Aloe Vera Plant Drooping [Reasons & Revival Tips]

Usually, Aloes remain headstrong, but even this hardy succulent can bow against the wrath of poor upbringing.

However, Aloes can battle themselves out of this commotion if you follow these reliable recovery rules to keep them from succumbing!

Is Aloe Vera Plant Drooping Normal?

Aloe Vera is recognizable by its stiff, succulent, shiny, marginally serrated leaves.

Also, Aloes remain inactive during cold months and start drooping their leaves before discarding them for good.

However, this is a common recurring phase in the plant’s lifecycle, and they will retain new leaves again throughout spring and summer.

As Aloe plants age, they slow their growth, and the leaves may look droopy as they use up all the energy to produce new leaf sprouts and pups.

Aloe Vera can live up to 12 years and matures within 3-4 years after planting!

But, if a young Aloe plant suddenly droops, be mindful of other culprits behind its miserable state associated with poor or exaggerated upkeeping.

Why Is My Aloe Vera Plant Drooping?

An Aloe Vera plant drooping is a sign that your plant is either unhappy or on the verge of dying.

A few causes contribute to the droopy appearance and are considered easy to identify and deal with.

1. Watering Issues

As a desert succulent, Aloe Vera is susceptible to over or under-watering.

Their leaves hold ample moisture to cope even under low soil water, more or less for 1-3 months.

Additionally, they need more water in spring and summer, but consider watering them sparingly during cold spells.

Likewise, the plant likes a dry, airy potting environment with adequate drainage, and overwatering can suffocate its roots, proliferating the chances of root rot.

Due to the root injury, Aloes cannot pull enough water to support their leaves, and they droop.

The leaves may also droop when the plant is severely dehydrated.

Solutions to Improper Watering

• Amend the potting soil with chunky and airy components to keep the overwatering problems at bay.
• Replace the soil if it smells fishy by uprooting the plant and checking for black pulpy roots.
• Hurl away the stagnant water from the pot plate after each watering regimen.
• Use porous terracotta pots with drainage holes for a suitable potting environment.
• Employ the bottom-up approach by keeping the plant in a tray filled with 1-2 inches of water for 15-20 minutes.

2. Inappropriate Light

Aloe Vera plants bask under intense sunlight on their natural turf for most of the day.

Intense sunlight increases the temperature and transpiration, but their thick leaves help them to recover from water loss.

Without proper light, the leaves become unruly in search of new light sources and appear droopy, toppling the plant from its position.

However, a light-deficient Aloe Plant can quickly regain its straight leaves if you consider light duration, amount, and the plant’s placement.

Solutions to Inappropriate Light

• Locate your Aloe Vera about 3-5 feet away from a south-facing window or a window receiving eastern sun exposure.
• Rotate the plant every 3-6 months to illuminate its leaves evenly.
• Remove the droopy leaves to encourage the growth of healthy foliage.
• Situate the plants about 6-12 inches away for 14-16 hours daily under grow lights during late fall and throughout the winter.
• Replace opaque drapes with transparent ones to allow the dappled sunlight hit the leaves of the plant.

3. Temperature Shock

Desert-dwelling Aloes can recuperate from extreme temperatures, but instant temperature dips cause their leaves to lose vigor and flop over.

However, there’s a limit for Aloe Veras to resist temperature spikes and eventually burn their leaves, rendering them wilted or droopy if provided with high temperatures.

Sudden surges and dips in temperature are noticeable during the onset of fall and winter.

Hence, you must grow Aloe Vera plants by considering seasonal temperature requirements.

Solutions to Prevent Temperature Shocks

• Keep Aloe Veras away from drafty north-facing windows in fall and winter.
• Turn off air conditioning or heating vents to negate temperature fluctuations.
• Use frost blankets as a safety shield in winter.
• Hang drapes on windows to protect the plant from the blazing summer sunshine.

4. Drainage Issues

Aloe Vera prefers a porous planter with a suitable potting mix to help the plant’s roots exchange oxygen easily.

Their roots are sensitive to rot due to poor drainage, which smothers the plant.

Furthermore, the roots cannot pick up water from the soil, and eventually, the leaves droop down due to lack of moisture.

If your pot has zero or insufficient drainage holes, this might as well be causing your Aloe Vera to droop.

Solutions for Proper Drainage

• If your pot lack drainage holes, try drilling a few at the bottom or the sides. 
• Place pebbles or a horticultural charcoal layer at the pot’s base before reporting to fortify the percolation properties.
• Unclog the pot’s drainage holes once a week to prevent water stagnation and promote seepage.

5. Repotting & Transplanting Stress

As the Aloe plant’s shoot size increases, the roots spread out for more legroom and become root bound.

So, the roots either coil around the root ball or pop out from the drainage holes as they grow.

Frequent repotting will stress its roots and cease the overall growth. It’s also ideal to wait for their leaves to drape along the pot’s edge and request more space.

Also, a common issue of Aloe Vera plants drooping after repotting is more likely caused by the transplanting stress, as the roots don’t adjust immediately to the new environment.

Tips to Properly Repot Aloe Vera

• Water your Aloe plant for 1-2 days to tug it easily from its old container.
• Take out all the soil and gently uproot the plant.
• Shrug off the soil, open the root ball, and remove the damaged roots using sterilized pruners.
• Borrow some pups for propagation if there are any.
• Fill a suitable planter one-third with potting soil and place the plant at the center.
• Add more soil from the sides to fill the pot about 1 inch below the brim.
• Water thoroughly and keep the plant in bright indirect sunlight.
• Continue regular care until the plant sprouts a healthy set of new leaves.

6. Pest & Diseases

Aloe Vera plant drooping may be an upshot of pest and disease outbreaks.

Bugs hide under the leaves or around the stem, while pathogenic spores hitch a ride through water or air onto the plant.

After progressive yellowing and browning of the leaves and stems due to severe infection, the plant droops to the ground and dies off.

Hence, the best way to keep the pests and diseases out of Aloe Vera is to groom the affected parts and regularly monitor for pesky bugs and diseases.

Tips to Prune Aloe Vera

• Isolate the diseased plant from the rest of the healthy plants to cease the spread.
• Inspect for unhealthy parts and cut the leaves back to the base of the main stem.
• Trim the outer ring of the leaves first and then remove the inner leaves.
• Use a strong force of water to toss the pests and pathogenic spores from the leaf or stem surface. 
• Wipe the pests with Q-tips dipped in neem oil from the leaves and stems.
• Deadhead the spent blooms and rotting tissues and burn them to prevent the extent of the infestation.

Check this video to learn the tricks for keeping your Aloe leaves perky!

FAQs About Aloe Vera Plant Drooping

How do you keep a droopy Aloe Vera plant upright?

Use a sturdy, deep planter to support its roots to keep a top-heavy Aloe Vera plant from drooping or falling.

Additionally, a droopy Aloe Vera plant needs stake support to prevent the leaves from bending too much and breaking.

Should I cut drooping Aloe Vera leaves?

Droopy Aloe leaves are beyond saving and cannot retain their green vigor.

So, cutting the wasted leaves before they start rotting is better.