Aloe Vera is a houseplant that is highly popular among all plant lovers.
This plant provides many benefits and does not require much maintenance.
Aloe Vera plants only need sunlight and water to thrive.
The plant has no stems or a short stem with green, fleshy leaves that spread out from the single stem of the plant.
The edges of the leaf are lined with sharp protrusions.
Sometimes, when the plant lacks sunlight or water, it can droop sideways.
The following guide should help in fixing the Aloe plant that does not stand up.
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Why Does My Aloe Plant Not Stand Up?
Aloe plants require at least six hours of continuous sunlight per day.
If they do not receive any form of light daily, the plant might flop over and fall sideways.
Similarly, overwatering the Aloe plant can be distressing to the plant too.
Therefore, it is better to find the right amount of balance when watering an Aloe.
There are a few other reasons for an Aloe plant drooping:
- Inadequate sunlight
- Irregular watering
- Infections cause by fungi
- Cold weather/temperatures
- An ill-sized container
And if any of these issues are causing the problem, you will need to address them accordingly.
Sometimes, there might be more than one problem that might distress the plant.
So, make sure to inspect the issue thoroughly.
In the next section, I have shared a few tips to address this issue.
5 Things You Can Do To Stop Aloe Plant From Falling Over
1. Growing Container
The container the plant is kept in should have drainage holes for good drainage and space for the roots to spread out.
The drainage holes will help prevent any water accumulation in the soil, which is the reason why many indoor plants end up having root rot or stem rot issues.
Also, the size of the pot should always be bigger than the plant.
If there is an imbalance between the plant’s size and the pot’s size, the plant will find it difficult to stand up straight and will probably fall over.
Do keep an eye on these couple of things whenever the plant starts displaying such issues.
2. Potting Soil
The soil mixture should be well-draining.
Since the Aloe plant already stores enough water in its leaves, you don’t have to worry a lot about its water requirements.
It is one of the hardy plants in the gardening world.
It won’t get affected if you forget to water the plant for a few days.
And this is the reason why the soil plays a significant role in growing Aloe vera.
If you cannot make your soil mixture, buy a potting mix suitable for cacti.
The mixture should contain perlite or sand.
You may also add some cocopeat to it if you’re living in relatively hot weather conditions.
3. Light
The plant should be kept in a place where it can receive plenty of sunlight.
If your home does not get a lot of sunlight, you can use artificial lights, too.
The Aloe Vera plant can easily fall over if it doesn’t receive enough sunlight for an extended period.
Its leaves need sunlight to produce food for the plant.
4. Temperature
The ideal temperature is 55-80 F(13-27C).
As I mentioned earlier, the plant needs favorable conditions to thrive at your place.
If it becomes too hot, the leaves will shrink, and the plant will not stand up properly.
Similarly, if it’s too cold or rainy outside, the plant might catch up with fungal or bacterial issues.
And this will also result in a similar problem of the plant not standing well in its position.
5. Watering
The plant needs to be watered well, and the remaining water in the pot must be drained thoroughly.
Before watering again, dip your fingers into the soil to see if it is completely dry; only then should you water again.
Otherwise, the soil will remain wet for too long and cause all sorts of issues underneath the soil.
Well, these are the few things you can do to revive your Aloe plant that does not stand up!
Follow these tips for some weeks and see how it comes back to life.
And once the plant looks alright, you can fertilize it with some vermicompost or any other all-purpose fertilizer.
The fertilizers will make it even stronger and help achieve decent plant growth over the period.
How To Water Your Aloe Plant
The Aloe plant needs to be watered thoroughly, letting the water drain through the bottom of the plant.
Once you do this, leave the plant at the sink so that the water is completely drained.
It is best for the Aloe to be kept fairly dry at all times, which is why the plant needs to be watered only once or twice a month.
If you can work on the watering issue, you will be able to solve most of the related problems for your plant.
Now, let’s look at the tips for harvesting and repotting your Aloe plant.
Both these tasks are quite important, especially when you see your plant not standing up properly.
In such a situation, it becomes essential to remove some of the heavy leaves off the plant.
And if the plant is suffering from some other issues, you should also consider moving it to a new pot.
Tips For Harvesting And Repotting Aloe Plant
Tips For Harvesting:
Harvesting an Aloe Vera leaf is fairly easy and does not take too long.
All you need is a sharp knife, a cutting board, a jar with a lid, and a mature plant or a pre-cut leaf.
- Using a sharp knife, cut as close to the stem as possible.
- Place the cut leaf on a flat surface, and let the sap flow from the cut part. After this, rinse the leaf and dry it with a cloth.
- Place the leaf on the cutting board, and start to remove its skin with a sharp knife. Remove the skin until a fresh, white layer is exposed. That part is the gel of the aloe vera. You can use this gel after a quick rinse for any purpose suitable for you.
Note: Do not attempt to cut using only your hands as this may damage the Aloe tissue.
Repotting Tips:
- Cut off a good bit of the base, and let the cut form a callus for a few days.
- Leave the leaf alone for some time till it is completely dry and a thin layer of skin forms over the gel.
- The ideal time to leave the leaf by itself to dry would be 2-3 days.
- Next, fill a pot with a loamy mixture, insert one-third of the leaf into the soil, and sprinkle some water.
- 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.
- The Aloe vera plant does not require much water, so you can water it once a week and place it near a window.
In the next section, you will find some tips to remove unwanted leaves from the Aloe plant.
This is an essential step in managing the load on the plant.
You can also use these tips if the plant has grown too much and become top-heavy.
How To Trim Your Aloe Plant
Here’s how to trim an aloe properly:
1. Pruning
Use a knife or gardening scissors that are sterilized for this task.
And prune some of the flat leaves from the plant.
It will make the plant feel much lighter in the end.
2. Cutting Damaged Leaves
Start with the leaves that have gone bad first.
Trim any leaf that has dried up, turned brown, or dead.
Perform this step gently, as you should be careful enough not to cut fresh leaves accidentally.
3. Trim Outer Leaves
To ensure that the plant fits in the pot and has plenty of room to grow, try to trim the outer leaves.
The outer leaves are also the oldest, which means they contain the most Aloe gel within them.
You can harvest this gel and store it for later use.
Still have more questions?
Check out the following FAQs where I have tried to answer the commonly asked questions by the readers.
FAQs
The best way to fix a leggy Aloe plant is to replant it in another container that is sturdy enough to support the plant.
Simultaneously, prepare the soil and draining mix to plant the Aloe in.
It is sufficient to water the plant every once in 2-3 weeks during summer and spring.
During winters, water the plant even less.
Before watering, put your fingers in the pot to check if the first two inches are dry.
If not, hold off watering the plant until it is dry.
Do not use a shallow container for an Aloe plant as it will not allow the plant to develop roots to remain upright.
To stake an Aloe Vera, a pot that provides plenty of space for the plant to grow should be used.
Aloe plants need to have at least 6 hours of direct sunlight so that they can be healthy.
Without sunlight, your plant will start drooping and falling over.
Another reason for your Aloe drooping or falling over can be a lack of water.
Aloe plants require very little maintenance but providing them adequate sunlight and water is essential.
Yes, you can, but it is advisable to put the Aloe Vera in a pot, even if it is placed outside.
However, remember to bring the plant inside during winter as it does not do well in cold weather.
The most common reason for Aloe to grow sideways is because of the direction of the source of light.
This happens especially when you place the plant near the window.
The plant will start leaning over the direction of sunlight over time.
And the bigger leaves will always spread their arms to get as much light as possible.
If you want to avoid it altogether, you will probably have to move the plant to the open, where it gets direct sunlight.
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