How to Propagate Aloe Vera Plant In Water | Growing Aloe Vera In Water

Learn how to propagate Aloe Vera from cutting in water and know if you can grow Aloe Vera in water without soil. Aloe Vera plant propagation in water is easy and you can grow it in water only. You can propagate Aloe Vera in water and then plant in soil or continue growing it in water in a glass vase without soil forever. You can actually see the plant's roots growing through the glass. However, how long it will survive in water without soil depends on how do you care for it.

Aloe Vera Plant

Continue reading below to get detailed procedure of rooting Aloe Vera cuttings in water.

Rooting Aloe Vera Cutting in Water

Propagating snake plant cuttings in water without soil is easy, but you have to keep cleanliness to avoid cutting rot in the process. It takes only 10-16 weeks to propagate Aloe Vera in water.

If you have a broken Aloe Vera stem in water, you can root it in water. The step by step procedure for propagating a Aloe Vera cutting in water is given below:

The steps for rooting Aloe Vera cuttings in water is similar to those for rooting them in soil, instead of putting the cuttings in soil, put them in a glass filled with water.

Disinfect the Tools

The most important point is to select sharp and clean pruning shears or knife.

The tools should be disinfected before you take cuttings, because unclean tools can infect the cuttings.

Disinfect your tools with isopropyl alcohol or a dilute bleach solution.

Taking Aloe Vera Cuttings

Split and cut a complete section or stem of an Aloe vera plant (how to split aloe vera plant). Remove the damaged and dried leaves from the stem and cut away all the roots.

Forming a Callus on the Cut

You will notice that the cut end of the freshly cut stem is very moist, which if you directly put in water will rot and roots will not grow. So the next important step is to place the cutting on a clean paper in shade and allow the cut end to dry out for 4-5 days to form a callus. The dried cut end of the stem will prevent fungal infections, which will ensure successful rooting.

Putting The Cutting In Water

Take a narrow mouth glass bottle or a vase and place the cutting straight up in it and fill clean water covering the bottom of the cutting. Keep leaves out of the water. If your tap water is hard, then boil it, let is cool and use it or you can use bottled water or distilled water. You can add a pinch of cinnamon powder to prevent infection to the cutting.

Place the bottle at a bright and warm place away from direct sun light. Slowly move the cutting to add oxygen in water in 3-4 days.

Every week, clean the bottle and change the water. The cutting will rot in dirty water.

The cutting will grow roots in 10 to 16 weeks, depending on the temperature.

You can plant the rooted Aloe Vera cuttings in free-draining soil or leave it in water to grow in water as described below.

Aloe Vera Cutting Rooted in Water

Growing Aloe Vera in Water

Is it possible to grow Aloe Vera in water only without soil? Can Aloe Vera survive in water only? Aloe Vera plant growing in the water with colorful pebbles in a vase will not only look beautiful on center tables, dining tables or work desks, but also it will purify the air.

The Aloe Vera will survive entirely in water, provided you take its regularly as given below:

Things You Need

Sharp knife or scissors, Disinfected
A transparent glass jar or vase
Pebbles

How To Move Aloe Vera from Soil to Water

First, you need a healthy Aloe Vera plant growing in soil which can be transferred to water. Following are the steps for moving your Aloe Vera from soil to water:

Take out the Aloe plant from the pot and remove the soil without damaging the roots.

Wash the roots to remove the soil.

Take a glass container and put the Aloe Vera plant in it and put some pebbles around it to hold the plant straight up. Pour water in the vase such that the roots are submerged in water. Keep leaves out of water.

Care For Aloe Vera Growing In Water

The light requirement for the Aloe Vera growing in water or soil is the same (how to care for aloe vera plant). It grows well in bright indirect light.

Aloe vera Growing in Water

Water Quality Requirement

The life of your Aloe Vera depends on the quality of water in which it is growing.
The Aloe vera plant in water will survive for long time if you use clean soft water at room temperature. You can use rain water or bottled water.
If your tap water is hard or contains chlorine, then boil the water and let it sit overnight and then use.
You can put a few pieces of activated charcoal in the water to keep the water clean. You may also add some hydrogen peroxide to the water to keep it fresh and oxygenated.
Change the water every week. While changing water, remove the rotten dark colored roots, if any.

Growing Aloe Vera in Soil vs. Water

Aloe Vera can grow both in soil and water. But Aloe Vera plant is not naturally adapted to water culture, so it may not thrive as well as they do in soil. You may need to transplant your Aloe Vera back to soil if you notice your Aloe is not growing well.

Propagating Aloe Vera in Soil vs. Water

You can propagate Aloe vera cuttings both in soil and water, but the success rate of rooting cutting in soil (how to propagate aloe vera from cuttings) is much more than that in water. Rooting in water may fail due to rot, unless you take proper care during propagation procedure, as discussed above.