How often do you water an aloe vera plant indoors?

Water deeply when the soil is completely dry, usually every two to three weeks in spring and summer and about once a month in winter. Aloe stores water in its leaves, so it handles being forgotten far better than being overwatered.

Where should I put my aloe vera plant indoors?

In the brightest spot you have, ideally a south or west window with several hours of sun. Aloe tolerates bright indirect light, but in dim rooms it stretches, goes pale and its leaves flop.

Why are my aloe vera leaves turning brown?

Brown, dry tips and patches usually come from too much harsh sun after a move from a dim spot, or from underwatering. Brown, soft, mushy leaves mean overwatering or rot. Reddish-brown colour across the whole plant is often stress from strong sun or cold and is usually harmless.

Why is my aloe plant drooping?

Floppy, bending leaves usually mean not enough light, and sometimes overwatering or a pot that's too shallow for a top-heavy plant. Move it to a sunnier spot gradually and check the soil and roots.

Is aloe vera toxic to cats and dogs?

Yes. The ASPCA lists aloe as toxic to cats and dogs. The latex under the skin of the leaf can cause vomiting and diarrhoea if eaten. Keep it out of reach of pets.

How do I separate aloe vera pups?

Wait until the pup is a few inches tall with several leaves. Unpot the plant, find where the pup connects, and pull or cut it away with some roots attached. Let it dry for a day, then pot it in dry cactus mix and wait a few days before watering.

Aloe Vera Plant Care Indoors: Light, Water and Problems

Aloe vera plant care indoors is simple: put it in the sunniest window you have, plant it in a gritty cactus mix in a pot with a drainage hole, and water deeply only when the soil has dried out completely, around every two to three weeks in summer and monthly in winter. Overwatering and low light cause almost every aloe problem.

Aloe vera (sometimes sold as Aloe barbadensis) is a succulent from the Arabian Peninsula, now grown worldwide. It's popular both for its architectural rosette and for the gel in its leaves. It's tough and long-lived and produces plenty of pups, so one plant soon becomes several.

Aloe vera care at a glance

Need	What works	Avoid
Light	Sunny window, 6+ hours bright light	Dim rooms, sudden move into hot sun
Water	Soak when fully dry	Wet soil, frequent small waterings
Soil	Cactus mix with extra grit	Plain compost
Pot	Terracotta, wide and heavy, drainage hole	Plastic without holes, deep oversized pots
Temperature	13–27°C; keep above 10°C	Frost, cold drafts
Feeding	2–3 weak feeds in summer	Winter feeding
Pets	Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA)	Leaves within reach

Light

Aloe vera grows best with lots of light. A south or west window gives the compact, upright, grey-green rosette you see in garden centres. An east window works if it's very bright. In a dim spot aloe leaves grow thin, pale and floppy and spread outward instead of up.

If you move an aloe from a shop shelf into full sun, do it gradually over a week or two. Sudden strong sun can scorch it, leaving brown or white patches. A reddish or bronze tint across the leaves is a stress colour from strong sun or cool nights and usually fades.

In summer, aloe enjoys a spell outdoors in a sheltered, sunny spot, but bring it in well before temperatures drop below about 10°C, and keep it out of heavy rain.

Watering

Wait until the soil is dry all the way down. Use a wooden skewer to check deep pots.
Water thoroughly until it runs out the bottom.
Let it drain and empty the saucer.
Repeat only when the soil is dry again.

In a sunny window in summer that's typically every two to three weeks. In winter, once a month or less. Leaves that look thin and slightly curled inward mean it's thirsty; soft, translucent or mushy leaves mean it's had too much. See overwatered plant signs if you're unsure.

Soil and pots

Use a cactus and succulent mix, ideally with an extra handful of perlite, pumice or grit. Mature aloes get top-heavy as the leaves fill with water, so a wide, heavy terracotta pot stops them tipping over and lets the soil dry fast. Always use a drainage hole. Our soil mix calculator gives volumes for gritty mixes.

Feeding

Aloe needs little feeding. Two or three feeds in spring and summer with a cactus fertiliser or a balanced fertiliser at half strength is plenty. Skip winter, when the plant is resting and extra salts just build up in the soil.

Repotting and pups

Repot every two to three years in spring, or when pups crowd the pot or the plant becomes top-heavy.

Water a few days before, so roots aren't brittle but the soil isn't soggy.
Tip the plant out and loosen the root ball.
Separate any pups that have their own roots (see below).
Repot the parent in fresh gritty mix in a pot 2–5 cm wider. The repotting pot size calculator helps.
Wait about a week before watering, so any broken roots can heal.

Separating aloe pups

Pups are small plants that grow from the base. Once one is 8 to 10 cm tall with several leaves and its own roots:

Unpot the parent and find the connection between pup and parent.
Gently pull the pup away, or cut the connecting stem with a clean knife.
Leave the pup to dry for a day.
Pot it in dry cactus mix in a small pot.
Water lightly after five to seven days.

Pups without roots can still root if you let them callus and set them on dry mix, but it's slower. See how to propagate houseplants.

Harvesting aloe gel

Cut an outer, mature leaf close to the base with a clean knife. Stand it cut-end down for 10 to 15 minutes so the yellow latex (aloin) drains out, as it can irritate skin. Then slice the leaf open and scoop out the clear gel. Don't take more than a few leaves at a time. This is general information, not medical advice; check with a healthcare professional before using aloe on broken skin or internally.

Aloe vera problems

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Thin, curled leaves	Underwatering	Soak and drain
Soft, mushy, translucent leaves	Overwatering, rot	Stop watering; check roots and stem base
Leaves bending, flopping	Low light	Move to a sunnier window gradually
Brown, dry patches	Sunburn or cold	Acclimatise; keep off cold glass
Red or bronze leaves	Sun or cold stress	Usually harmless; less sun if severe
Brown tips	Underwatering, salt build-up	Water deeply; flush soil now and then
Pale, stretched growth	Low light	More light; grow light in winter
White fluff at the base	Mealybugs	Alcohol swab; see houseplant pests
Plant tipping over	Top-heavy, shallow pot	Heavier, wider terracotta pot

Saving a rotting aloe

If the base is soft and dark, unpot the plant, cut away all rotten tissue back to firm green, and let the plant dry for several days until the cut seals. Pot in dry gritty mix and wait a week before a light watering. Healthy pups can also be saved separately. Our root rot treatment guide explains the steps.

Aloe vera through the year

Season	Light	Water	Other jobs
Spring	Move closer to the sunniest window	Every 2–3 weeks as growth starts	Repot and separate pups
Summer	Full sun, or outdoors in a sheltered spot	Every 2–3 weeks; more often outdoors	2–3 weak feeds
Autumn	Bring indoors before nights drop below 10°C	Start spacing waterings out	Check for pests before bringing inside
Winter	Brightest window, away from cold glass	About monthly	No feeding

Aloe vera vs other aloes

Plant	Look	Care difference
Aloe vera	Grey-green, upright, spotted when young	Standard care above
Aloe 'Christmas Carol' and other hybrids	Red edges, compact	Same care; colour best in sun
Aloe aristata (lace aloe)	Small, white-spotted rosette	Tolerates a bit less light
Haworthia	Similar shape, smaller	Prefers bright indirect light
Gasteria	Tongue-shaped leaves	Good in less light

For other sun-lovers, see succulent care indoors and jade plant care.

Aloe vera care checklist

Sunniest window, introduced gradually
Gritty mix in a terracotta pot with a hole
Water deeply only when fully dry
Monthly water in winter
Feed 2–3 times in summer
Separate pups when crowded
Keep away from pets

Sources and further reading

Royal Horticultural Society: Aloe vera, for cultivation needs.
University of Wisconsin Extension: Aloe vera, for houseplant care and propagation.
ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants list, for pet safety.