As you may have noticed in my last post, I have an out of control Aloe Vera plant.

This grand old Aloe has healed our burns, amazed us by blooming and given us many pups over the years.  However, it has grown into a gnarly, top-heavy plant that isn’t doing as well as it should.

I did a little research and decided it was worth the risk to cut the top off, replant it and hope that it re-roots.  I asked my husband to move my aloe for me, and as he did, it toppled itself out of the pot and broke off a few leaves.  Definitely time to take action.

The first step was to cut off the bottom most leaves and peel off any excess to leave a smooth stem.  I placed it in a different pot and gave it a little TLC.  Here it is, severely pruned and hopefully ready for its regrowth!

The next step was to harvest all that wonderful gel!!

Get a nice, sharp knife and make cuts along the edges to remove all those sharp ridges.  After that, cut the leaves off the rounded side, then lay the leaf on the flat edge and fillet the gel.

I put all of this wonderful gel into a pint jar and placed it in the fridge.  I believe it can also be frozen.

Aloe Vera gel is relatively inexpensive, so I’m not counting the cost here.  However, I am grateful to have so much healing gel from an old family friend. 😉

🙂