When and How to Split Aloe Plants in 5 Easy Steps

Aloe plants usually grow a certain size and begin to produce offsets or offshoots that you can then split from the parent plant. This can help you grow an entirely new aloe plant. Through this guide, you can find out more about when and how to split aloe plants.

Related Post:
40+ Interesting Types of Aloe Plants with Pictures

When Should Aloe Be Divided?

Ideally, you should divide the aloe plant whenever it is not in its growing season, which is usually spring and summer. Thus, late winter or early spring can be perfect times for you to divide the aloe.

This can ensure that you minimize the damage to the rest of the plant. However, it is still possible to divide the aloe plant during spring and summer as long as you start decreasing the amount of sunlight you provide to the plant a week in advance.

This should be enough to reduce the growth rate of the plant, for the time being, allowing you to safely divide the plant.

How to Split Aloe Plants

You can go through the following steps to figure out how to split aloe plants.

1. Remove Parent Plant

You will need to remove the parent aloe plant entirely from its pot or container so that you can easily remove the aloe offsets or pups. Do this carefully so that you do not cause any damage to the roots.

Once you manage to get it out, you should clean up the roots properly so that you can get rid of any excess soil, debris or rocks from them. At this stage, you can also remove any dead or damaged leaves and roots so that they do not spread the infection to the rest of the plant.

2. Find a Pup

Now that you have removed the parent plant and cleaned it up, you should examine and observe the plant carefully so that you can find enough pups or offsets. These should usually just be making their way out from the parent plant.

In some cases, you might also find that the pups have already grown a bit. In either case, you should opt for a pup that has some established roots so that you can easily propagate it.

3. Make Divisions

You can now remove the aloe pups from the parent plant by making use of sharp knife or shears. Make it a point to sterilize these tools beforehand to prevent spreading any diseases to the plant.

Make a single cut to remove the pup from the plant while also keeping the roots intact on the pup. If you are not too confident about using shears, you can also simply try to use your hands to pull the division out of the plant.

You should then leave the pups out in a warm location that is away from light. This can allow a callus to form so that the divisions can heal.

4. Plant the Divisions

You can now plant the divisions in soil. Take a cactus and potting mix combination and place it in a suitably sized pot. Plant your divisions in the soil by ensuring that you submerge the roots.

You should hold off on watering the plant for some time so that the roots have time to adjust and grow to a reasonable size. Once they form properly, you can continue caring for the plant by watering regularly and providing sufficiently bright but indirect sunlight.

Depending on the kind of aloe plant you have, the growth rate, size and appearance might differ a bit.

5. Repot the Parent Plant

You should also repot the parent plant itself in new and fresh soil. You can take a good combination of cactus soil and potting soil while also ensuring that it remains well-draining so that the roots do not end up rotting.

You should also use a container that is slightly bigger than the one you were using previously so that the roots have enough space to grow and breathe freely.

FAQs