Aloe Vera is a beautiful and visually interesting houseplant with exceptional benefits. Aloe has been used for millennia, treating ailments from sunburns to gastrointestinal distress. This plant grows upward with long, elongated leaves that face the center making it a lovely design element for the home.
One of its most attractive features is its lush green hue that adds a vibrant pop of color to any space. However, sometimes Aloe Vera’s color can start to fade, turning a lighter shade of green, yellow, or even brown.
Usually, when this fading of color happens, it indicates that an element of the plant’s care is off balance. If your Aloe Plant is turning light green, you need to stop overwatering, ensure you have sandy, well-draining soil, and make sure your plant is receiving several hours of direct sunlight per day.
Why Is My Aloe Vera Plant Turning Light Green?
There are several potential reasons why an Aloe plant’s bright color could start fading, including overwatering the plant, cultivating Aloe in the wrong soil, and lack of direct sunlight. Aloe plants are native to tropical climates, so they like warm, humid climates and sandy or loamy soil.
The two main culprits for fading Aloe colors are too much water and too little sun. Aloe is fairly drought resistant, meaning it does not require excessive water. Watering once a week is usually enough.
Because the Aloe plant is designed to conserve water, overwatering the plant can cause water to back up at the roots. In severe cases of overwatering, this can cause root rot. Moderate overwatering will just cause the Aloe to become leggy and discolored.
Aloe Vera needs warm temperatures and an abundance of sunshine to thrive. These qualities make it an excellent candidate as a houseplant on a window sill. If it does not receive enough direct sunlight each day, it will lose some of its vibrance.
How Do I Get My Aloe Vera Plant to Turn Bright Green Again?
Generally, if an Aloe plant loses its color it needs either less water or more sunlight. Thankfully, water and sunshine deficits can be easily remedied.
If you have been watering your Aloe more than once a week, simply cut back on watering. Allow the soil to dry out completely before adding moisture to the soil. This can help prevent the plant from becoming overwatered and losing color.
Conversely, underwatering an Aloe can also cause discoloration. While relatively drought resistant, meaning it can go longer between waterings than many plants, Aloe still needs regular moisture. A good rule of thumb is to allow the soil to dry out completely and then only add enough water to restore moisture to the soil.
Also, the plant may be too shaded. An Aloe’s leaves rely on photosynthesis to keep their vibrant green color and shape, meaning it needs plenty of sunlight. Even if you are growing Aloe as a houseplant, you can orient it to the sun by placing it near a window.
When it comes to heat-loving plants like Aloe Vera, western or southern-facing sunlight is best. Try to place it near a window that gets lots of afternoon or evening sunlight, as those are the most intense rays. The Aloe plant thrives when it has an abundance of sunshine.
How to Keep an Aloe Vera Plant Healthy
To keep an Aloe plant alive and thriving, be sure to tend to its three main requirements: sunlight, moisture, and well-drained soil.
1. Sunshine
As a subtropical and tropical plant, the Aloe Vera plant needs several hours of direct sunlight each day. A room brightened by artificial or fluorescent lighting will not suffice. It needs light from the sun to experience photosynthesis.
2. Water
Like all living things, Aloe plants need water to survive. However, they are drought resistant and have impressive water conservation properties that allow them to go longer in between irrigation sessions.
Too much water can be detrimental to the Aloe’s health as can too little water. The best rule of thumb for watering Aloe is to moisten the soil approximately once a week. If after watering once a week the plant is still a light green color, try cutting back a bit more to once every 10 days.
To ensure that you are not watering it too much, try to wait until the soil has dried out completely between waterings. Responding to the plant’s needs as it communicates them through its soil and leaf presentation, can be a much more effective way of plant care than following a calendar.
3. Soil
If your Aloe plant is still experiencing discoloration after remedying your watering calendar, the problem may lie in the soil. Aloe needs well-drained soil with sand or loam blended into the soil’s mixture. It needs a potting mix similar to cacti and other succulents.
Using the wrong soil can be detrimental to the plant’s health. Aloe requires well-drained, sandy soil. The wrong soil can cause the plant to become waterlogged, even if you are only watering once a week.
FAQs
Why Is My Aloe Plant Not Standing Up?
If your Aloe plant is losing its shape and color, taking on a leggy appearance, then it could be a sign of too much water. Try cutting back on the weekly watering or changing out the soil to potting soil mixed with sand to help manage moisture.
Why Are the Tips of My Aloe Plant Drying Out?
In addition to overwatering and the wrong soil type, overcrowded roots can also cause the plant’s tips to dry out. Because of the Aloe’s growing shape, it appears more compact than it truly is.
Even though the leaves grow upright and face the center, the Aloe’s roots are more expansive than its foliage alludes to. A good rule of thumb is to plant Aloe in a container that is at least 2 inches (5 cm) wider than the span of its leaves.
How Do I Know If My Aloe Vera Is Overwatered?
Overwatering can cause a change in Aloe’s coloration, but overwatering can also be evidenced by spots on the plant’s leaves. If the leaves develop soft mushy spots, that is a clear indication of overwatering. If the plant is soaking up too much moisture through the roots, there will likely be evidence of overwatering in the leaves.
If you notice soft or discolored blotches on the leaves, cut back on watering. Make sure the soil completely dries between waterings.
Summary
The Aloe plant is a widely versatile and easy plant to grow, but they need the right soil, the right amount of sunlight, and the right watering schedule to thrive.
Use well-drained soil with sand or loam incorporated into the potting mix. Only water once a week. For best results, let the soil dry out completely in between waterings. Also, ensure that the plant receives several hours of direct sunlight each day.
With the proper care, you can enjoy the Aloe plant’s visual interest and health benefits for several years. Closely monitor your Aloe plant to make sure that the soil is not too moist, the plant’s leaves are not losing color, and no soft spots are appearing on the leaves. These visual hints can be a sign that your Aloe plant’s care needs to be adjusted.