Gardeners' World: How to Take Care of your Succulents
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In an episode of Gardeners’ World in 2020, Monty Don shared his top tips on how to take care of succulents. The Gardeners’ World lead host also showed viewers how to create their own succulent garden in a small pot. During the episode, Monty shared a hack for planting aloe vera plants to ensure they don’t “rot”.
The variety Monty had is known as aloe polyphylla or “the spiral aloe”.
He described the plant as “one of his favourites”.
The 66-year-old continued: “This is an aloe – it’s aloe polyphylla and as the leaves evolve and grow they corkscrew out.
“Aloes should always be planted at a slight angle and that means any water that gets into the middle of the plant will drain out.
“It’s the centre of the plant that is most likely to rot.”
When planting aloe vera, and other succulents, it’s important that there is a layer of grit over the soil.
Monty said this stops the base of the plant rotting.
After planting the succulents in the container, he said: “I will finish it up with a dressing of grit.
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“Sprinkle a layer of grit over the whole surface and up around each of the plants.
“It means that any water goes straight through the grit so there’s no risk of the base of the plants – where they touch the soil – rotting.”
Aloe vera is a very popular houseplant across the world, mainly due to its medicinal properties.
Aloe barbadensis, is a thick, short-stemmed plant that can store water in its leaves.
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The water turns into a gel-like substance that can treat skin injuries and burns.
There are some 500 species of aloe vera which come in a variety of colours and sizes.
The plant originates from the Arabian Peninsula but now grows wild in tropical, semi-tropical, and arid climates around the world.
This plant loves sunlight and will thrive on a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight each day.
Aloe vera should not be overwatered or sat in water for long periods of time.
Leaving the plant’s roots in water may cause the roots to rot.
Ensure any water is drained away completely before watering again.
Aloe vera plants need very little water in winter but should be moved to a warmer area.
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