Aloe juvenna
While aloe vera is decidedly the most famous species in the Aloe genus, there are so many others out there that make fantastic houseplants.
Take the tiger tooth aloe (A. juvenna), for example. It has long stems made up of stacked rosettes of spiky little leaves, giving it a unique appearance.
In the garden or sitting on your kitchen table, it’s going to draw comments and compliments.
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Tiger tooth aloe is the perfect plant for anyone who wants a succulent that they don’t have to fuss over but will give them lots of visual bang for relatively little maintenance buck.
If you want a general overview of growing plants in the Aloe genus, check out our guide.
Up ahead, we’ll discuss where the tiger tooth aloe comes from and help you become familiar with the plant and how to care for it.
Here’s what I’ll cover:
Cultivation and History
Tiger tooth aloe is indigenous to a small part of southwestern Kenya and a corner of Tanzania, but it’s rarely seen in the wild.
That might come as a surprise since it’s pretty common in cultivation today.
How this species traveled from a small patch of eastern Africa to nurseries around the globe is a big mystery. Experts didn’t even know it was from East Africa until the 1970s when genetic testing revealed its origins.
Until that point, people speculated that maybe this succulent was some sort of hawthoria hybrid or an Astroloba species or maybe even a jewel (A. distans) hybrid.
Botanists were so confused that some even postulated that it was a juvenile plant of an unidentified member of this genus, hence the binomial A. juvenna.
When researchers identified its probable origin, they headed to Kenya and found specimens in the southwestern mountains, where it grows at high altitudes.
This species is sometimes confused with variegated tiger aloe (Gonialoe variegata) but they’re different plants.
A. juvenna will reach up to a foot tall and wide, and sends out several stems covered in tooth-like leaves.
Each leaf has white spots and spiny edges, though they aren’t sharp. This is definitely a plant with more bark than bite.
They can tolerate some cold temperatures, down to 20°F, and are hardy in Zones 9 to 11. Elsewhere, A. juvenna can be grown as a houseplant.
Tiger Tooth Aloe Propagation
Growing tiger tooth aloe from seed isn’t the easiest or most reliable process, but that’s okay because there are other methods.
If you’d like to go the seed route, we have a guide to help you out.
My personal favorite is to propagate tiger tooth aloe via offshoots, so let’s cover that first.
From Offshoots
Most Aloe species produce little babies known as offshoots or pups.
These are genetic replicas of the parent plant and can be gently detached from the parent and planted in their own pot or area of the garden.
You can divide the pups anytime they are large enough. Wait until you see pups developing around the base of the parent plant.
Initially they will just look like small leaves slightly separate from the main plant.
The offsets share a root system with the parent, so you need to carefully detach them by digging down next to the pup, finding the roots, and gently pulling the offset away.
Take care to include some of the roots. Plant the pup in a new spot in the garden or in a four-inch pot filled with cactus and succulent potting soil.
You can learn more about how to divide aloes in our guide.
From Leaf Cuttings
Tiger tooth aloe doesn’t take as well from cuttings as some other species in this genus, but you can still try this propagation method.
This process involves snipping away a leaf and placing it in a loose medium to root.
Rather than cutting the leaf itself, I recommend peeling the leaves off of the plant.
You can learn more about this process in our guide to propagating aloes.
How to Grow Tiger Tooth Aloe
If you’re familiar with growing succulents or other species in this genus, you’re already ahead of the game. Tiger tooth aloes have similar cultural requirements to many other succulents.
Plant them in full sun or partial shade. In hot climates, it’s best to provide some shade in the afternoon.
If you’re growing them inside, make sure the plants receive four or more hours of direct sun, and the rest bright, indirect light. They will tolerate lower light, but that doesn’t mean it’s ideal.
Indoors, that translates to keeping the pot near an east- or south-facing window.
When mildly stressed by either lots of sun or cool temperatures, the leaves will take on a reddish-purple hue. The creamy white spots are more prominent in bright sun, too.
Your plant will bloom in winter with reddish, yellow, orange blossoms which attract hummingbirds.
Typically, only plants growing outside will bloom, but houseplants provided with enough sun may do so as well.
When planting in the ground, choose an area of your landscape with sandy, loose soil. Clay won’t do.
For container gardening, choose a commercial cactus and succulent mix. These are formulated to be light and loose, and they won’t retain too much water.
Tank’s-Pro Cactus and Succulent mix is an excellent product that has always worked well for me. I use it for everything from succulents to bromeliads.
Tank’s-Pro Cactus and Succulent Mix
It’s made from pumice, compost, and coco chips, providing the perfect texture. You can find one-and-a-half cubic foot bags available from Arbico Organics.
Alternatively you can try making your own succulent potting soil.
Allow the soil to dry completely for at least a week before watering. When you do water, lightly moisten the soil but don’t make it soggy.
Wet soil will kill your tiger tooth faster than just about anything else. I’d venture to guess that overwatering has been the cause of the majority of murdered succulents out there.
Like other aloes, tiger tooth doesn’t need a lot of feeding. Outdoor plants don’t need to be fertilized at all.
Those grown inside as houseplants should be fed twice per year with a succulent-specific, slow-release fertilizer.
There are lots of good options out there, such as The Grow Co.’s cactus and succulent food, which feeds for up to six months.
The Grow Co. Succulent and Cactus Plant Food
It’s balanced just right for succulent plants. Pick up five ounces of granules via Amazon.
Learn more about how to fertilize aloes in our guide.
Growing Tips
- Grow in full sun or provide at least 4 hours of direct light indoors.
- Plant in light, loose, well-draining soil or potting mix.
- Allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings.
Maintenance
Maintenance consists of removing any leaves that are damaged, diseased, or dying.
Anytime a leaf turns yellow, breaks, or otherwise looks unhealthy, prune it off with a pair of sharp, sanitized pruners, scissors, or a knife as close to the base as you can.
Otherwise, you might need to increase the container size once or twice during the plant’s lifetime.
Since they don’t grow very large, you won’t have to do this often but you will want to move up one pot size if it seems like the plant has stopped growing or appears to be root bound.
Even if you’re not going up a pot size, it’s a good idea to refresh the potting medium every few years.
To repot, put a layer of potting medium in the base of a slightly larger pot. Remove the tiger tooth aloe from its existing container, and set it in the new vessel.
Fill around the roots with potting medium. The plant should be sitting at the same depth it was in the previous container.
Learn more about the process in our guide to repotting and transplanting aloe.
Where to Buy
Many nurseries will carry tiger tooth aloe, as it’s a fairly popular plant.
Just remember to double, triple, and quadruple check the scientific name to be sure that you’re buying A. juvenna and not one of the other, similar-looking plants.
Online, many retailers stock it. For example, you can find live plants in two-inch pots available at Walmart.
Managing Pests and Disease
So long as you don’t overwater and regularly inspect your plants for signs of trouble, you shouldn’t have to worry much about pests and diseases.
But you should know what to watch for. Let’s talk about those unwelcome visitors, first.
Pests
Aphids and spider mites are your biggest concerns on houseplants. Add to that agave weevils if you grow your succulent outdoors.
Aphids are common on all kinds of houseplants, so you’ve likely heard of these tiny sapsuckers, if not actually done battle with them before.
Our guide to eradicating aphids will help you sort out an infestation, which can generally be done with some mild insecticide or even a strong stream of water.
Even more common than aphids, at least for me, is spider mites.
These tick relatives also use their sucking mouthparts to feed on the sap of plants. Because they thrive in warm, dry conditions, they’re particularly fond of succulents.
The mites themselves are tiny, so you’ll probably notice the webbing they leave behind, first.
When enough of them are feeding, they’ll cause the leaves to turn mottled yellow and the plant’s growth might even be stunted.
You can address them the same way you would aphids, and you can learn more in our guide to managing spider mites.
Agave weevils (Scyphophorus acupunctatus) are less common than spider mites or aphids but they present a much bigger danger to your tiger tooth aloe.
The adult beetle is about half an inch long and dark brownish-black. The female lays her eggs in the leaves of aloe by digging a hole near the base and depositing the eggs.
Not only does this leave the plant open to fungal and bacterial infestations, but the larvae will feed on the dying tissue as they mature.
Inevitably, the leaf will collapse, followed by the rest of the plant if you don’t catch it fast enough.
If you see a small hole at the base of the leaf, with or without dark rot around it, immediately cut the entire leaf off. It’s better to assume that an agave beetle has laid eggs in there than to wait until it’s too late.
You should also apply a broad-spectrum insecticide anytime you see adult beetles hanging out on your tiger tooth aloes in the springtime.
A spinosad-based spray like Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew is very effective.
You can purchase it at Arbico Organics in 32-ounce ready-to-use spray bottles, 32-ounce hose-ends, and 16- or 32-ounce concentrate.
Disease
Rot is the biggest disease issue you’re going to face, but you might also encounter rust.
Root rot is an extremely common problem in all houseplants, especially if you tend to be heavy-handed with the water.
No judgement, when I started out, I kept killing houseplants with kindness.
In those days I watered on a strict schedule and never bothered to check the soil moisture level. You can use a soil moisture meter to be sure it’s time to water before reaching for the watering can.
You can learn more about root rot in houseplants and how to avoid it in our guide.
Aloe rust is another problem, though it’s not commonly seen. This disease is caused by the fungal pathogen, Phakopsora pachyrhizi, and while it rarely kills a plant, it’s kind of ugly.
It creates rust-orange patches of spores all over the plant.
Fortunately, aloe rust is easily controlled with copper fungicide. Spray the plant every three or four weeks until the symptoms subside.
If you don’t keep copper fungicide in your gardening toolkit, you should. It’s extremely useful to have around because it can treat so many different fungal diseases.
Pick up a 32-ounce ready to spray bottle or 16-ounce concentrate at Arbico Organics.
Best Uses for Tiger Tooth Aloe
Since they are drought-tolerant and enjoy warm temperatures, these plants are perfect for xeriscaping.
Indoors, it’s a marvelous houseplant that requires hardly any maintenance.
It’s a fun addition to succulent planters and might even look nice in a succulent fairy garden.
Quick Reference Growing Guide
| Plant Type: | Herbaceous succulent | Flower / Foliage Color: | Pink, coral, orange/green, cream |
| Native to: | Kenya, Tanzania | Maintenance | Low |
| Hardiness (USDA Zone): | 9-11 | Tolerance: | Drought, heat, brief freeze |
| Bloom Time: | Winter | Soil Type: | Cactus and succulent potting soil, loose, light |
| Time to Maturity: | 3 years | Soil pH: | 6.0-8.0 |
| Exposure: | Full to part sun | Soil Drainage: | Well-draining |
| Spacing: | 12 inches | Companion Planting: | Agave, cacti, hens and chicks |
| Planting Depth: | Same depth as growing container | Avoid Planting With: | Moisture-loving plants |
| Height: | 12 inches | Uses: | Hummingbird or pollinator garden, houseplant, xeric gardens |
| Spread: | 12 inches | Family: | Asphodelaceae |
| Water Needs: | Low | Genus: | Aloe |
| Common Pests and Diseases: | Agave weevils, aphids, spider mites; Aloe rust, root rot | Species: | Juvenna |
A Beautiful Aloe That Bites Back
Tiger teeth sound imposing, but this aloe is decidedly not. It’s an attractive option for houseplant enthusiasts and xeric gardeners alike.
It has that easygoing aloe nature with the added bonus of the eye-catching leaves.
What do you love most about this plant? Is it the spiky leaves? Or that you can practically plant and forget it? Let us know in the comments section below! And if you have any questions, ask away!
And for more information about growing aloe in your home or landscape, add these guides to your reading list next:
