Aloe tree

Send

The medicinal properties of aloe vera are known since ancient times. Its leaves serve as raw materials in the manufacture of anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, choleretic, anti-burn and wound healing preparations, drugs that enhance the secretion of digestive glands, improve appetite and digestion.

In folk medicine, the juice of fresh aloe leaves, which has an antimicrobial effect, is widely used in the treatment of purulent wounds, trophic ulcers, burns, abscesses and boils. It is also used to rinse with diseases of the oral cavity and gums, as well as for cosmetic purposes. Medicinal raw materials are old leaves from the bottom of the plant.

Agave, or aloe tree-like, is a traditional plant on the windowsill in a village house and in a city apartment. They hold it not so much because of beauty, but because of the healing properties. Often, the agave is allowed to grow as it wants, and it takes on a disheveled appearance due to the many branching bare stems. I’ll tell you how to create a slender plant, leafy from top to bottom.

A spoiled, overgrown specimen of aloe is only suitable for cuttings. For rooting, you need to take a strong straight side, and preferably apical shoot with a length of about 30 cm, a stem thickness of 10-15 mm. The initial power of the shoot is the key to the power and future of the plant. The shoot must be cut with a sharp knife, leaving only a small lower part without leaves - about 5-7 cm. After that, let the slice tighten and cork for one to two weeks. In this case, you must try not to damage the lower leaves: it is better to tie the rooted shoot and hang it vertically.

For planting, a ceramic pot is preferable; its severity will give the plant greater stability. You should not take a pot too large or too small, the most suitable, with a diameter of 16-18 cm. Be sure to lay a drainage of 4-6 cm on the bottom to ensure the outflow of moisture. Stagnant water can lead to decay of the roots and death of the plant.

Agave is a fast-growing succulent. We need to slow down its growth. So, the soil should not be too nutritious, inert components should be added to it: charcoal, brick chips. It is more convenient to buy a ready-made substrate, but you can also make your own by mixing turf, leafy soil, humus and sand in equal parts.

The soil must be moistened before planting. Then make a deepening of 5-7 cm and a diameter of 3-4 cm in it, add coarse sand, insert the shoot and sprinkle with sand. The lower leaves will rest on the edges of the pot. For greater plant resistance, it is useful to put pegs. In order not to lose the lower leaves during the rooting period, cover the whole plant with the pot with a large plastic bag, but not tightly, but with vents from below. And put on a warm bright windowsill.

A signal that rooting was successful is the growth of young leaves. Then the package must be removed, and the young agave will begin an independent life.

So that the stem does not bend, aloe must be turned regularly (at least once every 2-3 weeks) to turn to the light. Water very moderately in summer and rarely in winter. Each time you need to wait until the top layer of soil in the pot dries. Mineral fertilizers should be applied in a minimal amount and only in summer, 2-3 times per season.

If you do not abuse watering, top dressing and do not make the soil excessively nutritious, the plant will reach a height of one and a half meters only after 3 years. Then you will have to conduct another rejuvenation.

The leaves on the plant live up to four years, and if they are not broken, the stem will always be “dressed”. For medicinal or cosmetic purposes, you need to break off the very bottom leaves. On the vacated spot, side shoots will occur, but they must be removed immediately.