How to Cut an Aloe Vera Plant Without Killing it

Growing an aloe plant and want to use it for medicinal or cosmetic purposes? Learn How to Cut an Aloe Vera Plant Without Killing it to do this correctly.

If you are removing leaves from your aloe vera plant for medicinal or topical use, there’s a good chance that you might end up damaging it–imprecise trimming will also make it look unattractive. So, is there a way to do it correctly? Yes! Find out How to Cut an Aloe Vera Plant Without Killing it in this post.

Can you eat an Aloe Vera plant? Find out here

How to Cut an Aloe Vera Plant

The secret of cutting aloe vera cleanly is–always remove leaves from the bottom of the plant and cut close to the plant’s main stem. Pick the biggest and healthiest leaf you can find as it’s the most mature one, and let the smaller ones thrive.

Tip: It’s best to cut the entire leaf instead of cutting it in half.

How to Cut an Aloe Vera Plant Without Killing it

1. Avoid Using a Blunt Blade

Always use a clean and sharp serrated blade for cutting your aloe plant. Rub alcohol on the blade as it will reduce the chance of disease and fungal infections. Avoid using a blunt knife as it can damage stems and leaves severely.

2. Trim it When Required

You don’t have to prune the plant frequently. Cut as per the requirement as snipping takes away many essential nutrients that the plant needs to stay nourished and healthy.

Fact: Aloe vera plants are self-healing and usually heal in 2-3 days after cutting.

More Tips

• Prune dried, dead, discolored, or brown leaves and snip them carefully without damaging the healthy ones.
• Remove extra outer leaves to make the plant fit in the container by making a cut close to the stem’s base, snipping it cleanly. These also contain the most amount of gel that can be applied over the skin for a beauty treatment or on rashes and burns.
• Normally, these plants shed lower leaves on their own with time. So, removing them from bottom to top is the correct way to cut the aloe vera plant.