Germination and growth performance of Aloe turkanensis and Aloe secundflora under different substrates

Income generated from indigenous Aloe sap tapping has been a source of livelihoods to most communities in drylands of Kenya. Most of the Aloe leaf harvesting takes place in the wild, threatening the natural Aloe populations. This calls for establishment of Aloe plantations as alternative source of sustainable sap tapping. Currently there is lack of information on propagation methods of commercial indigenous Aloes in Kenya. Investigation undertaken to establish Aloe propagation methods showed that different factors determine Aloe germination and growth which need to be considered in Aloe propagation. The effectiveness of the different substrates used is reported.