Herbs - Page 2 of 2 - Garden Bagan

Why do Aloe vera plants turn red?- Red leaves in aloe plants are very common in hot summer days. Too much heat and lack of moisture in the soil leads to redness in aloe. Aloe vera plants turn red mostly due to excessive heat. It is a natural chemical reaction. You can think of this as simply drying just like other plants do. This phenomenon is common in almost every member of the aloe family. Leaves turn red, yellow, or completely brown in most cases. Direct sunlight causes rapid dehydration in aloe plants, especially in hot summer days. lack of water in the soil increases the rate of drying. It is interesting to know that aloe plants can survive this situation. If you protect the plant in such a harsh climate then the aloe vera plant can grow back from the preserved roots. read my previous article: How long do Tomato plants live? Learn everything Why do Aloe vera plants turn red? You will need these for Help Succulent & Cactus Mix Green Garden net Aloe vera Plant Garden Mulch Why is my aloe vera turning red? Technically, It is the sun that turns aloe vera red or yellow. Many factors can contribute to this situation. Sometimes an excess of nitrogen in summer can also turn the aloe leaves red. Lack of nutrition like Magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, and Iron can also make your plant red. Scientifically, Water does not play any direct role in this condition. Instead, It can increase or decrease the rate of transmission of these nutrients. Lack of water can cause a deficiency of nutrients especially in the apex of the tip portion. Redness in the aloe leaves is due to sudden change or drop in the water concentration. The quick drop in the moisture concentration can damage cellular integrity. Most of the members of the aloe family are soft stem fleshy plants. Aloe plants are related to the succulent family. It means they can store water in stem and leaves to survive in the hot summer season. This extra stored water is useful in dry conditions. Also read: Do all Plants Produce Oxygen?- Garden facts Do you know?- It is the sunlight that turns aloe vera leaves red. The temperature has no direct impact on these plants, they are born to survive in hot summer-like climatic conditions. The water present in aloe vera or an aloe plant has some advantages but there is one side effect. The excess of water in leaves gets heated quickly. The sunlight light disintegrates the hot chlorophyll mix and the leaves start turning yellow and red. This phenomenon is so common that even aloe plants in the wild turn red in hot summer. Aloe leaves turning red. Will my aloe plant die after turning red? No, the aloe plant will not die just after leaves turning red. Only the leaves will fall off. After some care and a proper watering new plant will come out from the same root. Aloe vera plants in the garden need no such care, just little watering would be enough. Plants in pots or containers should be cared for sure. There are many ways to protect your aloe plants from turning red. I have discussed some in the next section. Keep reading for details. How to prevent Aloe vera plants from turning red? As we have discussed, many factors can turn the aloe leaves red. You must have to target those factors to protect your plants. Let's discuss them one by one. Sunlight: It is the first and most important factor. Too much sunlight is responsible for turning aloe plants red. If your aloe vera is in a pot or container. Then move the plants in a proper shade. Otherwise, you can use green nets to cover your plants even in the lawn or garden areas. Green net is a piece of essential equipment for outdoor gardening in the summer season. Heat & Temperature: This factor is inevitable. You can not turn the sun off, I think. So what can you do? Simply, Just mist your plants with a mixture of water and Epsom salt. You should spray this mix once in every two days to your aloe plants. You can also add some quality mulch over the roots. Mulching will protect excessive evaporation from the soil. Spraying will keep the leaves healthy and calm. I addition to spraying and mulching, you can add some compost to the soil. Compost will slowly release nutrition to the soil and make your aloe plant healthy and green even in summer days. Always Remember- Don't add any chemical fertilizers to the soil, especially for aloe plants in summer. Only a pinch of nitrogen-heavy fertilizer will kill your plant. Moisture: Always try to keep the soil moist. Remember moist doesn't mean wet or soggy. There is a significant difference. You should be care full with watering aloe vera plants. They are succulent specific varieties so they can't survive to waterlog. Use some mulching to prevent water loss. Put your finger in the soil to test the moisture. Water the plant only if it feels completely dry. Always remember aloe vera plants can survive for weeks without water. Watering once a week should be enough for aloe plants even in summer days. The hardness of Soil: Aloe vera plants love loose well-draining soil. You can use succulent or even cactus mix with some compost for aloe vera in pots. You should do regular tilling of soil for aloe plants. I recommend tilling the soil once in a month for the best result. Always be careful with this step. Don't damage the root system. New baby aloe plants will come out from the root clusters. If you are lucky then you can have nearly 15 plants grown from one single aloe plant in a year. Final Words I think you now know that Aloe plants turn red due to excessive heat and sunlight. You can protect your plants from turning red with just a few steps. If you think this is helpful then share this with others. Please let me know whether this post is worthwhile or not? Share your experience and views with other readers. Write down your comments and ideas. Keep reading until the next update. Stay tuned and live the Green!