Trimming An Overgrown Aloe Plant [4-Step Guide]

The Aloe plant is known to grow vigorously and quickly in the right conditions, often reaching heights of 2-3 ft in just a few months.

But such an overgrown plant can be a problem in places with limited space.

If you are growing an overgrown Aloe at home, you will need to consider ways to keep it in good shape.

So, how do you fix this problem?

Let’s find out in this guide.

How To Revive Your Overgrown Aloe Plant

An Aloe plant that is overgrown and leaning over needs to be repotted or transplanted in a bigger pot. You should also prune the plant to remove unwanted leaves and maintain the shape of the plant.

These are the two most important things you can do to manage an overgrown Aloe at home.

Alternatively, you can also move the plant to a place where it won’t get enough sunlight. This should help in reducing the overall growth of the plant.

This is a preventive step for further growth. You will need to prune and repot the plant if it has grown a lot since you last planted it.

Let’s see how you can effectively manage your large aloe plant.

How To Trim An Overgrown Aloe Plant

Here’s what you need to know about trimming your top-heavy Aloe plant –

Step 1: Use The Right Pruning Tools

You can use a knife or gardening scissors to prune the leaves. 

Use a sharp tool only for this purpose. Otherwise, you will face difficulties while performing the pruning.

You might also get injured if the edges of your pruning tool are dull.

Step 2: Examine The Plant And Find Out The Overgrown Leaves

In this step, you should examine the plant properly and select the leaves that look overgrown and have started to turn yellow.

You should remove these leaves to allow the other leaves to get more sunlight and air.

Similarly, you will need to get rid of the damaged leaves from the plant. It will make your plant look better aesthetically.

Step 3: Prune The Leaves

Once you have identified the leaves, you can start pruning them.

While pruning the leaves, you should try to remove the entire leaf from the bottom. Do not cut them in the middle, as it won’t look pleasing to the eyes.

These leaves will also not grow back into full leaves. So, there is no point in leaving them on the plant in this condition.

Note: You should never prune the fresh leaves, as it takes a while to see the new growth on the plant.

Here’s a quick video on this process –

Step 4: Transplant The Plant

Once you have successfully performed the pruning task, you can transplant the plant into a bigger pot.

The new pot will give your Aloe plant a much-needed extra space and environment to grow further. It will also allow the plant to produce more pups in the future.

If you don’t have a new pot, you can put it back in the same pot as well. However, you will need to prune the plant accordingly.

You will also have to remove any existing pups from the plant so that the mother plant gets enough room to grow.

How To Divide An Overgrown Aloe Plant

Here are the three important steps you need to follow for this task –

1. Dividing

1. First, remove the parent plant gently from the pot, and remove as much soil from its roots as possible. 
2. Next, identify the baby plants and check whether the baby will be easily removable from the plant. If the plant comes off with roots, it will grow, but if it comes off without roots, the chances of it developing will be nil. 
3. For stubborn baby plants that will not come off easily, use a knife to tear them away from the parent plant. 

2. Healing

Like other succulents, Aloe vera needs to be kept aside to heal and form a callous over the wound. The plant will then be ready to be planted again after 24 hours. 

3. Repotting

1. Cut off a good bit of the base, and let the cut form a callus for a few days.
2. Leave the leaf alone until it is completely dry and a thin layer of skin forms over the gel. 
3. The ideal time to leave the leaf by itself to dry would be 2-3 days.
4. Next, fill a pot with a loamy mixture and insert one-third of the leaf into the soil and sprinkle some water on it. 
5. The soil must always remain moist during the first month of this transplant, but it should not be fully wet. Soon, it will begin developing roots. 
6. The Aloe vera plant does not require much water, so you can water it once a week and place it near a window. 

Here’s a video on how to separate Aloe plants –

And that’s all it takes to successfully divide the overgrown Aloe plant and transplant the pups into new pots.

Things To Do After Trimming And Repotting 

After pruning and repotting, wait at least a week until you water the plant again. 

This will ensure that the Aloe Vera does not form rot and gives the plant plenty of time to grow its roots. Give the plant plenty of sunlight once it is repotted, and keep it in a warm place. 

Have any questions? Check out the following section to find the answers to some of the frequently asked questions by the readers.

FAQs