Aloe vera
Aloe vera · also called Aloe
Succulent
- Light
- Sunny, Part sun
- Pot size
- Small pot (up to about 5 litres)
- Care level
- Easy
- Year round or seasonal
- Kept year to year; in a pot, keep it above about 12.8 °C (55 °F)
- Pets
- ASPCA: toxic to pets
Light and position
Full sun to part shade.
Size and pot
NC State lists 1 to 2 feet tall. Our pot band: small pot (up to about 5 litres).
Watering
Let the soil dry completely between waterings and water less in winter. Overwatering causes root rot.
Potting mix and feeding
Very well-drained, succulent-type mix in a pot with several drainage holes. NC State says clay pots are best.
Growing through the year
Spreads by offsets, which can be divided off and potted.
Winter outdoors
Cold limit in a pot: about 12.8 °C (55 °F). NC State says it can be an outdoor perennial in zones 10 and higher, and suggests growing it as a houseplant that can go outdoors in summer. For tropical plants like this we follow NC State’s container chapter: bring tender plants inside once nights drop to 55 °F.
| Your coldest winter nights | What to do |
|---|---|
| Coldest nights 15 °C or warmer | Can stay out through this winter |
| Coldest nights 10 to 15 °C | Move it to shelter before nights fall to 12.8 °C |
| Coldest nights 5 to 10 °C | Move it to shelter before nights fall to 12.8 °C |
| Coldest nights 0 to 5 °C | Move it to shelter before nights fall to 12.8 °C |
| Light frost: nights down to about −5 °C | Move it to shelter before nights fall to 12.8 °C |
| Hard frost: nights below −5 °C | Move it to shelter before nights fall to 12.8 °C |
A plant can stay out only when its limit is below the coldest night in your band; a limit equal to that night counts as needing shelter. A rare cold snap, wind or a wet pot can still damage plants. We convert °F to °C with NIST’s formula.
Watch for
Mealybugs, aphids and scale; root rot.
Pets and people
ASPCA lists aloe as toxic to dogs, cats and horses (saponins and anthraquinones). Signs include vomiting, lethargy and diarrhoea.
General gardening information, not professional advice. Plant toxicity details are a starting point, not veterinary or medical advice: if a pet or child may have eaten a plant, contact a veterinarian or doctor promptly.
Care level: NC State’s maintenance rating (Low). Pot band and summary wording are ours, based on the sources below.