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Cacti & Succulents

Aloe vera - fact or fiction?

12 years ago

I have heard that real Aloe vera plants have to be at least 3 years old to produce pups and 4 years old to use it for medical purposes.

Those plants that are being sold commercially as potted plants and produce a lot of pups at young age are not real Aloe vera plants but a hybrid which look like the real Aloe vera and these plants have no medical benefits at all unlike the real Aloe vera.

Is this a fact or a fiction?

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Comments (6)

norma_2006
12 years ago
Norma Lewis cann't provide an email address here, Norma
cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
12 years ago
Some of that's fact and some of that's supposition. They certainly have to be 'somewhat' mature to pup and even older to flower.
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I have goats, and they do eat alot of things but not everything. I lost a goat due to the fact I had a wild cherry tree in the pen with them and when he ate the withering leaves he bloated up really big and then passed. I later found out that the wild cherry leaves are very toxic to the goat. As far as aloe vera is concerned. I have some and my goats have never touched it. That's not to say they won't, but mine just haven't. There are several books that will tell you that goats can eat several types of toxic plants, but they know when to stop. For instance; we have a lot of poke plants around my house, I live in the sounth and here we boil the toxins out of it before we eat it, but they clean the plants right down to the stalk, but they leave the very top leaves, and those are the most toxic! go figure how they know this? I don't think the aloe vera will hurt them if you wanted to try, it isn't in my book of what not to feed the goats.
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There seems to be some confusion again with common names - Aloe vera is Aloe vera :-) Although that term is sometimes used to refer to ANY kind of aloe, there are not two species of true or common, aka medicinal aloe. There ARE many species of aloe....as many as 400 have been registered but true aloe, Aloe vera (formerly Aloe barbadensis), is the one noted for medicinal purposes. There is some documentation that Aloe arborescens also has similar medicinal properties but as the species name suggests, this has a much more tree-like growth habit and develops a distinct stem or trunk. The difference in growth habits between the two plants shown in the pics is simply due to age and maturity. Aloe vera will form a full rosette if given sufficient time and proper growing conditions. Check the Wiki photo linked below. The smaller ones that appear to only grow laterally rather than in a round rosette of leaves are just young, immature plants (offsets or pups) and hampered from full development by lack of time and indoor growing conditions. Here is a link that might be useful:
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Other than the fact that you're demonstrating wonderfully the principles of restrictive plant growing? What b says is correct, but if you want it to grow more, sucker, and flower, repot it into 50/50 ratio of cactus soil and pumice or perlite into a pot a size or two larger (or, if you like that pot, depot, trim the roots, probably severely, and repot into fresh soil). Most Aloes will still enjoy several months of good growing in Texas before summer.
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Artificial lights might be the way to go - I honestly hadn't thought of that. Thank you. If you could see the limited sun in all my windows, and the lack of space in the rooms in front of all those windows, you would know why the glass shelf won't work. There's either a desk right up against one window (no where else to put it), a dining room chair that needs room to back up, etc. I always figured when I had a house instead of an apartment I'd have plenty of room for plants...I was wrong about that!
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cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
12 years ago
H,

There are many Aloe vera 'chinensis' - they're mostly spotted when small, pup heavily and have orange flowers. Real A.v. flowers yellow and doesn't pup readily until older (nearer flowering time).

I've used the gel on abrasions and such and it's got a palliative effect. I don't intend to take it internally* so if you're wondering about that, perhaps someone else has something to say.

* I've got to say, the whole Aloe vera infusion thingie sounds like succulent snake oil

Norma,

OK - no emails. We'll recognize each other by the colourful cardigans we'll wear, eh?
martenfisher
12 years ago
I am so glad to read this. I have wondered why my aloe grows well but never pups. I chopped the top out of one to see what it would do and it just rotted. I thought it might make more at the base.
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
12 years ago
MartenF, I have gardened like that. Kinda like picking at a scab. Will it come off and not bleed...oooops.
cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
12 years ago
Marten,

If you have one to test on, you can heat a piece of rebar until it's very hot and burn/brand the meristem (growing point) - it sears out the tip and cauterizes it, too. The plant will usually pup.***

***lots of fun to do (hey, we're playing with fire!) but do be careful, please, if you do.

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