Aloe vera is one of the indispensable ingredients of life, especially in the field of beauty. Aloe vera is best known for its outstanding effects such as soothing wounds, moisturizing the skin, and curing cold sores or inflammatory acne.
The benefits of the aloe vera plant come from its nutritional source. Aloe Vera is a rich source of antioxidants, which help fight free radicals. In addition, aloe vera is also rich in substances such as Vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, beta-carotene, folic acid, calcium, magnesium …
Therefore, many people love to grow aloe vera to beautify and reduce skin damage. However, you can also face many problems during the growing process of aloe vera such as slow growth and slow death.
Why is my aloe plant dying? Let’s find out the causes of aloe vera plant death in this article.
Why Is My Aloe Plant Dying? – Top 7 Reasons
There are many reasons why aloe vera plants gradually die. Some common reasons are improper watering, unsuitable soil, too much or too little light, inadequate humidity, or pests.
1. Watering too much or too little water
Watering is always a problem that many people make mistakes when growing aloe vera plants. As you know, aloe vera is a succulent plant with a biological structure similar to a cactus. Therefore, aloe vera can live in harsh water conditions and tolerates drought very well.
The reason is that the leaves of the aloe vera plant contain a lot of stored water, so it can use the stored water when the drought is prolonged. So, too much watering will cause the aloe vera plant to become waterlogged and die.
Excessive watering will make the surface of the soil always wet, from which the root system of the aloe vera plant will rot and decompose.
Another common problem is under-watering aloe vera plants due to the belief that aloe vera plants can tolerate drought well. However, any plant needs the right amount of water regardless of its drought tolerance.
Water is still an important and indispensable element for plants in general and aloe vera in particular. Some of the signs you can spot when an aloe vera plant is lacking water include yellow or brown leaves, dry and brittle leaves, leaves curled to retain moisture, or the entire plant withering.
How to water properly
- Check the humidity before watering with your finger or a hygrometer
- Water only when the ground is 1 to 2-inch dry
- Only water during the day, do not water at night because wet leaves will create favorable conditions for fungal attack
- You need to overwater the drainage holes under the pot and only water again when the soil is dry to avoid waterlogging
- The time between watering depends on weather and temperature conditions
- Regularly check the drainage holes to avoid clogging and causing flooding
2. Unsuitable soil composition
For any plant, the soil is also one of the leading factors determining its growth and development. Choosing the wrong soil composition will also cause the aloe plant to die.
Aloe vera, like cactus, prefers dry soil, sand, and gravel. It will not be able to grow well if there is too much moisture in the soil like normal pots. So you can buy soil mixes from nurseries that are specifically made for cacti and aloe vera.
In addition, you can also create a soil mixture with a composition of sand, silt, and clay at the rate of 40-40-20%. You can also combine a recipe of 50-50% peat and perlite. A little layer of humus, coconut shells, and compost are also a good choice for aloe vera.
One determining factor is the drainage capacity of the soil mix you have chosen. Make sure that the water exits the vents and is not clogged.
Do not forget to choose the right pot for the best growth of aloe vera. You should choose pots from terracotta or clay instead of plastic containers. This is because terracotta and clay will drain moisture better and increase water drainage.
3. Too much or too little light every day
Aloe vera is a succulent plant, so it prefers direct sunlight from 6 to 8 hours a day. Aloe vera plants will not be able to grow well in full shade and lack sunlight every day.
If you place the potted aloe vera plant in a dimly lit place, it will tend to reach out to a sunny area. The leaves will not be succulent but will grow long and tilted. In particular, in areas with a lack of sunlight, the soil will tend to be wet and prone to fungal diseases.
Therefore, you should not plant aloe vera plants in bushes, under trees, or fences because they will block their sunlight.
So why does too much sunlight cause aloe vera to die?
Usually, we often grow aloe vera in a pot in the house or a corner in the garden. The sudden change in light time will cause the aloe plant to stress and die. It will show some basic signs like leaves getting sunburned and turning brown.
If you’re growing it in a pot in a shady spot, you’ll need to move out to sunny positions gradually each day. The time of direct exposure to the sun increases each day so that they have time to adapt to the change in the outside environment.
Mature aloe vera plants will be able to tolerate more sun than young plants. Therefore, you need to consider small aloe vera plants.
4. Unsuitable temperature
Aloe vera plants love warm temperatures, so the ideal temperature is above 50 degrees F (10 degrees C), with a temperature range of 60 to 80 degrees F (15 to 26 degrees C). This plant is very sensitive to changes in temperature and can die if not properly protected.
Temperatures that are too cold will cause the leaves of the aloe vera plant to turn brown and die. Meanwhile, too hot temperatures will cause the leaves to lose color, burn and become brittle. So if you grow your aloe vera plants in pots, you can move them around when the outside temperature changes.
When the aloe vera plant is outdoors, you can use a shade or screen to block wind and rain in cold temperatures. Cover with a thin layer of straw or mulch to retain moisture when the temperature is too high.
5. Too much humidity
As you know, the aloe plant loves sunlight and gravel, and rocky environments. Its ideal habitat is dry and hot, so they can die if the humidity is too high. Humidity will create favorable conditions for fungi to grow and attack the leaves of the plant.
If the room temperature is too humid, you can use a dehumidifier to reduce the humidity in the air. Too much humidity for a long time will make the aloe vera plant vulnerable to pests and diseases and eventually die.
6. The size of the pot is too small for an aloe vera plant
If the pot is smaller than the aloe vera plant, it will inhibit growth and cause the plant to die. Aloe vera plants may lose leaves, and grow stunted or yellow leaves all at once due to insufficient soil.
Pots that are too small will not ensure enough water, oxygen, and nutrients for the growth of the aloe vera plant as it matures. Root clusters will stick together due to a lack of space to grow and lead to competition in the soil.
The limited space also makes the aloe vera plant, not have enough nutrients to nourish the entire stem and leaves, causing them to wilt and fall. This will help limit moisture loss and retain energy for the stem and root system.
Therefore, you need to regularly check the size of the aloe vera plant and the pot to choose the right sized pot. You need to choose a pot that is twice or half the diameter of the roots so that they can comfortably grow and increase the size of the aloe vera plant.
Read more: A Guide On Repotting An Aloe That Has Developed A Long Stem
7. Pests attack
Aloe vera plants are very resistant to pests and diseases, however, that will not be guaranteed if the external factors are harsh.
Insects and worms can attack the aloe vera plant and cause it to wilt and lose its sap. Brown spots on the leaves can be the eggs of pests, if you do not clean the leaves of the aloe vera plant, they can hatch and attack the leaves.
One insect that often attacks aloe vera is the snout beetle. They use their proboscis to poke directly into the leaves and inject the poison. This toxic attack will cause the leaves to gradually wilt, rot, and fall off.
In addition, fungal diseases are also common on aloe vera plants due to wetness and waterlogging. A humid environment will create favorable conditions for fungal spores to multiply and develop.
Conclusion
Aloe vera is a favorite plant for its many uses for human health. There are many causes of aloe vera plant death such as too little or too much water, sudden light changes, high humidity, inappropriate soil composition, or pests.
For the aloe vera plant to develop and grow at its best, you need to ensure the basic elements of water, light, soil, and kill pests. Do not forget to refer to more information about aloe vera and its great uses for human health.