Hello everyone. I'm Chris in Phuket and after a bit of a hiatus I'm back online. Today I'm doing a bit of work with some Aloe Vera plants and recycling plastic cups at the same time. Most people know the health benefits of the aloe vera plant. But to refresh here some points for how I use it:
- Very good for burns whether from the sun or heat.
- Excellent as a lubricant for skin. I use it combined with coconut oil in friction areas on the body when cycling.
Now of course there are many more uses for Aloe Vera including lower blood sugar and prevention of heart disease. But how to grow the plant?
Perhaps its a bit of a sensitive plant. I've heard the less attention you pay to it the better. Well that's not easy when you really love to garden. So here are some tips. The plant loves sandy well draining soil and indirect sunlight. It does not like a lot of direct sun or standing water. As well the more jammed in the pot the plant is the happier.
Today I decided to use some plastic cups that people in Thailand love so much to get with takeaway tea and coffee. Sometimes people visit me and leave behind their plastic cups. Personally, I don't use these cups and take a metal cup if I want takeaway. But hey, no one is perfect and so why not make use of these cups?
So first you need some cups, sand, a small spade, and something to punch holes in the bottom of the plastic cups for drainage. Luckily, near my house is a leftover pile of sand.
Fill your cups to the brim and check for cat poop because around my house area are many cats that love sand for the toilet. I wish I was joking but I'm not ;) The next step is to pick the baby aloe vera plants out. The aloe vera plant is actually made up of many small plants that join together. It's quite easy to pick out the smaller pieces and stick them in the sand. However, you have to really pile up the sand on each side to support the plant as the root structure is very small.
Easily as that you're finished and can feel good about reusing plastic cups that otherwise would end up... well who knows where they would end up? Maybe floating up on that lovely beach you enjoy swimming in. But now we know exactly where they are and have a new life as plant holders for aloe vera. To finish up the project add some water making sure the water flows easily out of the bottom holes, place the new plants in the correct spot and you're all done!
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed a bit of what I did today with spreading Aloe Vera and reusing plastic cups. Hopefully you'll be inspired to do some of your own projects.
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