How to propagate Aloe Vera from a cutting

Propagating from a cutting is easy from aloe vera plants, so if you have a plant in your neighbourhood, ask the owners permission to get a cutting and do it yourself:

1. Find a healthy leaf that is at least 8cm long, and cut it at its base on an angle with a sharp knife.

2. Lie the leaf somewhere warm and dry for one to two weeks, or until the base of the leaf has dried out.

3. In a pot, lay about three centimetres of gravel or small stones in the base.

4. Dampen the soil for the pot by pouring the soil onto a tarp and adding a little water. Mix it up so the soil is damp, but not soggy, then add the soil to the pot.

5. Once the leaf has dried out, dip the end in honey, and let the excess dry off.

6. Place the aloe vera leaf in the soil, base side down, so that about three centimetres of the leaf is in the soil.

Keep your pot in a warm dry place, and do not water for two weeks. After that time the roots will have formed and you can water sparingly as you would a mature plant. An aloe vera plant can go for several months without water, but too much will make it rot.