months

When you plant the stem cuttings in the soil, it doesn't require fertilizers and added nutrients immediately.

The only thing it needs is some water, growing medium and decent sunlight.

If these things are available in abundance, you will not have to worry about anything else.

The plant will grow at its own pace, and you will also see nice growth in the root system.

As for the fertilizers, you can feed them after the stem cutting has formed the roots, and the plant looks settled in the new potting mix.

It might take a couple of months to see these characteristics.

9. Do Not Remove The Plant To See New Roots Growth Under The Soil

Don't be impatient!

As mentioned earlier, the stem cutting will need at least a few weeks to see any substantial root growth.

So, there is no need to remove the plant from the pot to check the root development.

Let it remain in the soil for some time.

In the meantime, you can water the plant regularly and take good care of it.

That's all you have to do, especially during the initial stages of growth.

And if you keep removing the plant from the pot every now and then, you may disturb and damage the root development process.

When the cuttings develop tiny roots in the initial stages, they are quite fragile and prone to damage.

So, it's better to keep them covered in the soil.

10. Use Alternate Methods To Get New Aloe Plant

If you don't like cutting your plants, you can look for other methods to get new Aloe plants off the mother plant.

In the following section, I have shared a couple of effective ways to avoid the cutting altogether.

So, do check them out below.

Tips To Avoid Aloe Stem Cutting

Although cutting an Aloe stem sounds like a great solution, you should always think of other methods to avoid it.

The plant you grow for so long deserves a bit more in its life.

Therefore, if you are willing to explore more options, check out the tips suggested below.

1. Use Leaves For Propagation

Yes, you can propagate Aloe vera from leaves.

And it's much more easier than cutting and transplanting an Aloe stem.

All you got to do here is remove some of the plant's fresh leaves and use them for the propagation process.

Of course, this method of propagation doesn't have a high success rate.

But if you have an old Aloe plant with many leaves, you can use some of them to increase the odds of propagation.

2. Wait For The New Aloe Pups 

The next best option would be to wait for the new pups to arrive from the soil.

When the plant gets bigger and larger, it often tends to produce more new pups every few months.

And if you don't want to cut the stem off your main Aloe plant, you should probably wait for some time to see new growth.

Later, you can remove these pups from the pot and transplant them into smaller pots.

This way, you don't have to worry about damaging the mother plant at all.

Overall, both these methods are pretty useful in getting more out of your old Aloe plant.

So, do try them out before you think of cutting the stem off.

Now, let's take a look at the FAQs below.

FAQs

1. How Do Your Shorten Aloe Vera Stems?


Unfortunately, there is no way to shorten an Aloe stem.

The only thing you can do is to move your Aloe plant where it gets enough direct sunlight.

If you keep it in the dark or partial sunlight, the plant will grow upwards, searching for the sun.

So, keep this thing in mind if you want to limit the upward growth of your Aloe plant.

2. Does Aloe Vera Grow Back After Cutting?


No, the mother plant will probably not survive after cutting.

Since the plant requires leaves to generate its food, it would be difficult to continue growing after the cutting.

If you leave a few leaves on the plant, there is a possibility that it won't cause significant damage.

And the plant should do just fine for a few months.

In case you're not sure about the new growth, try growing a new plant from the leaves.

That's the best option you could explore in this scenario, especially if you are not in a hurry to see new plant growth.

3. What Do I Do If My Aloe Vera Is Too Tall?


There is nothing much you can do about it.

The reason why your Aloe plant is growing tall is because the plant needs more sunlight.
And it may be struggling to find it directly.

This phenomenon is quite common amongst all types of plants, as they always look to get more sunlight for their growth.

Hence, it's better to move your Aloe Vera plant from a shady place to a well-lit area with direct sunlight.

It should help in managing the height of your plant to a certain extent.

Apart from that, there is no real solution to shorten the height of your plant.

4. Can You Cut The Roots Off An Aloe Plant?


No, you should never cut the roots off your Aloe plant.

There is no benefit of removing the roots from the plant, as they don't produce any new growth magically.

If you cut the roots, the plant will not survive for very long.

And you will probably need to get a new one for yourself.

But if you are looking to propagate the plant, you can either use leaves or stem cuttings from your main plant.

5. Can You Replant A Broken Aloe Leaf?


No, you cannot replant a broken or damaged Aloe leaf.

You will need a whole leaf, i.e., without any damage, to increase the possibility of growing a new plant.

Also, the leaf propagation doesn't have a great success rate.

So, you will need to explore some of the other options if you want a new plant from the main Aloe Vera plant.

Over To You

I hope you found this guide useful.

As you can see, cutting an Aloe stem can be a great method to revive an old Aloe plant.

And you should definitely give it a try!

Moreover, if you liked this guide, please share it with your friends and family.

And if you have any queries related to this guide, do let me know in the comments section below.

More Indoor Plant Guides

  • How To Root Haworthia Pups With No Roots
  • repotting the plant
    How To Fix Root Rot Without Repotting
  • monstera grow light distance
    What Is The Right Grow Light Distance For Monstera?
  • jade plant top heavy
    5 Ways To Revive A Top Heavy Jade Plant

About Harshad Sawant

Hello there!

My name is Harshad, and I'm the gardening expert at IndoorMint.com.

Gardening is one of my passions, and I enjoy pretty much everything connected to plants.

I strongly believe in sharing knowledge with everyone, so you'll always find me posting new how-tos and guides on this blog.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Harshad - Blogger at Indoormint.com

Hi, I'm Harshad, a gardening enthusiast who likes to grow different varieties of indoor plants. I have been growing houseplants for over 15 years, and I share those experiences and learnings through this blog.

More about me →

As Featured In

indoormint featured on

Popular Guides

  • monstera small aerial root
    Can I Cut Monstera Aerial Roots?
  • zz plant new growth
    How To Encourage New Growth In ZZ Plant
  • zz plant light green leaves
    5 Tips To Fix Light Green Leaves On ZZ Plant
  • succulents growing in sand
    Topping Potted Plants With Sand

Trending Guides

  • aloe vera white fungus cover image
    13 Tips To Fix Aloe Vera Plant White Fungus
  • pothos companion plants
    10 Beautiful Pothos Companion Plants
  • spider plant growing long stem cover image
    Why Is My Spider Plant Growing Long Stem?
  • multiple plants in one container featured image
    11 Tips For Growing Two Plants In One Container

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About

Privacy Policy

  • Privacy Policy

Contact

  • Contact

Copyright © 2022 Indoor Mint