One of the most commonly grown house plants is aloe vera. It has thick succulent leaves that are plumped up with a watery get.
The leaves grow from the plant’s base, looking like a rose, and have sharp edges with thorns to protect them from danger. It is a fast-growing succulent taking three to four years to reach a mature size.
Aloe Vera turning into a shade of purple is a sign of trying to cope with the environmental conditions. It also turns pale or into different colors for quite a few reasons.
There are several factors that can be responsible for this color change, including sun exposure, temperature fluctuations, overwatering, Phosphorus deficiency, over-fertilizing, nutrient deficiency, and transplant shock. 1. 2
Why Does Aloe Vera Turn Purple?
Some aloe species are more colorful, turning deep purple or nearly black. The more extreme color change might be a sign of stress.
But often, these are simply normal color changes as the plant adapts to water availability, sun, and temperature (we all need a little stress to adapt to our changing world, and aloe vera just show color changes as they adapt). Color change in the leaves of aloe plants into red and purple occurs when they are getting abundant sunshine.
Light can certainly be a catalyst in chemistry. Our bodies use sunlight to convert 7-dihydrochloride into vitamin – D.
Many customers prefer the pink or red or purple Aloe because it tends to smell and taste better. Besides, such Aloe species have a thicker viscosity, and they are believed to possess certain health benefits that are usually not found in translucent Aloe.
The blooming of Aloe vera occurs in late spring /early summer. Plants need to be quite mature and reach a certain height before they start the process of blooming.
Besides, the leaves are cut off most of the time before the plant can even bloom, leading to stagnant growth.
Aloe Vera does best between 55 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Some aloe plants can acquire a mild pinkish tinge or a deep purple color. Similar problems cause both these changes, so let have a look at the causes and cures below. 2. 3
1. Too Much Sun Exposure
Though Aloe is succulent and can withstand the sun, they need to be gradually introduced to direct sunlight, unlike other succulents.
Aloe Vera plants have specific lighting conditions and need a place where the sun rays hit directly on their leaves. An odd fact about Aloe Vera is it can sunburn just like us humans.
If you move an Aloe Vera to direct sunlight from the relatively shady location, the sun can do harm when growing Aloe Vera indoors; room temperatures of 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit are preferred for optimal plant growth.
Otherwise, the plants will undergo a sunburn sensation, changing their colors to dark pink or purple.
As with all colors change, a pink or purple color can also be a result of a severe sunburn. However, it will be considered a defective or abnormal condition in this particular case rather than its aesthetic value.
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2. Temperature Fluctuations
Your Aloe may have been thriving outdoors for months together now but has suddenly acquired a purplish tinge that was never there before.
This can also happen due to a sudden increase in the amount of sunlight that the plant is receiving. If the doze is higher than its regular requirement, the plant might show signs of color change.
So if there’s been a sudden surge or drop in the climate, it is considered to keep your aloe plant indoors for a while until it stabilizes. The optimism temperature of 60-70 Fahrenheit is preferred indoors for Aloe Vera’s perfect growth.
3. Lack Of Phosphorus
Phosphorus plays an important role in the health of plants, and deficiency of it can manifest itself in a sudden change of color.
There could be various symptoms causing it, but one of the external symptoms of deficiency is the appearance of purple or pink leaves.
The most common reason for phosphorus deficiency is due to the Ph level of the soil.
To rectify this, you can use phosphorus-rich fertilizer that contains abundant macronutrients and help the plant attain the path of recovery. Phosphorus deficiency in plants is quite common, so finding a good fertilizer manufacturer won’t be hard.
You can either go for a liquid fertilizer like advanced Nutrients, which help maintain the Ph balance of the soil and increase the plant’s overall health.
You can also invest in soil phosphate-rich plant food like Hoffman triple sugar-phosphate, which gives nutrient deficiency an added boost! 3. 4
4. Transplant Shock
Transplant shock can also be a reason for the color change, so if you have recently changed houses, your aloe Vera plant might have a purple tinge in its leaves.
You needn’t worry too much about transplant shock as the plant will slowly adapt itself to the new environment.
Just make sure that you water it sufficiently and help make the transition process easier for the aloe plant.
5. Overwatering Or Underwatering
Generally, incorrect watering can cause aloe plants to acquire a pinkish-purplish shade.
This could be because the plant is not receiving sufficient water and is beginning to dry up, or it has received too much water, and its roots have begun to rot.
Rot means damaging or destroying the cell of the roots causing them to be completely weak. An easy way to know the difference is by observing the leaves of the plant.
Usually, you’ll be able to see purplish spots appearing on the leaves before it eventually turns brown. This occurs because of overwatering of the plant.
When underwatering the plant, you’ll be able to see the leaves curling inward and looking lifeless, along with the browning of leaves.
This indicates that the moisture content in the succulent is extremely low. Based on these differences, you can figure out if you have been over or underwatering your aloe plant.
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6. Insufficient Hydration
One of the first indications that your aloe plant is underwatered is when it loses its healthy, normal color and starts to pale, which ultimately leads to its healthy, normal color and starts to pale, which ultimately leads to purple or pinkish.
If left unhydrated for a longer period of time, it will turn brown and slowly begin to shrivel up.
When you first notice that your aloe plant is starting to turn a purple color shade, check if the soil in which it is planted is dry or moist.
Aloe Vera does not need much watering like other succulents. You can water them once or twice a week and they would be completely fine.
But, make sure not to water them much during the winters, as it can lead to root rot. If the climate is extremely hot and humid, you can water it once a week after doing a touch test.
For conducting a proper soil tes, insert your finger into the potting soil up to 1-inch and see if there is any moistness in it. If you find that the soil is moist, do not water it.
But, if the soil has gone completely dry, then water yoru Aloe Vera immediately. Besides, you can also use a chopstick for conducting this test.
Make sure you water it sufficiently (or spray water with it if that is the method you prefer) and observe it for a couple of days.
If the plant starts to regain its colors and look healthier again day by day, can be sure that sufficient Hydration was the problem and now it has been fixed properly.
7. Environmental Stress Or Shock
Sudden change can cause environmental stress on the Aloe Vera plants.
This includes the sudden shifting of an aloe plant that was previously indoors into the hot sun.
This gives the plant no time to adapt to its new surroundings resulting in internal stress and change in appearance. Aloe Vera plants also acquire purple or pink or grey tinges, usually indicating environmental stress.
Fertilizer shock
It is better not to fertilize aloe plants unless they show symptoms of nutrients and phosphorus deficiency. Adding too much fertilizer can often result in fertilizer shock, causing the plants to change color. The Red Aloe plant can be an excellent example of this shock.
Insect infection
If an aloe plant acquires a white layer or white dots, or purple lines like scale, it is most likely a white scale or mealybugs infestation. 3. 4
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What To Do When Your Aloe Vera Turns Purple?
The above-stated reasons are the ones that force an Aloe Vera to change its colors.
To avoid that from happening, you need to take proper care of your succulent. Here are some tips that would help you keep your Aloe Vera all green and happy.
Place the plants in the shade if it is receiving too much sunlight. Give the Aloe Vera time to adapt to new surroundings, especially direct sunlight, when moving it outdoors for the first time.
Water your Aloe Vera plant once in two weeks in normal, based on climatic conditions.
Avoid overwatering your aloe Vera plant when it’s summer and very hot keep an eye out for aloe rust, fungal infection, other microbial infestation. 2. 3. 4
Change the fertilizer in case you notice any signs of pests or discoloration. Add phosphorus-rich fertilizer to the soil to balance out the Ph.
Move the plant to the indoor if there is a sudden change in the climate (too much sun, rain, snow, etc.) as temperature fluctuations affect aloe Vera turning it.
Nothing likes to be watered “too much”; that is what “too much” means. They are succulent and need less water than other plants. The simple rule is to let the soil dry out completely between waterings then water it thoroughly.
During hot, dry weather, this could be as much as any other houseplant.
So our advice could be to give it more and more light until it is used to the sunniest windowsill in the house (or it can actually go outside in the spring and winter) and water it totally whenever it dies out.
In the winter, it will stop growing. Water only about once a month until you see it start to grow again. In this way, Aloe will remain healthy and greenery throughout the year. 4. 5
Reference
1. All about Aloe Vera: https://bjgp.org/content/49/447/823.short
2. Aloe Vera spot disease: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10327-007-0035-7
3. Leaf diseases in Aloe Vera: https://journals.pan.pl/dlibra/show-content?id=103663
4. Leaf spot and root rot of Aloe Vera: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ajay-Gautam-15/publication/323320545_Isolation_and_Characterization_of_Fusarium_species_causing_leaf_spot_and_root_rot_diseases_on_Aloe_vera/links/5a8dab64458515eb85ac75e8/Isolation-and-Characterization-of-Fusarium-species-causing-leaf-spot-and-root-rot-diseases-on-Aloe-vera.pdf
5. Aloe vera and its products: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019096228870095X