One day, you are happily watering your aloe vera and the next, you notice some of its leaves feel soft and mushy! This happened to me when I first started caring for my aloe vera!
Since then I have had a lot of first-hand experience growing aloe vera and spoken directly to some horticulturalists about how to pinpoint the reason for an aloe vera turning soft and what you can do to save it.
In this post, I’ll share with you all the tips and secrets I have learned with a step-by-step guide on how to save it…
If you only have 2 minutes to spare and want to get straight to the answer…
Most often, the reason I see aloe vera leaves turn soft is because of too much moisture around the roots caused by overwatering, slow-draining soils, or pots without drainage holes in the base. If the aloe vera leaves are soft and turn yellow, brown, or translucent then this can indicate root rot.
Keep reading for why you are aloe vera leaves are soft and how to solve it…
Overwatering Aloe Vera Turns the Leaves Soft
By far the most common cause for Aloe Vera leaves turning soft is because of overwatering. To succulent lovers, I doubt this comes as a surprise.
For us to undertsand why aloe vera turns soft as a result of overwatering, we need to learn about how they grow in the wild…
Aloe veras are succulents that have adapted to growing in dry desert-like conditions in their native habitat in Oman in the Arabian peninsula where they thrive in sandy soils with infrequent rainfall.
The thick leaves of the aloe vera store water as an effective survival strategy to cope with drought in the blazing sun with high temperatures and relativity little water.
As aloe vera is adapted to a life without frequent rainfall, it is very susceptible to overwatering when grown by gardeners, which, in my experience, is almost always the problem.
For example, if you are watering aloe vera more than once per week then you are almost certainly overwatering.
The symptoms of any overwatered aloe vera are the leaves turning soft to the touch with brown, yellow, or translucent coloring. When I overwatered my aloe vera, it turned at first translucent then, changed to a kind of light brown.
I learned that, the soft mushy feeling to the leaves is a sign of stress and can indicate rot if the leaves have gone brown or black or the leaves turn limp.
However, to my relief, I was told by some of my colleagues at the garden center that mushy aloe vera leaves can be saved if you reduce the watering to a more appropriate cycle.
This is how I was taught to water aloe vera by botanists:
Aloe vera should only be watered (with a good soak) when the soil around the roots has dried out completely. Typically, this means watering once every two weeks is the right amount for aloe vera to prevent the leaves from turning soft and keep the plant healthy.
In my experience, this advice has been spot on.
The method I was taught for establishing how often to water your aloe vera feel the soil at the bottom of the pot through the drainage holes in the base.
If the soil is still moist, then delay watering, but if the soil feels dry, then this is the perfect time to water aloe vera.
The real secret is that you should always water your aloe vera in the right amount for your specific conditions rather than following universal advice about watering, as there are so many variables that can impact watering frequency.
once I understood this, my watering concerns were alleviated, and I don’t have problems with overwatering or underwatering.
(For more information, read my article on how to water aloe vera in Summer and Winter as their watering requirements can fluctuate throughout the year).
If only one leaf is soft and mushy, but you notice that the mush is still spreading after a week or so, then what I do is cut this individual leaf back to the base of the plant to stop it from spreading further. The wound took about 3 days to call over, but afterward, my aloe vera was unaffected and kept growing.
However, if the soft, mushy part on the leaves is spreading most of the leaves, then what I’ve found works better is to propagate any cuttings from healthy tissue so that the aloe vera can survive to stop the whole plant from dying from root rot.
Watch this YouTube video for how to propagate aloe vera easily:
Moisture Retaining Soil Causes Aloe Vera Leaves to Turn Soft
So, when you are learning how to care for succulents such as Aloe vera, the first thing that you learn is that the optimal watering regime should be in conjunction with the right sort of well-draining soil mix. Leaves can feel soft in texture and turn brown or yellow due to slow-draining soil that retains too much moisture around the roots.
What we need to know is that aloe vera plants do not grow well in ordinary potting soil as it stays moist too long after watering which causes the leaves to turn soft as a sign of stress.
Water-retaining soils have essentially the same effect as overwatering as the soil does not dry out quickly enough for the roots to stay healthy.
If you feel the soil at the bottom of the pot through the drainage hole and it still feels damp or boggy rather than just moist then it is a good idea to transfer your aloe vera to a pot with well-draining soil (read my article on the best potting soil for aloe vera).
As we discussed, aloe vera grows in sandy, gritty soils that are porous and well-draining in their native habitat.
So, to prevent your aloe vera leaves from turning soft it is important to replicate the soil conditions of their native environment with a well-draining potting mix that is specifically formulated for succulents and cacti (available on Amazon and in garden centers).
The special succulent and cacti soil mix contains more inorganic material (such as sand, grit, or perlite) to create a porous well-draining soil that is optimal for your aloe vera.
I cannot emphasize how important this is. What I’ve found is that with the right kind of potting soil, your aloe plant can be very forgiving of overwatering.
Once my aloe vera had a chance to dry out and I started watering appropriately then my aloe vera recovered from its soft leaves and restore to its full plump leaves.
However, if you feel the soft texture spreading and the aloe vera is turning brown, yellow, or translucent then, like I said earlier,I would just cut it back to the base to prevent the rot from spreading to other parts of the plant.
(For more information read my article on how to revive a dying aloe vera).
Pots Without Good Drainage Causes the Leaves to Turn Soft
As we just discussed, our aloe vera plants are sensitive to excess water around the roots, so you must plant it in pots with drainage holes in the base of the pot to allow excess water to escape so that the soil can dry between bouts of watering.
If the aloe vera is planted in pots without drainage holes, the excess water pools around the roots and causes the leaves to turn soft, and the aloe can quickly develop root rot.
I advise transferring your aloe to a pot with drainage holes in the base and allowing the soil to dry out.
I must warn you that there are several other reasons why the water could be pooling around the roots of your aloe despite drainage holes in the base.
- The use of a saucer or tray underneath the pot. Saucers and trays are a good way to stop excess water spilling in your home but they should be emptied regularly so that the soil at the bottom of the pot does not stay damp.
- Roots and compacted soil can slow drainage. If you notice that the soil is draining slowly then check to see the drainage holes to ensure water can escape freely.
- Decorative outer pots can prevent water from escaping. Occasionally, I see aloe vera sold in a pot with drainage holes and presented in a decorative outer pot with drainage holes that cause water to pool around the roots. Empty the outer pot of water regularly to allow the soil to dry out.
Once you have ensured that the aloe is in a pot with good drainage and allowed the plant to dry out properly then the leaves can start to recover from their soft texture. (Read my article on choosing the best pots for growing aloe vera).
However, if the roots have been in standing water for some time, then it can be difficult to revive the aloe, so it may be necessary to cut back a lot of leaves before the soft, mushy feel to the leaves spreads and the plant dies of root rot.
(Read my article if your aloe vera leaves are curling inwards as this is usually a sign that your aloe vera is not being watered properly).
Do you have any more questions or insights about aloe vera leaves turning soft? Please, leave a comment below!!
Key Takeaways:
- Aloe vera leaves turn soft when there is too much moisture around the roots due to overwatering, slow-draining soils, or pots without proper drainage. Soft aloe vera leaves often turn brown, yellow, or translucent and can be a sign of root rot.
- Only water aloe vera when the soil has dried out to replicate the dry conditions of its relatively dry habitat with infrequent rainfall.
- Plant aloe in soil specifically for succulents and cacti for improved drainage. This prevents the roots from being damp, which causes root rot.
- Plant aloe in pots with drainage holes in the base to allow excess water to escape. If the soil is allowed to dry out, the aloe can recover. However, if the leaves are soft and turning brown, yellow, or translucent, then it may be necessary to take cuttings from healthy tissue for propagating to save the plant.