Aloe vera is a wonderful houseplant and easily available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Generally, propagating aloe species is usually done with cuttings and they produce viable plants pretty quickly compared with seeds. But, do you know growing then from seeds is also quite easy and rewarding too? Yes, you can also grow aloe vera from seeds, let’s see how to propagate and grow aloe from seeds in this article.
How To Collect Aloe Seeds:
Aloe plants must be four or five years old to produce reliable seed. However, it depends upon the species you choose to grow. Once the plant is flowering, it starts producing seed. You can easily harvest them from spent flowers or just order them from reputable dealers.
Gardeners with mature plants have probably seen the seeds in the flowers after they lose petals. What aloe vera seeds look like? Aloe seeds are tiny, grayish brown to black and flat and if they are light-colored or white means they are not ready to harvest and will not germinate for sure.
You can find seeds easily in dried pounds on the plants and need to be extracted by splitting the pod. All you need to do is keep a basin under the pod to collect the seeds and discard the pod.
Also, you must begin seed propagation immediately or wait until the following spring if sowing outdoors. Save them in a paper envelope or paper towel in a cool, dark location and make sure you use them within the year after harvesting for better results.
How To Grow Aloe From Seeds:
Aloe seeds sprouts easily, all you need is a proper medium and situation for great results. Make sure to use half and half mixture of peat and horticultural sand makes an excellent medium. You can also use a mixture of sand, sterile compost, and perlite.
Use a flat container where you can use less soil and create a controlled environment for your seedlings. Spread the seed about an inch apart and lightly dampen the medium, then cover them with a light dusting of sand.
If you are living in warm climates, you can easily grow seedlings outdoors. The rest of us need to grow them indoors by adding little amount of heat with the help of artificial lights. The ideal temperature for growing aloe seedlings is 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Caring During Aloe Seed Propagation:
Many gardeners use plastic material to provide enough humidity for germination. But, using the nonsterile organic medium on your flat surfaces will cause fungal issues that kill your baby plants.
Mist the surface of the soil to keep it moist until you see sprouts. It takes 2 to 4 weeks depending on the species you choose and remember young seedlings should stay on the heat source for two until they develop roots.
Water them from under the seedlings which helps in prevent dampening off and to get enough moisture to its roots after they have removed from heat mats. Preventing desiccation is one of the most important things to remember when seedlings are at two leaf stages.
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