Soils

Recap soil texture best for Aloe vera

In my last post we already talked about the soil needed for Aloe vera. However, I will give you a short summary to refresh your minds.

‘Aloe vera naturally occurs in dry and poor soils, but it could grow well on several different soil types, as long as they have good drainage.’

Most common soil types in the Netherlands

Since we know Aloe vera needs dry soils or good drainage, we will now look at the most common soil types in my region, the Netherlands. When looking at figure 6, we see the different types of soil within the Netherlands.  The only two soil types in the Netherlands that have a good drainage are sand and peat. These are the yellow and purple areas. The other areas are not drained; their soils are wet.

Figure 6: Map of soils in the Netherlands

Conclusion
When looking just at the soil, Aloe vera could grow in the Netherlands. However, the plant needs the right temperature too. And if you remember from the last chapter, the temperature in the Netherlands does not meet the needs for Aloe vera. The plant cannot be grown in my country.

Nutritional requirements for Aloe vera

Aloe vera does not need fertilizer to grow. However, that does not mean it cannot benefit from fertilizers. When having the right fertilizer, you can help your Aloe vera to grow bigger. Also, the amount of flowers and the health of the plant will be increased. When having a Aloe vera plantation, I can understand there is a use of fertilizer. However, the use of fertilizer is minimal. In Honduras, the organic fertilizer bokashi is used. This is fermented organic matter. [FAO] Extra nutrition from fertilizers are not needed, but they sure can help the plant. [aloeplant]