Aloe Flower: Characteristics, Uses & Growing Guide

Just when we are done going gaga over the almost magical Aloe Vera gel, it surprises us with the beautiful red-to-yellow Aloe flower.

The Aloe blooms lack fragrance, the essentialities to be a flower, but it has more to offer. 

So if you are curious about how you can leverage the Aloe flowers, do not leave this article until you finish it.  

How Often Does the Aloe Flower?

Being an arid desert species, Aloe might confuse you about the possibilities of producing blossoms.

But once the plant reaches four years of age, they are ready to flaunt the tubular bell-shaped flowers that will last for at least two to three months before they die.

However, budding is particularly visible during the winter if you provide your Aloe with its needs.

Overview of Aloe Flower

The tubular flowers of Aloe soar from the bottom up on the inflorescence, forming a beautiful cluster of blooms giving a feeling that it is rising above without looking below.

Moreover, the flower color in your Aloe depends on which species you are planting, and you can choose colors ranging from white, orange, yellow, and even red inflorescences.

Pollination of Aloe Flower

Anthers in the Aloe flower prepare pollens much earlier than the Stigma becomes receptive, which makes them self-incompatible and a tricky plant for pollination.

Besides, the tubular flowers produce nectar rather than spreading their fragrance, requiring pollinators with a long beaks.

So, Aloe flowers rely on pollinators like hummingbirds and sunbirds. 

Once the flowers are pollinated, they eventually dry out, and the dried remains become seed pods or capsules that are brown-green in color.

However, you can manually pollinate Aloe’s flowers if no or fewer pollinators are around. For that, 

• Try to pollinate Aloe within four days after it has shown blooms during the daytime.
• Get either a Q-tip or a small paintbrush.
• Pick a fresh flower with lots of pollen in it.
• Using the Q-tip, dab the pollen from a new/fresh flower and rub it onto the stigma of another flower.

After the pollination, the plant produces seed capsules that must be split open at maturity to collect the seeds.

How to Make an Aloe Plant Flower?

The Aloe Plants are native to deserted climates, so you must ensure the climate is conducive to blooming.

Here are the different caring requirements necessary for the Aloe to flower.

• Use a potting mix that drains effectively, such as one meant for succulents and cacti. An ideal mixture should include perlite, lava rock, coarse sand, or any combination of the three.
• The ideal light requirement can be an indirect bright light for 6 hours daily.

• You can set the temperatures between 55 and 80°F (13 and 27°C) for Aloe.
• Keep the temperature around 40-50% to offer optimum growth. 
• You need to allow the soil to dry at least 1 to 2 inches deep in between waterings to prevent rot. On aVerage, water once every three weeks and less frequently in the winter.
• Fertilize sparingly (no more than once a month) and only in the spring and summer with a balanced houseplant formula mixed at ½ strength.

Aloe Plants include pups that develop off the main plant, so you need to remove these pups if you want to see the plant blooming.

By removing the extra bulbs or pups, you will give the main plant the additional energy needed to produce beautiful and tall spiky stems of Aloe flowers.

Essentially, the Aloe plant blooms only when they age, so you need patience. They need to be at least four years old to blossom.

So if your Aloe plant is not blooming, chances are that it may not have reached that stage in its life.

What Should You Do with Aloe Flower?

Aloes are healthy succulents that can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. They do not die after flowering. Instead, they will continue to grow even after the flower stalk blooms.

Pruning Aloe flowers will not damage the plant but instead will encourage the plant to grow more leaves.

The flower stalks will absorb most of the nutrients from the soil, so it is better to prune them.

Allow the blossoms to dry naturally on the plant if you want seeds, and then prune after the seeds have fallen.

Tips for Pruning Aloe Flower

Grab a pair of pruning shears and isopropyl alcohol to prune your flowering Aloe. If you have them, you are good to go with the instructions below!

• You should wait until the blooms of the Aloe plant dies in order to prune them.
• Sterilize your shears to remove any debris from them.
• Disinfect them with isopropyl alcohol.
• Once the Aloe flowers are spent, cut them off close to the base of the plant.

Meaning & Uses of Aloe Flower 

Aloe flowers do not look like they can add much value, but civilizations from different regions of the world have already exploited these flowers for multiple uses.

1. Traditional & Spiritual Meaning

Do you know Aloe flowers were believed to bloom without the soil? Well, at least the Ancient Egyptians did; hence, they even called it “the Plant of Immortality!”

Moreover, different civilizations speak about the Aloe flowers as the spiritual symbol of beauty, fortune, and good health.

In the Arabic dialect, “Aloe” is derived from the word “Alloeh,” meaning “shining bitter substance,” while “Vera” in Latin translates to “true” due to the bitterness of the plant parts.

Besides, due to its lengthy flowering period and growth, the flowers also symbolize patience and endurance.

The most commonly used Aloe is Aloe Vera, whose properties even the Egyptian queen Cleopatra exploited to enhance her beauty.

In many funerary practices, the Aloe plant also represents “resurrection” due to the plant’s ability to return to its flowering state from the dead!

Furthermore, the plant and its flowers symbolize good luck and protection from bad energies in different parts of the world.

2. Ornamental Use

Aloe Plants have over 500 species that produce tubular flowers and come in various colors to beautify indoor and outdoor spaces.

You can place a pair of potted Aloe Plants on either side of the entry door of your home and see the magic it sets for your incoming guests.

These spunky succulents bring a funky vibe to the table and home. You can keep Aloe in the head planter, woven basket planter, or arrange Aloe with other succulents.

It will be great to use some plain planters as decorations for your bookshelf, the mantel, a credenza, or as a centerpiece along your dining room table by filling them with little Aloe Vera plants.

3. Medical Use

Aloe flowers are a valuable source of bioactive substances to offer various health benefits.

The flowers contain bioactive substances with potential uses in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and food industries.

DNA, amino acids, proteins, carbs, etc., are all abundant in pollen.

All of these natural ingredients are helpful for cell regeneration and long-term skin rejuvenation therapies.

Additionally, NASA published a study that found that Aloe Plants can eliminate harmful chemicals from the air.

Nevertheless, if you cut the flowers of your Aloe, the plant can instill air-cleansing properties indoors.

Is Aloe Flower Poisonous? 

The only edible Aloe Vera is Aloe Vera barbadensis Miller, but you can easily mistake it for the non-edible Aloe Vera var. Chinensis. The edible variety features upright, broad, thick, and silvery-green leaves.

However, consumption of the flowers may induce minor diarrhea in humans, while large amounts may cause allergic reactions due to the presence of latex.

According to Natural Kenya, Aloe ballyi, Aloe elata, and Aloe ruspoliana are the three poisonous Aloe species that produce leaf sap that smells really rotten.  

Consuming any part of the Aloe plant may cause vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, tremors, and a change in urine color in your pets.

Wishing more to learn, reach out to Is Aloe Vera Toxic to Cats. 

If your pets mistakenly consume Aloe and show these symptoms, use the following numbers to get help.

• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: 888-426-4435
• Pet Poison Helpline: 855-764-7661