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Hi - does anyone have any knowledge of growing/harvesting/marketing Aloe-vera in the UK/ I do know that there are varieties which will grow here but that's about all I know. I have worked out that the more add-ons you add on the more confusing it will be and the less inclined the planners will be to root about..... also they can't know everyting about every add on! Would welcome any knowledge. Have a great day and keep up the good work!
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Anyone researched Aloe-vera please?
Started By
happymanoftheworld
, 13 Aug 2010 12:40
Back to top
#2
Posted 13 August 2010 - 14:03
Thegreatescaper
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- Book Owners
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- 80 posts
Turkey
- LocationMid Essex
Hi HMOTW,
My knowledge is limited to growing them as useful house/garden plants, but nothing in respect to the commercial harvesting/preperation.
A few things I have discovered are this:
They grow wonderful outside in this country (well the south east at least) but frosts distroy them so they need shelter from the worst of the elements (although I admit I don't know what veriety I grew only that it was sold as being of the new verieties suitable for U.K. growing).
They grow at a prolific rate and breed/reproduce at an amazing rate. The babies sprout up next to the mother attached via an underground shoot, you just break the shoot and replant the baby when it has its own root system. I used to get many dozen per year from the mother. The bigger the mother gets the more babies per year, at its largest I was probably getting 10 babies a month!
In approx four years mine grew from a baby sprout given to me my mum from her plant into a triffid almost 1.5 metres in diameter at which point I sold it as it was too big for my home.
Slugs adore them!
As for harvesting them just snap of a leaf and remove the skin, everything else is the gel.
It doesn't harm them to remove some leaves and leave the rest of the plant to continue to grow.
There is nothing better to use on your skin, curing everything from sunburn and insect/plant stings to (at least my) ecxma (i know suffering from it I should be able to spell it, but I just can't at this exact moment, lol).
They also seem to sell quite well as plants in there own right and having as many babies as they do if you can market them they would offer a good return on investment (1 mum purchased, 24 babies sold from her per year = 24 x investment p.a.), although unless you can solve presevation issues I doubt you could sell the extracted gel which I believe you would need to do in order to make any significant monies from them. There is a company that sells this gel as an aftersun treatment (sold under the brand Banana Boat in the U.K and available in Boots and the dreaded big supermarkets) and looking at this may offer you an insight into preserving it so you can do the similar.
Best of luck
thegreatescaper
My knowledge is limited to growing them as useful house/garden plants, but nothing in respect to the commercial harvesting/preperation.
A few things I have discovered are this:
They grow wonderful outside in this country (well the south east at least) but frosts distroy them so they need shelter from the worst of the elements (although I admit I don't know what veriety I grew only that it was sold as being of the new verieties suitable for U.K. growing).
They grow at a prolific rate and breed/reproduce at an amazing rate. The babies sprout up next to the mother attached via an underground shoot, you just break the shoot and replant the baby when it has its own root system. I used to get many dozen per year from the mother. The bigger the mother gets the more babies per year, at its largest I was probably getting 10 babies a month!
In approx four years mine grew from a baby sprout given to me my mum from her plant into a triffid almost 1.5 metres in diameter at which point I sold it as it was too big for my home.
Slugs adore them!
As for harvesting them just snap of a leaf and remove the skin, everything else is the gel.
It doesn't harm them to remove some leaves and leave the rest of the plant to continue to grow.
There is nothing better to use on your skin, curing everything from sunburn and insect/plant stings to (at least my) ecxma (i know suffering from it I should be able to spell it, but I just can't at this exact moment, lol).
They also seem to sell quite well as plants in there own right and having as many babies as they do if you can market them they would offer a good return on investment (1 mum purchased, 24 babies sold from her per year = 24 x investment p.a.), although unless you can solve presevation issues I doubt you could sell the extracted gel which I believe you would need to do in order to make any significant monies from them. There is a company that sells this gel as an aftersun treatment (sold under the brand Banana Boat in the U.K and available in Boots and the dreaded big supermarkets) and looking at this may offer you an insight into preserving it so you can do the similar.
Best of luck
thegreatescaper
#3
Posted 15 February 2011 - 20:54
foodhero
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- Book Owners
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- 24 posts
Chick
There is a company called forever who speciallise in aloe vera , you can search them on the internet the product sells well and they say it can improve most condition its also used for animals. The product is basicly gel plus citric abcorbic acid and potassium sorbate
#4
Posted 15 February 2011 - 21:55
shepie
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- Moderators
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- 1,073 posts
Lord of the Manor
Anyone with small children will know just how often they bang their heads etc on things and AV is exellent for reducing swelling , also works on horses i am reliably told by her indoors
#5
Posted 16 February 2011 - 01:01
Romany
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- Book Owners
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- 457 posts
Farmer Giles
Hi Happy
As Thegreatescaper says, it is very easy to grow babies from a parent plant, I have 3 plants in my house - one of which is the sweet variety - and all are prolific birthers!
It is an excellent remedy for burns as everyone has already said whether sunburn or from the oven or fire etc. It is also very good juiced to treat all manner of digestive problems such as IBS. And as Thegreatescaper has also said, it is very good for eczema, I have used a preparation using commercial gel and herbal tincures to treat a patient with great results. There are many suppliers, you do not have to rely on Boots and the supermarkets.
If you like I could send you some babies to start you off?
Romany
As Thegreatescaper says, it is very easy to grow babies from a parent plant, I have 3 plants in my house - one of which is the sweet variety - and all are prolific birthers!
It is an excellent remedy for burns as everyone has already said whether sunburn or from the oven or fire etc. It is also very good juiced to treat all manner of digestive problems such as IBS. And as Thegreatescaper has also said, it is very good for eczema, I have used a preparation using commercial gel and herbal tincures to treat a patient with great results. There are many suppliers, you do not have to rely on Boots and the supermarkets.
If you like I could send you some babies to start you off?
Romany
#6
Posted 04 July 2011 - 21:32
Cornish Gems
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- Book Owners
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- 1,597 posts
Lord and Lady of the Manor
- LocationCornwall (formerly Devon)
Hi Romany - what is the definition of the sweet variety and how does one know which one one has? We lost our big plant because of the cold weather earlier this year despite wrapping up the pot and covering the plant with a plastic bag, so do you still have some babies available?
#7
Posted 05 December 2012 - 20:43
Romany
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- Book Owners
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- 457 posts
Farmer Giles
Hi CGs
Only just seen this, so sorry!
I lost my sweet AV unfortunately, however Lidl do sell them from time to time, that is where I got it from.
My huge AV which a friend from uni gave me before she emigrated to NZ was badly got at by the frost last winter, even though it was indoors in the old static 
It does have a small bit still alive so I'm hoping this will become my parent plant next year.
Romany
