With all plants, it’s easy to run into an issue on occasion. One common issue is your plant turning orange. Orange aloe vera can happen for many reasons. Read on to find out why your aloe vera plant is turning orange.
What Causes Orange Aloe Vera?
The most common causes of orange aloe vera are very straightforward. Once you figure out which one is your issue, you can easily fix it.
You’re Watering It Too Much
When a plant gets too much water, it can’t get oxygen. Overwatering is a common cause of orange aloe vera. You don’t need to water it very often, and you should always ensure the soil is dry about an inch down before you water it.
Poorly-draining soil may also cause an overwatering issue. If the soil retains too much water, your aloe vera may react to that, even if you water it on the correct schedule.
Check for overwatering by feeling the soil. If you haven’t watered it recently, but the soil is still moist, you may give it too much water.
You Aren’t Watering It Enough
On the other hand, aloe vera can turn from green to orange when you underwater it. When aloe vera goes unwatered, it will turn orange and shrivel up. The leaves may also be a bit crispy when this happens.
You can check for underwatering the same way as overwatering. If the soil is too dry, it’s pretty easy to tell. It will be dry all the way through.
It’s Getting Too Much Sunlight
If your aloe vera plant gets too much sunlight, it may react by its leaves turning orange. These plants need a lot of sunlight, but too much direct light can be a problem, especially when paired with underwatering. It can burn the plant.
Aloe vera needs at least six hours of sunlight per day. If it is getting a lot more than that or too much of it is strong and direct, it reacts in kind. Watch your plant throughout the day to see how much direct versus indirect sunlight it’s getting.
What Can I Do About This?
Now that we’ve defined the common issues, let’s talk about how you can solve them.
Too Much Water
You can use a moisture meter to keep track of the moisture in the soil. When it reads as dry enough, water it and keep track of how long it takes for the soil to become dry enough again. Doing this will help you establish a watering schedule.
Too Little Water
You can do the same thing when you’ve underwatered your plant as when you overwater it. Keep track of the moisture in the soil and water it when your plant needs it without allowing it to dry out too much. You can monitor the soil’s moisture with or without a moisture meter, but a moisture meter is more precise.
Too Much Sunlight
If you are watering your aloe vera correctly and watch and see if it gets too much sunlight, you need to relocate your plant to somewhere that better matches its needs. If it is in a pot, this is very easy. If not, you can find a way to block the sun, so it gets more indirect sunlight. Be careful you don’t move in the opposite direction, though. If it gets too little sunlight, your plant will die.
The Bottom Line
It is very easy to revive your aloe vera plant. It just requires a bit of patience to see results.