However, because agaves usually have very long and not generally dense roots you probably will find that the soil will fall off and leave you with a mostly bare root plant. That's O.K., agaves don't mind being bare-rooted.
It seems a little brutal but you just cut it off as low as you can go! Dig a hole that's as deep as the cut off stem, drop it in with a bit of osmocote and Voilá! Ready for another 5 years of looking great.
Agaves require little attention to thrive. Water the plant every 4-5 days for the first month or two. After established, agaves need only be watered 2-3 times a month in summer, or more if you're in a low desert location.
Agave plants prefer a spot with full sun, but they can tolerate a little shade. The hotter the climate is, the more shade they can handle.
Blue American Agave Plant Agave americana. Regular price $99.95.
The plants require little care most of the time, although they benefit from occasional trimming to improve their overall appearance. However, agaves resent heavy pruning and can die back if you remove healthy leaves, so it is best to only remove the spent flower stalks and any damaged or dead leaves that appear.
It blooms only once, sending up a 15 to 20 foot tall spike of golden yellow flowers. The flowers are followed by seed capsules and bulbils (baby plants). As with all other agave species, octopus agave will die after flowering.
Insert the shovel blade into the soil around the outer perimeter of the root zone, working around the plant until the soil is loosened. Slide the shovel under the root system and pry the agave out of the ground. After lifting the agave, dust any exposed wounds with sulfur powder to ward off infection.
Agave is a type of succulent, commonly confused with cactus. Remember the rule that all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. The main difference between agaves and cacti is the presence of leaves, cacti do not have them, while agaves do.
How to Move Your Garden Without Killing Your Plants
- If you are able, choose the season you move.
- Mark where everything is going to go first.
- Pot, bucket or burlap: get the transportation ready.
- Use a special watering schedule for soon to be in-transit plants.
- Trim excess stems.
- Dig up using the drip line.
- Re-plant (the right way).
- Reduce stress on the plants.
Toxicity. Agave has a toxic sap that immediately causes pain and burning upon contact with skin. Exposed skin may also be sensitive to sunlight. If ingested, the saponin in the agave plant can have serious consequences including kidney and liver damage.
Dig down and around the agave with a shovel, going about 8 to 12 inches deep. Cut the shovel into the ground in an arc toward the center of the agave. When the root ball is loose, lift it out of the ground. You can also separate the root ball into more manageable sections so you can more easily lift it out of the soil.
Agaves need full sun and gritty soil that percolates easily. They can even do quite well when potted but use an unglazed clay pot that will allow evaporation of excess moisture. Water needs are moderate to light depending upon the heat of the season but the plants should be allowed to dry out before irrigation.
The first distillation process takes place in steel distillation columns, during which water is removed and alcohol is concentrated from fermented agave juice. The second distillation takes place in stills to obtain tequila with a range of 55-65% alcohol, depending on the brand.
American agave plants are known for their fairly fatalistic life cycles: live, die, repeat. After blooming, the plants are expected to die shortly thereafter, usually leaving behind clones of themselves in the form of seeds.
Agave can be exceptional houseplants, depending on which one you buy. As a desert plant, agave appreciates direct, abundant sunlight, and light water. The plants are slow-growing, so even specimens that grow into large plants can be kept inside for a period of time before they outgrow the room.
