House plants

[the lynx]

Oh I simply love aloe vera. Lotsa stuff you can do with this one.

[JR8]

I've never thought of growing it. What's it like? And what are the things you use it for?

[the lynx]

I've never thought of growing it. What's it like? And what are the things you use it for?

It looks like this:



You break off one of the thick thorny leaves and peel off the outer layer. It is like cactus where you find cool, water-filled jelly inside.

Harvest those jellies and you can use it for:
1. Desserts (like nata de coco or something inside your refreshing iced beverage)
2. All-purpose cream for burns, cuts, sunburns, acne, insect bites and rash (you can either squeeze out from a cut tip of the leaf or blend the jellies to make a gel cream)
3. Beauty regime (Mrs JR8 should know. It is a well-known traditional herb for hair loss, skin pigmentation)
4. Juice (never tried it before but you need to blend it)

[rajagainstthemachine]

i also went and bought neem bush from a shop in little India, it keeps away flies and insects and then i'm also planting marigold and balsam, i bought the seeds at 0.90 cents from Far East.

I'll try and get some pictures of everything.
Thanks to my dad who is a retired botanist, his green thumb has rubbed off on me too

[CaptainBullus]

This has really reignited my interest in gardening! Can't wait to get home and start planning!

[the lynx]

I've never thought of growing it. What's it like? And what are the things you use it for?

It looks like this:



You break off one of the thick thorny leaves and peel off the outer layer. It is like cactus where you find cool, water-filled jelly inside.

Harvest those jellies and you can use it for:
1. Desserts (like nata de coco or something inside your refreshing iced beverage)
2. All-purpose cream for burns, cuts, sunburns, acne, insect bites and rash (you can either squeeze out from a cut tip of the leaf or blend the jellies to make a gel cream)
3. Beauty regime (Mrs JR8 should know. It is a well-known traditional herb for hair loss, skin pigmentation)
4. Juice (never tried it before but you need to blend it)

Step-by-step on how to harvest it:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Aloe-Vera-Gel

I actually just cut off the tip and squeeze it through like toothpaste if I plan to use the whole leaf at one time but if you want to keep aside some, it is better to just peel and scoop.

[Brah]

I used to have Aloe Vera plants in the States, too easy to care for and used them for when I burned myself soldering wires on things, bong injuries, cuts & scrapes, etc.

Would like to have one here for sunburn, admitting upfront I haven't done my due diligence to look for them, any suggestions on where to buy them?

[the lynx]

I used to have Aloe Vera plants in the States, too easy to care for and used them for when I burned myself soldering wires on things, bong injuries, cuts & scrapes, etc.

Would like to have one here for sunburn, admitting upfront I haven't done my due diligence to look for them, any suggestions on where to buy them?

I have never bought aloe vera in Singapore before but I suppose you could give quick call to the usual suspects (Far East Flora etc) and check if they stock aloe vera in pots.

But I would go find rajagainstthemachine and steal a pup from his bunch and transplant it into a pot myself.

[sundaymorningstaple]

We used to have many potted aloe vera plants when we lived in Seletar Camp. And yes, we did use them for minor burns, etc. Sadly, we only brought one with us when we bought our flat and after 17 years I think it's long gone or buried amongst the other plants and I just don't see it.

[sundaymorningstaple]

But I would go find rajagainstthemachine and steal a pup from his bunch and transplant it into a pot myself.

Yep. Agreed. My wife has a green thumb. She can steal a leaf and lay in it a pot and the darn thing will grow I believe.

[rajagainstthemachine]

I used to have Aloe Vera plants in the States, too easy to care for and used them for when I burned myself soldering wires on things, bong injuries, cuts & scrapes, etc.

Would like to have one here for sunburn, admitting upfront I haven't done my due diligence to look for them, any suggestions on where to buy them?

I have never bought aloe vera in Singapore before but I suppose you could give quick call to the usual suspects (Far East Flora etc) and check if they stock aloe vera in pots.

But I would go find rajagainstthemachine and steal a pup from his bunch and transplant it into a pot myself.

FEF have them, but if you want to buy a aloe vera frond, just go to mustafa, they sell them in the veggies section, i bought a huge leaf from there for all the cosmetic and cuts and scrapes etc.

[kwy]

I buy all my plants from Far East Flora on Farrer Rd. It's tucked in behind Macdonalds near Holland rd.
It's not as big as the Thompson ones, but it should be closer to where you live so more convenient, especially if you have to make several trips to fill your balcony.
I went so often they gave me a discount members card, even though I didn't keep the receipts to prove how much money I had spent.

[rajagainstthemachine]

here is my album if you guys want to have a look

http://s79.photobucket.com/user/ingloom ... t=3&page=1

[JR8]

An impressive array you have there.
What if any pests/germs etc do you find they are prone to?
Are any of those plants edible? (just curious!)

[Primrose Hill]

I have a bayleaf tree now growing on my roof terrace. Managed to grow some onions and potatoes last year and some garlic too last year. This year so far, not much energy or inertia I am guessing