Why Your Aloe Vera Isn’t Producing Pups – And How to Fix It

Expecting new Aloe Vera pups but nothing’s happening? Well, trust me, you’re not alone! 

I’ve been into gardening since the age of 12 and have gained every possible ounce of gardening wisdom from anywhere I could. Yet, I make a lot of mistakes when it comes to growing aloe vera.

7 Reasons Why Your Aloe Vera Isn’t Producing Pups (& Solutions)

1 – Your Aloe Vera Is Too Young

I’m sorry to say this, but I think a lot of new gardeners today are extremely impatient. People repeatedly ask me why their plant isn’t producing flowers or fruit, fully knowing it’s only a few weeks old.

As we all already know, young aloe vera plants focus their energy on establishing and growing strong root systems before producing pups. 

Solution: The solution for this is pretty simple: BE PATIENT! Pups will eventually start emerging once the aloe vera plant matures; this can take up to 1-3 years. 

2 – The Pot Is Too Small

If you’ve planted your aloe vera in a pot that’s too small to accommodate proper growth, chances are the pups may not emerge as you hoped they would. Limited growing space stunts growth and won’t allow the pups to get to their fullest size. 

Solution: Repot your aloe vera plant to a larger pot. Keep in mind that it should have adequate drainage holes at the bottom so that water doesn’t pool around and cause waterlogging issues. 

3 – Not Enough Sunlight

Inadequate sunlight is a common factor in slowed aloe vera pup growth. This succulent needs plenty of indirect sun to fully establish itself in the ground and eventually grow thick pups. If you have your aloe vera plant hidden away in a dark garage or corner of your house, it’s very likely that you’ll face growth issues. 

Solution: Keep your aloe vera plant in a bright location where it receives strong indirect light throughout the day. Making this small shift can drastically encourage your aloe vera plant in a better direction. 

4 – Overwatering Or Underwatering

Watering issues could be another reason why your aloe vera plants may not be producing pups. Too much water at once can flood your aloe vera plant and cause root rot and potential fungal infections. Too little water, on the other hand, causes dryness-related issues and can direct your plant towards a fatal end.

Solution: Have a proper watering routine that fits into your weekly schedule. If you’re someone who easily forgets, set alarms and reminders. Be gentle when watering and make sure not to flood your aloe vera plant with too much water at once. 

5 – Lack of Nutrients

Nutrient deficiencies can cause a lot of issues behind the scenes that you might realize very late. If the soil you’ve planted your aloe vera in lacks essential nutrients like magnesium, nitrogen, potassium, or phosphorus, chances are you’ll suffer from poor pup growth. 

Solution: A balanced, water-soluble fertilizer that has a good amount of all essential nutrients can work wonders in this situation. Try one with an N-P-K ratio of 10-10-10. 

6 – Root-Bound Plant

If your aloe vera plant is root-bound, meaning its roots have overgrown inside the pot and are now tangled, it has limited ability to absorb nutrients and resources from the soil efficiently. 

Solution: Again, the solution here would be replanting either to a larger pot or outside in the garden to allow for free, unbothered growth. 

7 – Pups Are Hiding Under The Soil

Yeah…so that can happen… It happened to me as well. I thought some of my aloe vera plants weren’t producing anything only to find out they were, just hidden beneath the soil.

Solution: Use a small knife or fork to dig around the plant and expose the pups. These pups can even be propagated and replanted to grow into more aloe vera plants. 

Conclusion

There can be a plethora of reasons why your aloe vera plant isn’t producing pups. Some of those reasons can be related to the environmental conditions while others are just about your stupidity. 

Pay close attention to your aloe vera plants after employing the solutions I’ve provided you with and things should begin to improve very soon.