You can revive an Aloe vera by directly addressing what is causing it to die. Aloe vera is a very hardy and resilient plant, and as long as you cater to its basic needs, it will thrive in your home.
To learn more about how to revive your aloe vera plant, keep reading.
Common causes of a dying aloe vera plant
Changes in temperature
When the temperature in Aloe vera’s environment drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, it can turn brown and slowly die. In temperatures anywhere above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, Aloe vera will also turn brown and die.
It is imperative that you take the plant indoors if the temperature outside becomes too cold or too hot.
Aloes come from some of the driest places on earth, and the closer you are able to simulate the living conditions they would have in their natural habitat, the happier they will be.
If you have Aloe vera planted in your outdoor garden, you can protect it from the cold using cloth.
The plant is not getting enough sunlight
Aloe vera plants love the sun and need between four to six hours of it every day. But that does not mean that you should just leave the plant outside in the direct sun for the whole day. It will burn and suffer sun damage.
You can remedy any damage by moving the plant into a shaded spot. If you have an indoor plant that you want to transfer to the outdoors, do not place it immediately under full sun. You need to let the plant adjust by gradually exposing it to more and more sunlight every day until it is able to adapt.
The plant is overwatered
Succulents, in general, are very sensitive to overwatering. When the plant takes in too much water, the leaves will turn yellow and droop because of the weight of the water. It is often impossible to remedy an overwatered plant whose leaves and stem are affected.
You can correct overwatering by always checking whether the soil around the base of the plant is dry to the touch. If the top inch of soil is dry, you need to water the aloe, but if the top inch of soil is damp, you should wait one or two days and check it again.
The plant is underwatered
We know that Aloe vera plants can survive with little water, but that does not mean they should be left for long periods with no water at all. An underwatered Aloe vera looks brown, dry and withered.
Fortunately, reviving an underwatered Aloe vera is simple. Just soak the soil thoroughly with water until you can see the excess water flowing through the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. Most Aloe vera only need to be watered once every seven to ten days, so check the soil in the pot seven days after its last watering.
If the top inch of soil is dry, it is time to water the plant, but if the soil is still damp, wait one to two more days and check it again.
The wrong type of soil was used
Aloe vera plants, like most succulents, like their soil to be a bit sandy because this is the kind of soil they would have in their natural habitat. If you use normal gardening soil for your succulents, it will not drain as quickly and will retain a lot of water, which puts the plant’s roots at risk of root rot.
When the plant’s roots are drowning in water they will die, and the sickness will travel up into the stem and the leaves until the whole plant dies. If you make a succulent soil mix with gardening soil, perlite and sand, the water will drain quickly allowing the roots to dry out and take in some air.
Aloe vera does not really need that many nutrients from the soil, but regular watering can wash out essential nutrients from your plant’s soil, so it is still helpful to fertilize your aloe once a month, especially during spring and summer.
The pot does not drain well
Even if you use well-draining soil for your Aloe vera, the plant is still going to become overwatered if the pot it was planted in has no drainage holes at the bottom. Succulent plant pots need to have drainage holes in order to avoid root rot and fungal and bacterial problems due to overwatering.
You can try using clay or terracotta pots instead of plastic and metal, because the former are made of porous material that helps get rid of the water in the soil much faster.
The plant has pests
Another reason your Aloe vera may be struggling is because of pests. These insects can cause the leaves to turn brown.
The most common pests afflicting Aloe vera are scale insects, spider mites, and mealybugs. Thankfully you can get rid of them using certain insecticides. If you do not want to use chemical sprays, you can take a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and wipe down each leaf on the plant. You might have to do this once a week for a month to make sure that all the insects are killed.
Exposure to chemicals
Your Aloe vera may also be browning due to exposure to chemicals. It can be due to a herbicide from a neighbor drifting through the wind, or the plant getting accidentally splashed with a strong cleaning agent. There really is not much that you can do to the affected areas on the leaves, so you can just cut them off.
Conclusion
Reviving an aloe plant successfully is going to depend on your ability to address the cause of your plant starting to die in the first place.
Your aloe plant may be struggling because of changes in the temperature around it, not getting enough sunlight, being overwatered, being underwatered, being in the wrong soil or the wrong pot, being afflicted by pests, or exposure to chemicals.
Fortunately, these problems are quite easy to remedy and your Aloe vera should be able to bounce back with no problem.
Image: istockphoto.com / Sundaemorning