Sometimes our holiday decorations might include a colorful houseplant to match our other seasonal touches. One such popular houseplant for the winter is the Christmas Carol Aloe plant. With red trim and crimson raised spots across this hybrid, it coordinates with many other red and green Christmas decorations you might display.
What Is a Christmas Carol Aloe?
The fleshy leaves are dark green and triangular underneath the spots and borders of this petite plant. It is easily used as an indoor houseplant during the winter, but may grow outside when temperatures warm. It is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 9-11 where you may leave it outside year-round.
An additional feature of this attractive plant is the Christmas Carol Aloe flower, which appears on the healthy, mature plant in autumn. Blooms are bright red-orange to pink and start their show in autumn. A half strength application of houseplant fertilizer after watering improves the quality of the flowers and makes them last longer. However, those growing outdoors usually go dormant during this timeframe. The deepest red color on trim and raised spots appears in summer.
This hybrid is of the Aloe genus, with its origin in Madagascar. The Christmas Carol Aloe plant is related to the medicinal Aloe Vera and its leaves also contain the healing gel often used for burns and scars.
Other Christmas Carol Aloe Care
When growing this frost-tender specimen as a houseplant, under-pot it for best growth and performance. Use a cactus soil type that is at least half sand or pumice. Avoid too much water on this succulent and always empty the saucer underneath.
Only grow your Aloe Christmas Carol hybrid in a container with adequate drainage holes when growing inside. Use the soak and dry method when watering this plant, and make sure all soil is thoroughly dried out before watering again.
When growing in an outside bed, plant in well-draining soil that does not remain consistently wet. This plant is often grown in rock gardens and borders. It likes lots of light, at least six hours per day, with full sun in the mornings when possible. Keep in mind it is not cold-hardy and should be potted for indoor winter growth in Hardiness Zones below 9.
Christmas Carol Aloe Propagation
Unlike many succulent plants, Christmas Carol Aloe cannot be propagated from leaves, as they will likely rot. The offsets which will eventually sprout are the best and easiest means of propagation.
Cut these away from the main plant with a sharp sterilized knife or scissors, taking roots if possible. Allow the bottom of the plants to callous in a warm, dry spot, which usually takes two to three days. I like to cover the callous with cinnamon, as well.
Plant into a small container in dry, amended cactus soil and locate the container in a bright lighted area, but not sun. Don’t water until roots develop, which may take two weeks or even longer. You may then water your plant and begin adjusting into a full morning sun area.
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