I would do both. I would grow Aloe vera outside in the ground in the garden. Aloes love to grow in the ground much better than in pots. It does pup furiously and you are in Zone 9. If you do get a light freeze, it will come back from the roots easily. I have some coming back from a freeze down toi 15F. True, 2 years later, LOL. I would use the store bought stuff till you have a good sized bunch going. It will proliferate, and if you are using it every day, you will need a nice bank of it. I give it a bit of shade because the Texas sun is merciless. I would keep both on hand until you get a feel for the right sized bank going where one can harvest and not over harvest according to your uses. You might research because some of the other aloes are also medicinal and good for skin and other stuff too. I spent 3 weeks on an intensive care ward on the windward side of Oahu in the 70's. I had third degree burns. My eye lid was split and my cheek was hamburger. I had 3rd degree burns down my arms , body and legs. They were not hugely bad 3 degree burns except for those on my face. I am a red head. I had people smuggle in aloe vera since I could not really figure out what they were doing to treat my burns. I was the first real burn patient in this little hospital in years. I kept the aloe coming and they were amazed at my progress. An intern said that red haired people usually scar less from burns because of our lack of pigment. I swear it was because of the aloe. When I am burned, it is the first thing I grab for.

Hi OO, I'll make it simple. These are hardy, rugged plants, one needn't worry or look to be so precise & exact for them. I grow indoors only in NYC & my kitchen window is all Aloes on a West windowsill on top of a working radiator. Bottom line -- the maximum light you can give it (starting gradually of course); can be direct sun, but also fine w/ bright indirect. I tend to leave mine alone & pretty much ignore them. I'd suggest you do nothing to yours for at least a month, let them become accustomed to their new home, then maybe into a terra cotta pot, especially if you tend to overwater (don't know if you do or not, a general suggestion). FYI: in these plant circles of ours AV = African Violets, almost always; otherwise we just say Aloes or Aloe vera, but save AV for African Violet (see how long that is, that's why we say AV). Hi Jonas, FYI, your mix looks kind of peaty, if it were my plant, I'd change that mix to something much more gritty or if that's all you've got, I'd add at least 40% perlite or pumice to make it fast draining; that mix looks slow to drain, which increases chances of rot. Having explained above that I only grow indoors, in MY home, brown on Aloes would be a possible sign of rot, brown on Aloes is NOT a good thing, tho' you seem to think it is. Brown is not a winter color for Aloes (unless I misunderstand your post). They're supposed to be green like in the pix you've shown, not brown (at least when grown indoors). I wouldn't be in a hurry to remove the pups; I like to ensure they're old enough to move out on their own before I do that & also, aesthetically, I prefer the look of the crowded pot like yours.

Kurite, Q1 - Yes, an FAQ is furnished in the link - you can feed it per those instructions. You can plant other plants, but you'll want to make sure they have similar/same culture requirements. Kalanchoe pumilla and Crassula tetragona are two that come to mind, but there are scores more. Q2 - No. Here is a link that might be useful: Aloe FAQ

Certainly not here to dispute the name of the Lowes plant. I bought a couple of the same plants, chuckling to myself that ALL of the aloes were labeled Aloe vera. Mine are PIG, growing well and curiously have lost their spots. You can see some of the spots remain on the bottom, oldest leaves. So I'm pondering the label again. Of course it hasn't flowered yet (about 3 years old), which will add to the info. I guess I wonder if Aloe vera pups start with spots. I have no pups to compare. My plant does not look like the OP's first plants. This post was edited by Crenda on Thu, Aug 7, 14 at 10:23