Cultivation of Aloe Vera

Origin: Africa  
Description: Annual succulent plants. Thick fleshy leaves and contain lots of mucus or gel. Aloe vera can be used as ornamental plants, medicinal plants, as well as drinks. Of the more than 300 types of Aloe, only three species are cultivated commercially, namely Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis Miller), Aloe ferox and Aloe perryi. Among the three types of Aloe, only the type of Aloe vera is the most potential to be developed to meet the needs of the pharmaceutical industry, food and cosmetics.  
Ingredients: Liquid aloe vera contains the main elements, namely aloin, emodin, gum and other elements such as essential oils. The compounds are also sugars found in aloe vera in the form of mannose, glucose, and a small number of silosa, arabinose, galactose, ramnosa and oxidase enzymes  
Benefits: Products derived from aloe vera can be shampoos, toothpaste, and various other cosmetics even now have been sold in the form of cocktails. Usefulness to human health, among others, to treat headaches / dizziness, constipation, seizures in children, malnutrition, whooping cough, vomiting of blood, sweet kencin, hemorrhoids, menstrual and fertility peluruh hair. Also aloe vera is also useful as a healer of wounds and burns and reduce infection.  
Cultivation: Breeding can be done through the saplings (common), seeds and stem cuttings. It is now available seed tissue culture results Soil well drained, fertile with high organic material Watering sufficiently  
Breeding: Puppies that have been quite large, about 1-2 months old, separated from the parent plant (captive). Seedling will emerge from the parent plant at the age of 5-6 months. Thinning seedlings is very important to do that aloe vera plant can grow large.  
Nursery of saplings can be done in bed or in polybags. Nursery beds can be done by creating a raised bed measuring 1-1.5 mx 10 m or according to need with a spacing of 10 cm x 10 cm. Seedbed should really crumbs to the root growth of seedlings are not disturbed. Seedling roots caused by impaired development of the hard ground will not grow. Before planting seedlings, raised bed sprinkled with manure as much as 20-40 kg (1-2 bags) per plot and stirred evenly. Sowing of agricultural lime is recommended to reduce fungus attack. The addition of urea as much as 7.5 kilogram per plot can be done to stimulate the growth of seedlings. While the nursery in polybags, can be done soil mixed with manure medium 1: 1. After that polybags put in place a fairly quiet but still exposed to sunlight.  
When the initial seeding is a stage where the water needs must be considered. Seeds may be reddish in color because it has not adapted to the environment. With adequate irrigation, a week after seeding, the seedlings will show normal growth / recover from environmental stress caused by separation from the parent. Excessive irrigation should be avoided because the seeds rot easily due to fungus attack in humid conditions. Seedlings are attacked by the fungus should be discarded so as not contagious and surrounding land disposed.  
Investment in Land: Seedlings are ready growing in the field after the age of about one month (one month after breeding). Seedlings planted in a planting hole that has been given approximately 1.5 kilogram of manure per planting hole, or about 20 to 30 tons per hectare. Spacing used 80  x 80 centimeter or 80  x 70 centimeter in a zig-zag. The provision of supplementary fertilizers made.

maintenance:
Stitching in the land made ​​after the plants aged 1-2 (weeks after planting), ie by replacing plants that die or are less well with the growth of new plants. Weeding (cleaning weeds) is done as needed, ie when the weeds start growing a lot and disturb the plants. Weeding in the aloe vera plant is very important because grow weeds that tend to rapidly and disrupt the plant.
 
The leaves of the bottom that has been colored yellow and leaf disease need to be removed. Leaves maintained so as not to buried under the ground which will lead to rot due to fungus attack.
Watering should be done when the land looks dry (long rains). A late irrigation will cause plants to wilt and the leaves turn reddish-yellow color that takes time to recover.
 
Pests and Diseases:
Pests that attack is relatively little aloe vera. Sometimes the caterpillars or grasshoppers attack the leaves of aloe vera. In humid conditions often encountered pest that attacks the roots and stems of aloe vera, especially when breeding. While the diseases that strike mainly due to wet rot fungi / bacteria on leaves. Spraying pesticides only when pests and diseases is quite disturbing.
harvest:
 
8-10 by cutting the leaves at the bottom. 7-8 years production period. Rejuvenation can be done by cutting the stems of aloe vera and maintained a good growth of shoots or by dismantling the plant and replace them with new seedlings.


Previous article also explains about this plant, for more details, please read the previous article.