Skip to Content

Why Are My Aloe Vera Plant Leaves Bending? (3 best solutions!)

Sharing is caring!

Aloe vera is one of the most common succulent houseplants with many health benefits.

Still, it has some problems (significantly, while growing them indoors); the most common one is the bending of leaves.

Bending aloe vera leaves can make you wonder why are my aloe vera plant leaves bending.

Typical causes include poor attention and not caring for the plant. But sometimes, your aloe leaves can bend even after much care and attention.

You have planted an aloe vera in your home or garden, and after a few days, its leaves start bending, leaving you to scratch your head and think, why are my aloe vera plant leaves bending and what will happen with my beautiful and beneficial plant?

Today in this post, we will go through the reasons for this problem, and I’ll share some tips with you so that you can revive your aloe vera plant in no time.

So, without further ado, let’s begin!

Aloe vera plant on a table—why are my aloe vera plant leaves bending
Why are my aloe vera plant leaves bending? – Image via Reddit.

Why Are My Aloe Vera Plant Leaves Bending?

Aloe veras are pretty sensitive plants and react very differently if they do not get their suitable environment to grow.

Usually, aloe vera plants bend due to lack of sunlight, improper watering, and fungal infections.

But the fact is that these problems are extremely easy to fix.

To fix the problems of the aloe plant, you need to identify them first. Let us move forward to see all the possible reasons and their solutions in detail.

Inadequate Lightening

Everyone who loves aloe vera plants should know that aloe vera loves hot temperatures, so they grow well in sunny and warm areas.

Insufficient light causes aloe vera to grow thin and weak, which is the main reason for bending in the leaves of the aloe vera plant.

  • You need to ensure a sunny location for your plant’s healthy growth, whether naturally or artificially.
  • Lack of sunlight and cold temperature causes aloe vera plants to turn pale and bend their leaves.

Although aloe veras are light-loving plants, too much exposure to intense and constant sunlight can turn their leaves red.

Therefore, avoiding long exposures and setting a suitable contact with sunlight is better.

Watering Malpractices

As Aloe vera is a heat-loving plant, it requires plenty of water for its proper functioning.

Typically, an aloe vera can survive for days without water, but underwatering can quickly lead the succulent to bend its leaves.

  • Aloe vera plants are succulents and thus store water in their leaves, making them look juicy and turgid.
  • Underwatering keeps the plants thirsty, and the leaves start bending.

If you forget to water your plant more often or your soil remains dry most of the time, your plant leaves are bending due to underwatering.

Now let us discuss the fact behind overwatering.

Like underwatering, overwatering is also a severe problem for the aloe vera plant and, therefore, causes root rot which restricts the roots from transferring water from soil toward the plant.

  • Eventually, plants start to take water from the leaves, resulting in the bending of leaves.
  • Aloe Vera suffering from overwatering also show black spots on the leaves.

You need to take some healthy steps to prevent your plant from overwatering. Otherwise, your plant will die soon.

Diseases

Besides the watering and lightning issues, it is also possible that your plant is suffering from bacterial or fungal infections, which causes your plant leaves to bend.

Let us discuss these diseases in detail.

Fungal Infection

Fungal infections are caused by overwatering, which leads to root rot.

Different fungi depend upon the plants, causing them to bend their leaves as the disease spreads from the roots to the entire plant.

  • Initially, your plant leaves turn yellow and then start to bend gradually.
  • In the later stages, your plant turns brown and dries out quickly.

If you see your plant in such a critical condition, it is time to leave that plant and start with a new one because it becomes more difficult or almost impossible to save it when you see your plant is on the verge of dying.

Bacterial Infection

Bacterial infection can develop in any plant; it is not just common in aloe vera but is primarily dangerous for young plants because of their weaker immune system.

This kind of infection also causes bending or drooping of leaves, but you can notice that not all the leaves are affected equally (some leaves get affected more than others) during this type of infection.

  • If you want to check whether the leaves are not straight due to bacterial infection, check the leaves carefully.
  • If the leaves appear darker and swollen than before, it is a bacterial infection that is eating your succulent.

Bacterial infection also causes soft roots in the aloe vera plants.

Brown spots on aloe leaves—why are my aloe vera plant leaves bending
Why are my aloe vera plant leaves bending? Maybe your aloe vera plant is suffering from some sort of bacterial or fungal infection—Image via Reddit.

Container Size

Container size is crucial for all plants to maintain their proper and healthy growth.

Usually, small size container causes roots to be bound in a specific area.

When aloe vera is young or in its growing stages, rising it in a small, shallow container has no problem.

But as the plant grows, it needs more space to spread its roots—aloe vera has fibrous roots and needs more room to grow according to the plant size.

Therefore, it is always better to place your aloe vera plant in a container that is slightly larger than it needs.

Besides the container’s size, some other things related to the container also matter for the proper growth and functioning of the plant.

  • Such as, if you are using a clay pot to grow your aloe vera, more chances are that it soaks up most of the water and moisture, leaving your plant in a state of thirst.
  • Aloe vera can stand without water for days, but whenever it needs water, it needs it in a solid amount.
  • If your container does not possess any drainage holes to flush out the excess water, there are significant chances that this water causes root rot in your plant—which causes plant leaves to bend.
  • Waterlogging also results in oxygen deprivation in your plant, which causes death.

That was all about why your aloe vera plant might be bending.

Now, let’s talk about how to fix the problem.

How to Revive Your Aloe Vera Plant?

Initially, it is crucial to understand the reason behind bending leaves so that you can know whether you can revive your plant or not.

Likewise, if the plant is bending but shows signs of growth, there is still some hope. But if the leaves appear to wilt and dark colored, it might be the time to get rid of your plant.

Now let us see how you can revive your plant in different conditions.

Get Large, Well-Draining Container

Bent leaves of the aloe vera plant can speedily heal if you re-pot it in a large pot containing drainage holes.

You can just buy a new and bigger pot to revive your plant.

An aloe vera plant cannot grow at its maximum if it stays in a small plastic container; therefore, it is better to transplant your aloe vera into a bigger pot when it matures.

With a suitably sized and well-draining container the soil mix must also be perfectly made for succulents.

You can check this article to make a perfect potting mix according to the nature of your plant.

Provide Sufficient Sunlight

Try to put your aloe vera in a place where it gets direct exposure to sunlight.

  • As aloe vera loves bright sunshine, it grows well near south-faced windows and directly in gardens.
  • But to create a uniform arrangement of leaves, you must ensure consistent lighting.
  • Please ensure that you don’t let direct sunlight fall on your plant for a long time; otherwise, it can get burned.
  • You can use artificial light if your home does not have natural light resources.

Let’s see how you can treat bacterial or fungal infections.

Treat Bacterial and Fungal Infections

If you have tried everything and your plant still looks pale and limp, it means it is suffering from some infection.

The joint disease among the plant includes bacterial and fungal infections, which we already discussed.

You can treat soft bacterial roots by removing the rotten parts to ensure the disease will not spread to nearby plants.

In case of any fungal infection, you can use fungicide on suitable bases to prevent your plant from further damage and make it healthier again.

Dry rot, which supports fungal infection, makes growing your plant almost impossible.

Proper care, a regular watering schedule, and sufficient light may help your plant to live a healthy life.

Why is my aloe vera plant leaves bending? Aloe vera leaves drooping | Aloe vera plant care – YouTube

That is all for today; let us move toward the conclusion.


Conclusion

Why are my aloe vera plant leaves bending? I hope you have your answer!

Aloe vera is a succulent houseplant that is used for a lot of practical purposes. But sometimes, this valuable plant gets problems like bending leaves, reflecting that it has been going through some stress.

  • The stress might be due to watering or lightning issues, container issues, and, at last, different diseases caused by bacteria and fungi.
  • The best thing about aloe vera is that you can treat all the problems unless your plant is not close to death.

I hope this post has cleared all your queries. If you still have any questions related to this topic, do not be shy to comment below. I will try my best to clear your query as early as possible.

Regards,
Moiz Atiq.