aloe vera!

[sodabubble]

Do you have an aloe vera plant? I do...but not sure what to do with it! I got it cos I live on a river bank and in the summer I get eaten alive so was hoping to use the juice to ease and soothe myself when I get nibbled!

Just not really sure how best to use it, what do you do?

 

[fozzyo]

I have a teeny tiny Aloe plant in the kitchen - need to pot it on actually. I love my Aloe and aloe products, wonderful stuff. If you have a plant the best part of the plant is the Inner Gel - the soft fleshy bit. You can cut open a leaf and just rub this on the skin to help heal and sooth.

Mat xx

 

[sodabubble]

oooh thank you! I knew someone could help me learn how to use it!

it was one of those situations where I knew I wanted it but not quite sure what to do with it lol!

 

[chantell simone]

I am useless at keeping plants

But I bought one of these for my mum, she says it great for bites, stings and itches

I have a little cousin who had bad eczema and his mum said this was great for it

(in Jamaica we called aloe vera "single bible", I have no idea why though)

 

[sodabubble]

you truly do learn something new every day!

 

[rebeccaj]

as mentioned ; if possible keep your aloe vera plant in the kitchen. If you get a minor burn from cooking etc, just break a "little" piece off and rub the gel over the burn, it is very soothing and will aid in healing and help prevent scarring. Is a wonderful little plant

 

[Zingara]

I have an Aloe Vera plant and have always wondererd, if when you break a leaf off...does it grow back.....I'm always to scared to do it in case I leave 'Spike' looking bald and stumpy!

 

[nailzoo]

I have an Aloe Vera plant and have always wondererd, if when you break a leaf off...does it grow back.....I'm always to scared to do it in case I leave 'Spike' looking bald and stumpy!

you are better to cut off the whole leaf, if you take little bit off, it makes the plant look like a battle scarred cactus. It grows like a weed on my balcony and I have to thin it out and throw it away a few trimes a year.

 

[sodabubble]

well, i've got him on the window sill, and am almost looking forward to getting a bite or sting so I can test him out lol

 

[lucy_locket]

i thought the same thing today whilst dusting mine.
i had one given to me over a year ago and normally i manage to kill plants but this one has just multiplied in the pot.
i have the main plant which is massive and all around it are loads of mini ones it's always on the kitchen window east facing.
i've wondered if it's best to cut it all off but with all these little ones i can just use them now.
i'll have to get some little cups and give them all new homes.

 

[julia_james]

great thread i have just re potted mine today as the leaves are nearly 2 ft long and i haven't used it yet but broke a leaf off grrrrrrrrrrrr i have googled it and apparently you can freeze the leaves if one breaks

 

[Helen Keating]

hi,

dont have aloe as am alergic but i live on a river in the lake district and in summer OMG i get eaten, well untill last year when i bought garden candle lights that where citronella... they worked great i just put them near the water side of the garden and a few around the patio.... never got a bite... sorry know not the answer to your question but worked for us..lol.. H x:lol:

 

[Susie H]

Well I could go on about this plant for hours........don't panic I won't
Just a few tips on keeping and using it
Its a member of the catus family so don't over water it, use a catus plant food and the bigger the plant the better, companies harvest the leaves when they reach 4 foot in length.
Aloe is happy when its crowded into its pot, so when potting on its inportant to put it into a pot thats only going to give it a couple of inches all around it.
To take the babies and pot on, just take the whole plant out of the pot gently shake the soil of and then GENTLY tease the root bundle apart into the seperate plants. Put the plants into their new homes with a well draining compost and water well with a few drops of your plant food added.
Sit them in the sun and enjoy.
If you take the top of the leaf to use, yes it will look a bit battered and you will probably get a bit of die back on the leaf but remember you can just keep taking from the same leaf until its all used before going on to another.
I buy aloe gel from the health shops and add it to my hand, face and body creams.
When buying Aloe, look for a small logo on the side that looks like an Aloe plant and says Aloe Vera council approval this means its been havested from tested and approved farms.
Oh last and by no means least :lol:
Great Omand St Hospital use aloe to treat burns patients and if its good enough for them, then its good enough for me
Be warned though do not use on cuts, it stings worse then neat TCP:Scared:

 

[Susie H]

hi,

dont have aloe as am alergic but i live on a river in the lake district and in summer OMG i get eaten, well until last year when i bought garden candle lights that where citronella... they worked great i just put them near the water side of the garden and a few around the patio.... never got a bite... sorry know not the answer to your question but worked for us..lol.. H x:lol:

I had a house that was by a canal and I and all my naibours used to grow citronella plants, its a very pretty climbing plant and smells lovely, does the trick to.

 

[sodabubble]

right gotcha, 'thou shalt not use alow on cuts' lol

thanks susie, i'll be pm'ing you all the time now lol, i actually used it yesterday when I had some kind of bite on my cheek, I picked a leaf from the bottom (I shouldnt have done that right?) and split it open and got aloe snot everywhere lol, mind you it took the redness down and now its hardly visible!

thanks!

 

[Susie H]

right gotcha, 'thou shalt not use alow on cuts' lol

thanks susie, i'll be pm'ing you all the time now lol, i actually used it yesterday when I had some kind of bite on my cheek, I picked a leaf from the bottom (I shouldnt have done that right?) and split it open and got aloe snot everywhere lol, mind you it took the redness down and now its hardly visible!

thanks!

Aloe snot :green: the only problem with picking from the bottom, same with any plant, is that it might allow water to get into the plant and rot it below soil level, but that said, its from the cactus family, makes it very hard to kill:lol:

 

[lucy_locket]

Well I could go on about this plant for hours........don't panic I won't
Just a few tips on keeping and using it
Its a member of the catus family so don't over water it, use a catus plant food and the bigger the plant the better, companies harvest the leaves when they reach 4 foot in length.
Aloe is happy when its crowded into its pot, so when potting on its inportant to put it into a pot thats only going to give it a couple of inches all around it.
To take the babies and pot on, just take the whole plant out of the pot gently shake the soil of and then GENTLY tease the root bundle apart into the seperate plants. Put the plants into their new homes with a well draining compost and water well with a few drops of your plant food added.
Sit them in the sun and enjoy.
If you take the top of the leaf to use, yes it will look a bit battered and you will probably get a bit of die back on the leaf but remember you can just keep taking from the same leaf until its all used before going on to another.
I buy aloe gel from the health shops and add it to my hand, face and body creams.
When buying Aloe, look for a small logo on the side that looks like an Aloe plant and says Aloe Vera council approval this means its been havested from tested and approved farms.
Oh last and by no means least :lol:
Great Omand St Hospital use aloe to treat burns patients and if its good enough for them, then its good enough for me
Be warned though do not use on cuts, it stings worse then neat TCP:Scared:

wow i didn't this maybe it explains why i haven't killed it yet cause it hardly ever gets watered and the pot seems way to small for it!....i will leave it how it is then if that what it likes....does anyone know much about Thai orchids and growing them?

When my mom came back from Thai land 3 years ago she brought me back a box of orchids and inside was also this long ??leafy thing?? anyway i potted it again expecting it to die and put it in the bathroom.

well 3 years on it has it now lives in the kitchen at the side of the window next to aloe for it is about 3ft now and just after xmas i noticed a new shoot from the bottom well thats now nearly a foot can't believe it just wondered if it will actually grow any flowers??

i must say i'm more impressed that it's survived! :lol:

 

[soriminah]

No 1 tip - use it cold, out of the fridge. If you have bites, rashes, best on sunburn (but none of us cook ourselves anymore do we ).
Snap off a leaf, put in fridge or freezer until cold and rub on.