Can Aloe Vera Grow Without Sunlight?

How Much Sun Does Aloe Need?

An aloe plant don’t need sun but wants low light & if given sun for at least 3 to maximum 5 hours per day for their overall growth and to create more dark greenish robust leaves. Experts believe that if aloe vera receives sun from the window for 6 hours then it can have faster and compact growth. Otherwise with the lack of sunlight aloe vera gets droopy, leggy, dried, loses pigmentation and might lose some aloe leaves resulting in development of less leaves and slow growth and it weakens the plant. So aloe vera do need sun for robust growth & vibrant color.

For People who have houses built near the trees or buildings or having backward in position where you don’t receive direct sunlight from windows can purchase some artificial lights that could save your aloe plant from becoming leggy.

Aloe vera Plants likes partial sunlight and they grow best in few hours of direct sun so providing them best light possible would enhance the leaves positive growth and you can see dark green leaves, with perfect thickness as aloe stores water on its leaves but once aloe plant matures it has gel inside its leaves that can be used to relief from sunburns and may help heal the burnt skin faster. Even the juice of aloe leaf has antioxidants that can reduce the risk of chronic growth in the body according to webmd.

One more problem we see here is if you are someone who grows more indoor plants they can’t place every plant to the south facing window because it can have only 1-2 plants but what about other plants maybe you can use a balcony or if you really don’t find any place then artificial lights are the only option.

For these lights to work you can give your plant more than 10-14 hours of man-made lights that could deliver some sort of strength to counter the droopy aloe vera problem. Using a 4’x2′ Full Spectrum LED Grow light that would work for your most indoor plants if they are suffering from low light issues.

Full Spectrum Grow Light – Buy

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Sun is the important factor in providing aloe plants green pigmentation or color. This is not only important for every plant but it decides the growth of every plant other than some succulent that doesn’t need sun but still need light to grow.

Plant Name	Requirement	Growing Worth
Aloe Vera	Partial Sun	Slow growth
Aloe Vera	At least 3-6 hour direct sun	Faster growth, More Vibrant color

Aloe vera varieties :

Aloe vera has more than 400+ species so I am naming the popular ones.

Aloe Maculata
Aloe Broomii
Aloe Ferox
Aloe Aculeata
Aloe Perryi
Aloe Nyeriensis
Aloe Succotrina
Aloe Capitata, etc

About Aloe Vera :

Family	Asphodelaceae
Scientific Name	Aloe barbadensis miller
Native	Arabian Peninsula
Other Names	Cape aloe,Aloe plant, Chinese aloe, Barbados Aloe
Plant Type	Perennial, Succulent
Hardiness zone	4a to 8b
Grown	Pots, Containers, Gardens,
Height	24-40 inches(50-101cm)
Growth rate	Slower
Soil	Well draining, Fertile
Light Requirement	Partial Sunlight, Full Sun(Can Tolerate)
Fertilizer	Liquid based
USDA hardiness	Zone 8 – 11
Blooming Season	Summer
Flower Color	Orange, Red, Yellow
Leaf Color	Green, Spiky Shape
Growth Rate	Slow growing
Benefits	For Skin and Body
Uses	Cosmetics, skin creams
Toxicity	Mild toxic

No, Aloe vera doesn’t grow without sunlight as aloe plant probably need sunlight for future growth for making new, strong leaves. Aloe vera does grow or survive in indirect light but may encounter problems like leggy aloe vera which might kill the aloe or it may reduce the growth. Generally speaking aloe vera grow in bright light but having a few hours of sun can make them more bright, strengthen its leaves and have faster growth. Aloe plant growing without sunlight is not possible as it will lag some growth but using a full spectrum bulb can make it grow in dark areas.

If aloe doesn’t receive enough sunlight it weakens the leaves or you may find aloe vera leaves bending sideways or drooping. These are some problems you may come to know while growing aloe vera in low light.

If you don’t have sunlight try buying some fluorescent artificial lights that would work perfect for aloe plants or any other houseplant that requires minimum sunlight.

Lastly, I am not saying aloe won’t grow in indirect sunlight. It will grow but not that healthy. It surely needs your windows to drop sun rays for its growth. There is a better difference that can be seen with low light aloe vera and one which gets 4-5 hours direct light per day.

Also If you have a place which has sunlight for some hours then you will often need watering as the possibility for the soil to get dry is higher in light conditions. So make sure to water whenever the soil is dry or put your index finger inside the soil to check its dryness. If it’s dry then give water to the plant else you shouldn’t water.

Aloe plant are grown without having the exposure of sunlight as they are succulents and these plant grow without much light. If you really want them to grow with there full potential then it surely needs sunlight.

Aloe Plant Without Sunlight	Dull, Slow Growth
Aloe Plant With Few hours of Sunlight	More Greener, More Foliage, More potential

Can aloe vera grow in low light?

Yes you can grow aloe vera in low light and it will slowly grow but might get leggy if aloe doesn’t find sufficient light for its growth. This low light weakens the plants leaves and it would be soft if they don’t have enough light source. I would highly recommend placing your aloe vera to the south facing window that would give it a few hours of sunlight.

Low light conditions can be useful if you don’t want its leaves to grow larger in size and you can easily place them indoors. When they grow slower then you don’t need to water them often, they require very less water in low light and also don’t have much caring requirements in indirect sun.

Placing Aloe vera near the window and it gets some sort of 3-5 hours sunlight then believe me you will see aloe growing much faster and healthy. Even light can protect its leaf color and overall health as they can do photosynthesis and can prepare food that would result in good health for your aloe plant.

Can I put my aloe plant outside?

Yes, you can put aloe plants outside in partial shade or beneath the tree or place it where it doesn’t get harsh sunlight after 12am which may burn leaves and damage plants. When growing aloe vera outdoors temperature should be over 65 degree F and not less than 50 degree F so they get enough light to grow in spring to summers.

If your garden or yard has a specific place which gets at least 5 hours of sunlight then gets shade then it is perfect as aloe is able to grow there and thrive. When growing aloe vera outside you need to take care of watering as heat can easily dry up in the soil but remember to always check the potting soil for dryness before watering.

Where do Aloe vera plants live indoor or outdoor?

Aloe vera plants can live both indoor and outdoors, but best if you find a location which is perfect in terms of light source and minimum 5-6 hours of direct sun. Many people grow them outside in the garden as they feel aloe vera can get faster growth and have robust thick leaves.

Those living in USDA zone 9 to 12 have a warmer climate so growing aloe vera in those zones can make it more stronger and it might thrive faster. Best growing condition for aloe plants is indirect light with a few hours direct sun.

But make sure the plant get water on time and don’t make it live for many hours in sun as it may burn the aloe vera leaves. This leaf damage can not only make it look ugly but your plant may get more severe symptoms and turn brown so be careful about the light requirements.

Best to grow light for aloe vera?

Aloe vera grows in partial to full sun and best grown light would be Full spectrum LED, that is made for indoor plants growth as many of the people don’t find good light source so they are using artificial light to provide them with all the plants living inside the house.

I would recommend these lights in the bedroom or hall as these 2 locations we generally put our good plants. Some houseplants even have the ability to provide oxygen at night while others have a beautiful appearance that is so good. Link is below for best grow light for aloe vera plant:

Full Spectrum Grow Light – Buy

How often do you water an aloe plant?

Aloe plant is watered every 5-9 days if you live in a warmer location and have placed it somewhere that gets 2 hours of morning sunlight. Also Water is poured whenever the aloe plant feels dry and its topsoil layer about 2 inch is dried. I water my aloe plant every 10-14days if it is getting only indirect light and shade.

Aloe plants will take more time to dry in winters than summers because of low light and not so warm temperature. You can expect to water the aloe plant in 19-22days or maybe in the 3rd week. It also depends on soil quality where soil dries quickly in some cases while some don’t. It takes much longer to dry up the soil. Those are poor quality soil sold in the market if purchased at a cheap rate. But mostly I have seen in terms of soil you get what you pay for, that’s for sure, not very often to get poor soil.

Whenever given water to aloe vera you should check the soil sogginess before giving them more water. Those growing aloe plants in direct sun for 6 hours may need water more often like in 2-3days it needs water.

Can aloe vera survive in shade?

Yes, aloe vera survive in shade but it is best if given 4-6 hours of direct sunlight as aloe vera best grows in Partial Sun but if given a few hours of sun can make a big difference in its growth. For aloe growing in shade can see less growth compared to those aloe vera placed in partial to full sun.

In shade, Aloe vera can survive for days to weeks easily but to enhance its length, color, and growth you need to put it in the sun for a few hours. I would suggest you to grow aloe plants in a partial sun area as it avoids the sunburnt occurring due to the direct sun.

Filtered sun or shade light can be used to grow plants and you may see it growing slower. For your question it does work and aloe is not made to get soo much heavy heat which burns the leaves making it turn brown.

I have an article on “Sunburnt Aloe Vera” where I talked about why it happened and how to avoid it and how you can receive it.

Can aloe grow with artificial light?

Yes Aloe vera grows in artificial light sources and for better growth try to give aloe vera a few 3-4 hours direct sun then you may see its full growth. For indoors these artificial lights need to turn on for 12-14 hours a day and very closes you need to put it. These lights are different and if you think your house doesn’t get enough sun then read this article. I have suggested a full spectrum bulb, a lamp that is specially made for indoor plants.

You can read my other article on written on some other plants which is also a succulent “Do String of Hearts Like Grow Lights” and it tells you about the grow lights and its relatable question that how many hours to turn on these artificial lights, how many days after you pour water to aloe vera, how much time it take to effect the aloe vera growth in grow lights.

You can see in one month it will definitely find the best results.

Final Words

I hope you get the right answer on aloe vera light requirements and “Do Aloe Plants Need Sun?”. Also check my other similar article on this.

Can Aloe Vera Grow Without Sunlight? – (How Much Sun Does It Need)

How Much Sun Does Aloe Need?