So, I got a few aloe vera plants thinking I could use them in the garden as a foliar, to sort of coat the leaves if you will. I'd like to sort of seal the leaves with an aloe foliar a few times during veg! But I've been googleing and binging left and right to find out how to incorporate my aloe vera plants into my 100% organic garden to no avail really, so I figured I'd start a thread and hopefully get my questions answered before I go filleting! What I did manage do find tho, that the gel from the leaf can be used to the tune of 2oz/gal(or 4tbsp/gal) as a foliar spray, and 1tbsp per gallon as a soil drench. Also that it's best applied within the first 20 minutes after extracting it, unless you "put it on ice" by applying some lemon juice to the gel. I guess the idea isn't to preserve anything tho, so why not just use it right away right?! I've also learned that the gel is good as a rooting agent as well! Please correct anything that I've said though, if you have contrasting info to offer! I'm new to wanting to try this aloe out as a foliar and just hoping somone is already well versed and can help. Thanks in advance guys. Heres a bit of info I found while looking for some answers regarding aloe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloe_vera http://www.aloeveraoriginal.se/facts-about-the-plant-aloe-vera.html http://nupro.net/aloe/aloebook.pdf
I know there are folks on here who use aloe vera as a cloning agent. This is something I would like to experiment with as well. As far as a foliar spray or soil drench I am not sure.
Seems to be lots of reasons to use it in the garden, so I figured a lot of ppl here might be using it! I'll definitely share the result I get and how I do use it here. I'll be trying it out in ALL ways A foliar, a soil drench, and in the AACT! I know a couple of guys that use the aloe juice as a foliar and it looks as if their fan leaves just shimmer!
A helpful link I founs regarding using Aloe in the garden! https://www.thegrowcorner.com/vB/printthread.php?t=2590&pp=10&page=1
Here ya go, take a look at this thread to get a few ideas for it's usage and implications. http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/792832-aloe-vera.html There are a few great links on the effects of aloe there, as this topic has come up quite a few times.
Thanks for bringing this up. Just in time for me to try my own gel as well. Cut leaf, slice edge off, extract gel...yea? Then gel in water per above amounts. I'm about to do a Kelp only foliar. I was thinking I would go ahead and add some aloe gel straight from the leaf to this as well. This will be sprayed on tomato, green bean, and bell pepper plants. Cool? I know the tomatoes and peppers will be fine. Curious about the bean For visual reference, these plants are in my gardening thread.. http://forum.grasscity.com/gardening/1213800-my-wittle-ma-toes-other-food.html As well, I'm going to cut my leaf now, so I imagine I'll have it done before anyone replies anyway....lol Edit: I'll just share my personal experience here since no one has replied yet. I did as I thought above. I assume next time, after cutting the leaf, I should freeze it first to get fuller extraction of the gel? I ended up throwing the leaf in the gallon jug because the gel was runny.
I have never used aloe in the garden, but when I use it on sunburns, I harvest it in the following way. Cut/tear leaf at base. Roll leave around between thumb and forefinger until the whole thing is squishy. You want to do this as much as possible without ripping the leaf. Once it is all loose jelly, then just squeeze it out the open end of the leaf. If you want, you can split the leaf lengthwise, and use a thumb nail to scrape out whatever remains.
I ended up doing as you just said with another leaf, and used it on my scalp, slightly on my face. Don't really have a dandruff problem, but my scalp will dry from time to time. My hair feels rejuvinated. My face does dry slightly with cool weather. I don't care for all this other chemical stuff for these purposes. Never have so its nothing new there. Precise those tips!
Hey Staylow thanks for sharing. I'll be sure to pop by your gardening thread. But in all the searching that I've done in regards to aloe and how to use it, I haven't come across anyone suggest to freeze it for those reasons. Have read that you can freeze it if you harvest too much of it tho. I've posted the link below w/ that info for you. That info is in the bottom link posted. Here are a couple of pages I bookmarked in regards: http://www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany/plantprofiles/aloe.php http://www.aloeplant.info/harvest-fresh-aloe-gel/ But I've yet to actually apply any aloe to anything, but I will soon and I will share my results. I've come to the conclusion tho, that I'll use it to the tune of 1/4cup(fresh leaf gel) per gallon as I've seen that recommended. Through trial and error I'll have to make my way thru this one. And I'll be using it as a foliar and trying to root some cuttings with it! There's no telling what I'll do with the extra if I harvest any! Maybe try it out on my scalp?? But in the end I've read nothing but good things about using Aloe Vera in the garden, and it seems that the general consensus is that fresh gel is better than the preserved stuff or Aloe Vera Juice that you can buy. Most of the stuff I was able to find about using aloe in the garden was on other forums though. All the other info comes in the form of reading about the aloe plant itself, and just applying it botanically. But I wonder if anyone can point us to some studies or anything like that using aloe in the garden that aren't forum based. I haven't been able to find anything negative about it tho..Other than it having possible laxitive properties when ingesting it
After reading your first link (site I've visited many times, and wish I had an aloe as big as myself) it would seem as I wasn't quick enough from cut to slice and extraction. That may be why it got runny on me, though still like gel, just notes everyone else seems to get. When you do it (based on mine, maybe it isn't actually big enough either) I'd be ready soon as you cut the leaf to slice it open and extract the gel to where it's going. I didn't read anything before hand either. I kinda got knife happy with my girlfriend's new kitchen knives. Hiyah!!!
Man and weapons haha! There's clearly a bond there! But yep, I plan on exracting the gel, mixing it up and using it right away. I'll try storage by freezing too. Also by adding lemon juice to somewhat preserve fresh state of the aloe. Here's another bit I bookmarked in regards to preserving the aloe you harvest. It's again one of those things you just have to apply to botany: http://www.chocolatehairvanillacare.com/2012/07/preserving-and-storing-harvested-aloe.html
Search for freeze dried aloe vera 200x, either here on GC or in google, you should be able to pull up LD's comments about finding a long perserving form of aloe vera juice.
Thanks for sharing that info Gimik. Hopefully I won't have to preserve any of it and can use it right away. Found another read last night that says that preserving the aloe vera tkaes away much of it's orginal vitamin and mineral content. And I've got a couple actual aloe vera plants, so there's no way I'd need to buy any power or aloe juice, but thanks for the share! Here's that link: http://aloebeehealth.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/aloe-vera-quality.pdf
I use a blender. I blend what I want to add, and pour it into my 'bubble bucket' with a tablespoon of good earth worm castings, and some white rice flour (just what I use instead of molasses) and bubble it for a few days. When it's really smelly, it's done. Then I feed my vegging plants with it. I haven't heard any complaints. But then I also bubble all males, all whole leaves from trimming, tons of stinging nettles and horsetail ferns and things. Plant tea.
1inch piece of live plant going into a spray bottle with ProTekt and w.e. I am using for my spray, shake shake shake. I don't use it as a soil drench, and most of the goodies oxidate without 3-4 hours of it being exposed so keep that in mind.
"aloe vera contains higher levels of carbohydrates, amino acids, enzymes, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus than molasses - it's not even close. It also contains much higher levels of saponins than yucca extract." - LD So far I've only used aloe vera in my ACT's but I plan to use it for cloning and with neem oil/pro-tekt as pest prevention.
@[member="Dopeman"] I don't get the comparison of aloe vera and molasses. I get Yucca and aloe, but not molasses and aloe. Thoughts? Based on my current understanding of the two, they seem to serve a couple of totally different purposes though I think both are juggernaut tools in the garden
@[member="Sincerely420"] Though in organics you cant go wrong with either Aloe Vera, Molasses, or Yucca. I believe that this comparison was based on which ingredient serves the most benefit in the making of tea's and the ingredients overall symbiosis of the plant/microherd compared to molasses and yucca.
@[member="Dopeman"] Gotcha. Wouldn't molasses take the cake hands down in such a comparison? Esp. for making aerated compost teas. Seems due to the anti bacterial properties of aloe, you wouldn't want to use it in making a tea right? I've been trying to think of different way to use it other than just as a foliar and for rooting cuttings, but i'm drawing blanks.. Any other ideas of possible ways to use it? I see why some might use it as a soil drench maybe once, but I can't see it as a longer term tool in that regard. It's really acidic I've read, so maybe it might help with pH lowering?