Here is my guide to harvesting Aloe gel from an Aloe Vera plant. I used my healthy large Aloe Vera plant to obtain some gel from its wide leaves.
Using a sharp knife, I cut off a leaf near the base of the plant.
Slice open gently the top skin of the leaf to expose the gel.
Then slice off the bottom outer skin on the other side of the leaf.
What remains is a nice strip of pure Aloe Vera gel.
Next scrap off any remaining Aloe Vera gel Continue Reading →
I found using a recycled glass jar works great for my Aloe Vera starts. Here is one that I planted in a large jam jar. This has been growing in the jar for several months now and it’s just thriving. The glass jar acts as a terrarium and the Aloe plant seems to really like the glass jar planter.
Here is another one I started in a recycled pickle jar. This one has not taken off yet but I’m hopeful with time, it will thrive just like the other one.
A few important tips. Don’t overwater plants you place in glass jars. Because it has no drainage in the glass jar, you must be careful not to overwater the plant. Continue Reading →
Aloe Vera plants are excellent for treating and relieving the pain from burns. Last year I bought a few small plants to have on hand for treating burns. Here is one of my larger plants that has really taken off. The key I have found is watering it just a bit and letting it dry out thoroughly between watering. The plants seem to do much better if the dirt is allowed to dry out between waterings. I had one plant that I watered too much and the leaves near the dirt began to get a rotten look so my advice is be careful not to over water your plants.
To treat a burn with Aloe Vera from a plant, use a sharp knife to cut a piece of the leaf off. For a small burn, you just need a small piece of a leaf. I generally cut a piece off about the 2 inches long. You may want to cut your piece a bit smaller if you leaf is wider and has more pulp in it. Because my plants are younger, they don’t have quite as much density to them yet.
You can see in the photo how the one leaf was cut at an angle. The plant stem heals itself and continues to grow if you cut it with a sharp knife as shown.
Apply the gel from inside the leaf by either cutting the leaf open or squeezing it a bit to get the gel out. Once you get the gel to come out of the leaf, gently apply it to the burn. Let it soak in and apply more gel to soothe the burn as needed. I like to leave the Aloe Vera gel on in a glob which seems to really help the pain and appears to help with the healing process too.