Aloe Blue Elf: Growing and Care

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Aloe Blue Elf is an attractive, popular landscape aloe. Aloes are native to South Africa. This dwarf hybrid grows from 6″ inch rosettes of blue-green leaves to a height and width of 2′ feet.

The Blue Elf Aloe plant is a horticultural hybrid. Blue Elf is a member of the aloe genus and the Asphodelaceae (formerly Xanthorrhoeaceae) family.

Aloe Blue Elf in BloomPin

This perennial cactus/succulent blooms in early winter to early spring.

Its botanical name is Aloe ‘Blue’ Elf, pronounced as [AL-o BLEW ELF]. Its other common names are blue elf aloe, California aloe, or blue boy.


Related: Check the Many Different Types of Aloe

Aloe Blue Elf Care

Aloe Blue Elf plants have a compact growth habit. They demand very little care and attention if grown under the right conditions.

Blue Elf can withstand heat, neglect, and drought with relative ease. But primary Aloe care such as pruning, fertilizing, and watering them will help them bloom best during their first year.

Size and Growth

This herbaceous perennial has low and dense growth and clumps to a width of 2′ feet and 18″ inches tall. It grows from January to March during warm weather.

The Aloe Blue Elf grows to form coral orange and red flower stalks. It grows in cold and hardy temperatures and can withstand temperatures as low as 25° degrees Fahrenheit.

Flowering and Fragrance

This plant flowers during late winter through early spring. Each plant in a clump produces a tall flower spike with colorful orange-red flowers. The showy spikes grow 18″-24″ inches tall in mid-winter.

Light and Temperature

It requires full sun to partial shade light to grow, and if it’s growing in a desert landscape can handle some reflected light and full sun. The temperature required for the growth of Aloe Blue Elf is 55° degrees Fahrenheit.

Like most types of succulents, this plant may not survive a hard frost. If there is a risk of freezing temperatures, bring them indoors to grow under a grow light or on a sunny window sill.

Like all aloe plants, Aloe Blue Elf requires sunlight to develop, but setting them in the full sun is harmful.

They are best positioned in a bright window but keep checking the leaves’ color to ensure the plant isn’t receiving too much sun. Brown, yellow, or wrinkled leaves are a sign there is too much light reaching your plant.



Watering and Feeding

This perennial succulent plant is drought tolerant and does not need regular watering. It can tolerate drought conditions for a limited period if you water them deeply once the soil dries out.

During the winter period, you should cut down on the watering.

Details: How Often To Water Aloe Plants

You can do supplemental irrigation for your Blue Aloe Elf during the hot, dry seasons. Water deeply once a month in summer and once every three weeks in fall and spring.

Increase watering to two times a week during drought periods or when there is a lot of heat. Then decrease watering to an inch per fortnight once established.

In low desert gardens, watering twice a month, from spring through fall, is okay.

Blue Aloe Elf adapts to sunny exposures with normal winter rains and low summer irrigation amounts.

During winter, the rains often provide enough moisture, so there is no need for irrigation as opposed to summer. Blue Elf Aloe can grow with varying water amounts.

Soil and Transplanting

Aloe Blue Elf is best grown in well-draining soil. If planting in a container, use a planting mix made for succulents and choose containers with drainage holes.

When planting in the ground, use succulent and cactus soil with good drainage. The ground should have 50% to 70% mineral grit to allow adequate drainage.

Grooming and Maintenance

Prune the Aloe Blue Elf’s dead flower heads in early spring. If the flowers have dried out, you can easily remove them by pulling them.

Water-wise, plants are low maintenance as they tolerate heat, sun, cold, and aridity.

Aloe Blue Elf is best suited for residential and commercial plantings and use in rock gardens and containers. To create a bold planting pattern, plant your aloes in large groupings.

Aloe plants are generally easy to care for, as long as you avoid overwatering. All they need is bright sunlight, infrequent water, and good drainage to prevent rotting.

How to Propagate Blue Elf Succulent Plants

Aloe plants can be grown from seed or propagated from suckers readily produced by the aloe mother plant.

Every two to three years, divide your Blue Elf aloe during the spring season, then dig down between the mother plant and the offshoots.

Use a sharp garden spade for efficiency as you sever the thick white offshoots that connect the root. Use the same growth and care conditions as the mother plant to transplant the offshoots.

Aloe Blue Elf Pests or Diseases

Like all aloe plants, this plant is susceptible to common indoor plant pests like scale and mealybugs. Such conditions as soft rot, root rot, leaf rot, and fungal stem rot can worsen or develop when you overwater your plant.