A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum Cacti and Succulents in the Garden Aloe vera growing/harvesting question.

Hi everyone!

I'm quite the researcher/lurker, but in my hours, and hours of studying the magnificent aloe plant, I am at the end of the rope trying to find some simple info out.
Although I LOVE growing aloe, it's not the main usage I have for the plant. I want to regularly harvest the leafs for health reasons.
As-is I have five "Mother" plants that aren't very mature (only 11-12" tall.) and I have been harvesting from these. However, my demand is starting to surpass my supply, and I'm afraid that I'll run out of the more potent-mature leafs, and be hurting the mothers by harvesting leaves that aren't ready yet, or aren't of the potency that I desire.

My solution is, purchase more mature plants, and just add those to my "supply" :P which is very exiting for me, however I'm kind of torn.

I want to leave my plants in the large pots they are in, allow them to grow very large, potent leaves, and then just harvest a little here & there, as they will have a larger quantity of leaves, and a higher concentration in each leaf.
However, as I've been harvesting the leafs, I confirmed/already knew that the removed leafs don't replenish, therefore the usable, growing leafs are left higher-up the plant, and it reveals a thin-bare "stem" of where it used to be full of structure-supporting leafs, making the plant top-heavy, and getting closer & closer to needing a chop & replant to avoid the plant straining under it's own weight.

So, is it worth it to leave them in very roomy pots? I can see, if the plant goes untouched that the roots would need more room, but in my situation, am I just wasting space, crossing my fingers that my plants will grow very mature, and never need to be uprooted/replanted, even though I am regularly using the leafs? If so, would planting them in smaller pots hinder them from growing large?

Starting to get a headache over-thinking this

TL;DR I need to produce a large amount of high-potency leafs, what is the best way to do this?

I have found that a young plant, left in a smallish pot, tends to put out offshoots as it gets rootbound. You end up with a lot of young plants crowded in a single pot.
In my part of California, my answer is to put them out into the yard somewhere for major growth. I have never been able to grow them larger in pots. And even in the yard I can cut some very large leaves. But the harvest will leave them top-heavy and awkward.

I need LOTS of advice about growing aloe. I like having one around for burns but I can't keep one alive.