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Why Do Aloe Very Plants Turn Orange – Reasons & Fixes

Aloe vera plants are one of the easiest and most useful houseplants anyone can grow. They don’t require much attention, are very easy to take care of, and have so many medicinal uses! Aloe vera plants don’t have many things that can go wrong with them; however, sometimes, you may notice your aloe vera plant turning different colors.

If your aloe vera plant is starting to turn orange, this is a way for your plant to tell you something is wrong. Environmental stressors or things like drought or even too much water is usually why you may notice your aloe vera plant turning different colors. 

If you continue reading, you will find all the answers to aloe vera plants turning orange, the causes behind this mystery, and how to solve it. Stay tuned!

Reasons for Aloe Vera Plant To Turn Orange

As I mentioned above, a few things could cause your aloe vera plant to turn orange or even fade in color. Let’s take a look.

Too Much Sunlight

Believe it or not, aloe plants can get too much sunlight. While we normally think of aloe plants being sun lovers, they can get sunburned, especially if it is very hot outside. When an aloe plant gets too much sun, it will turn orange because that is its version of a sunburn. 

Too Much Water

Another common reason your aloe plant is turning orange is that it is getting overwatered. There is too much going through the roots to keep up with the water intake, causing the plant to lose its color. Aloe plants will also usually get very mushy or even split open if they are overwatered and turn orange.

Overpotting

Overpotting goes hand in hand with overwatering. You may have recently repotted your aloe plant into a bigger pot. If you water the entire pot, the roots will not be able to keep up with all that water, leaving the plant to sit in water, which is very bad for aloe plants. 

Not Enough Water

On the opposite side of overwatering, you can also underwater your aloe plants. When an aloe plant isn’t getting enough water, its leaves will start to shrivel, turn orange, lose color and eventually die. 

Fungal Problem

Fungal problems, most commonly aloe rust, will start as small yellow splotches on the leaves that eventually turn orange masses. The leaves may even begin to fall off. Aloe rust is caused by overwatering and poor soil drainage. 

How To Fix An Orange Aloe Plant

Luckily, if you catch the problem sooner rather than later, you can change your aloe plant’s environment or care, and it will start to turn green again. Here is how you can do so.

Sunlight 

Aloe plants need at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. However, they do the best when in temperatures between 60 and 85. Anything hotter than 85, especially in direct sunlight, will cause the plant to get sunburned. So yes, you should keep your aloe plant near a window; however, if it is going to be hot that day, maybe move it back a bit. If your plant is outside, take it in during the hot days. 

Another thing to consider is how close to your plant’s glass window is. If your plant is touching the window on a very hot day, it will literally burn the aloe plant leaves, causing them to orange. So moving your aloe plant back from the harsh sunlight is important. 

Water Schedule

Aloe plants don’t naturally need too much water. And they especially hate sitting in water for long periods. Generally, you can give your aloe plant heavy water once every 3-4 weeks. In the summer, you may need to water it once a week.

Before you water, poke your finger into the soil and check to see how moist it is. If it is still moist 2 inches down, it is no need to water your plant. However, if it is dry 2 inches down, that means it’s time to water. Mark a calendar every time you water your aloe plant or keep tabs to remember when you gave the plant water to ensure that you don’t over or underwater your plant. 

Aloe Rust

Aloe rust is another symptom of overwatering. However, aloe rust can worsen, leaving your plant infected if it is not taken care of immediately. The most important thing to do to ensure your plant doesn’t get aloe rust is to make sure it doesn’t get overwatered and let it dry out in between each watering. 

Should I Remove the Orange Leaves From The Plant?

Aloe is one of those plants that you can easily take cuttings from, cut some of the leaves off, transplant them, etc. Some wonder if the tips of the leaves are orange; sometimes, they may even start looking brown and decayed. Should that part of the leaf be removed?

The short answer is not necessarily. If the entire leaf is turning orange, then all your probably need to do is change up the watering schedule or make sure it’s not getting sunburned. Once you do this and fix the issue, your plant should return to being healthy green again, so you would not have to remove the orange leaves. 

If the leaf is turning orange, plus the tips are dying, then you may have a fungal problem, and then yes, at that point, you could remove the infected leaves, and hopefully, the rest of your plant will be fine. 

Final Thoughts

Aloe vera, usually a rich green, sometimes a faded green color, will sometimes begin to turn orange. It does this because of environmental problems like too much sunlight or being under or overwatered. Luckily, these are common occurrences for aloe vera plant growers and, if properly taken care of, can be easily managed, and your plant can continue growing happily. Happy gardening! 

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