Have you ever wondered how much it costs to buy an aloe vera plant? Aloe veras are popular houseplants and they have a lot of uses, but are they expensive to buy?
On the whole, aloe vera plants are very inexpensive, especially if you buy a small plant and let it grow yourself. Because these plants are easy to propagate, they tend to be readily available. An aloe vera might cost as little as $1 in a local nursery or retailer, although it could cost more, and a large plant may be around $20 or so.
Understanding what you are likely to pay for an aloe vera makes it easier to purchase one at a reasonable price, so let’s find out more about why these plants are inexpensive and how much they tend to be.
How Much Does An Aloe Vera Plant Cost?
Aloe vera plants tend to be pretty cheap, as mentioned above. You may be able to pick them up for around $1 or $2, provided you are happy to buy a small plant and grow it at home. Larger plants, however, are likely to cost more, as retailers need to invest time, energy, and resources into them. You are likely to pay more if the plant:
- Is larger than a few centimeters
- Is a particularly pretty or unusual variety
- Comes in a fancy pot
- Has to be shipped from far away, or there is unusually high demand in your area
Many retailers charge significantly more for a large aloe vera, so if you want one over 12 inches tall, you need to be prepared to pay for it. It is more cost-effective to grow the plant to a good size yourself, and it usually only takes 3 or 4 years for a small plant to become a full-sized adult.
Often, your best option is to buy a baby, or a medium-sized plant and let it grow. However, if you plan to use the aloe vera for medicine or if you want a large plant quickly, you should buy an adult plant.
It can be cheaper to purchase the plant online, but remember that you will then incur shipping costs and that plants can be difficult to ship. There are a lot of stories online about plants damaged during the shipping process, and an aloe vera has brittle leaves that snap easily – making it difficult to mail.
Why Are Aloe Vera Plants Cheap?
You might be wondering why an aloe vera doesn’t cost very much, especially compared with some rarer succulents. It is, after all, a highly sought-after plant that has uses in healing, and has become very trendy to own.
The answer is that aloe vera plants tend to be easy to look after and very easy to propagate. Retailers do not incur high costs in breeding these plants because they will tolerate drought and reasonably harsh conditions pretty well, and they are robust.
They readily produce pups that can be potted up and used to create more plants. This means that there is generally a constant supply of aloe vera plants, and this drives prices down. The combination of easy care and easy production means that retailers can afford to sell their plants cheaply.
How Much Do Aloe Vera Seeds Cost?
This will depend heavily on where you source the seeds from, but on the whole, aloe vera seeds cost between $5 and $10 for a packet of 25 seeds.
This can be a cheap way to get lots of aloe vera plants, but you should be aware that these plants are much easier to grow when they are taken from cuttings, rather than raised from seeds.
You may want to buy and grow young plants, rather than starting completely from scratch. Remember that while the price may look good, the seeds may not all germinate; even if they do, they will take years to form large plants.
Where Can I Buy An Aloe Vera Plant?
Because they are so popular, aloe vera plants aren’t hard to find. Your local nursery will probably have some available, and you may also see them in local supermarkets. Stores like Lowe’s may have the plants in, and Ikea also often stocks them.
You can buy aloe vera plants online from a wide variety of retailers, including plant specialists and general stores such as:
- proflowers – a 9-inch aloe vera may be around 35$.
- bloomscape – a 10 to 16-inch hedgehog aloe for around 39$.
- Garden Goods Direct – a 6-inch plant can cost you about 19$.
- Public Goods – an 8 to 12-inch plant costs about 20$.
- The Home Depot – an aloe vera from 20$.
- Amazon – you can get a small plant from 7$.
Remember to account for shipping costs when looking at online prices.
Conclusion
Aloe vera plants are usually cheap, although you may be paying around $20 or more for a large plant. If you are happy to raise a baby plant, you can get them for as little as $1 or $2 each, which is ideal if you want a lot of them.