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How to Grow Agave

Agave make great feature plants and can be grown in the ground or in containers. They are very low maintenance and hardwearing plants. Their stiff leaves form large rosettes that may be up to 1m across. Most have spiky margins although the popular, fast-growing A. attenuata has smooth grey-green leaves. Flower spikes of agaves emerge from the centre of the plant, often reaching several metres high.

Full sun to part shade but protected from frosts

Infrequent deep watering as required in hot dry conditions

Well drained soil

Suitable for all climatic zones. Grown all year round.

How to grow agave in a garden

Step 1

Choose a sunny spot with well drained soil. Enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. In areas with heavy or clay soil, to help improve soil structure and drainage, add gypsum and mix in well.

Step 2

Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove the plant from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.

Step 3

Position in hole and backfill with soil, gently firming down. Form a raised or doughnut shaped ring of soil around the outer edge of the plant's root zone. This helps keep water where it's needed. Always water in well after planting to settle the soil around the roots and keep the soil moist for several weeks while the new plant establishes.

Step 4

Mulch around the base with organic mulch like bark chips, sugarcane or pea straw, keeping it away from the trunk.

Step 5

Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions.

Step 6

Feed in Autumn and Spring with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser to promote strong root development and healthy colourful foliage.

How to grow agave in a pot

Step 1

Pick a variety that can be grown in a pot. Choose a pot at least twice the width and depth of the rootball. Position in full sun.

Step 2

Fill chosen pot with quality potting mix, such as Yates Premium Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter. Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.

Step 3

Position in hole in centre of pot and backfill with potting mix, gently firming down. Water in well.

Step 4

Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions.

Step 5

Feed in Autumn and Spring with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser to promote strong root development and healthy colourful foliage.

Growing tips

Once an agave has flowered, the plant will slowly die but not before it has produced numerous offsets or suckers at the base that can be detached to start afresh.
A. americana was named 'century plant' because it was thought to live that long before producing a flower. However, the real time is more like twenty to thirty years. This species is plain green but there are some attractive forms striped cream or yellow. Creamy-yellow flower spokes may reach 4-6m in height.
An outstanding feature plant is the slow-growing Agave victoriae-reginae. Its dark-green leaves are attractively patterned in white, but the tips are very sharp.
Some agaves are frost-tolerant while others need warm conditions.
Some species have sharp spines on the leaf margins which can be dangerous.
Sap of some Agave species can be irritating to skin.
Leaves can be damaged by hail.
Suckers can be separated from the base anytime, and treated like large cuttings.
This information is from the Yates Garden Guide: fully revised & updated 44th edition, HarperCollins, $39.99. You can have this information and so much more at your fingertips by purchasing the Yates Garden Guide, available at all leading bookstores and Bunnings stores.