What Agaves are you growing?

[Ben Candlin]

As in the title!

So, what species are you growing? I've been growing Agaves for quite a few years - fantastic plants.

I've summarised my experiences below. I have several others that have so far eluded positive identification.

For me:

A. americana
A. americana var. 'marginata'
Both have proven to be tough - the non-variaged variety more so. Pups readily. Grows rapidly (for an agave!).

A. macracantha
Beautiful. Another tough plant, but dislikes wet more the americana. Does not pub so frequently.

A. tequilana
Just as tough as americana. Impressive plant - leaves longer and thinner than americana. The biggest one (2foot or more in hight) was covered in snow which froze last winter turning the leaves to mush.The growing point survived and it continues to grow despite a rather disfigured appearance.

Agave filifera
Not pupped after a good 5 or 6 years of growing this. Survived numerous winters in greenhouse.

Agave victoriae-reginae
Not tried this outside over winter. Compact enough to bring in anyway.

Agave stricta
Lovely, but lost it when it got left out last year.

Agave bracteosa
Not hardy at all - unusual appearance for an agave.

[Mick C]

I'm a bit surprised that you have found A bracteosa to be so tender Ben. Definitely agree that it hardly looks like an agave at all, more like an aloe really, but a small one here was barely touched by the cold last year, while a couple of (much bigger) americanas lost about 40% of their leaves, and a similar sized A filifera pegged it.

All were outside, covered by a plastic greenhouse, and close to each other.

[Ben Candlin]

Hi Mick, thats interesting about A. bracteosa. We have lost this left out in an unheated greenhouse - I had assumed it was the cold. I'm tempted to experiment again now!

[Mick C]

It certainly surprised me Ben, it doesn't look at all hardy and I thought it would be the first to go. I fact it was A filifera which died - other people have reported this as being hardy. Maybe it's just down to individual plants.

[MonkeyDavid]

All my agaves are over wintered in a unheated greenhouse (min temp reached -5) without any water from october to at least the end of march. Out of the americana's the plain blue is supposed to be the hardiest, the yellow varigated supposedly to around -7ish.(dry) The only one i've had a problem with (last year & this) is the medio picta alba, in which the white centre stripe in the centre of the leaf has started to blacken at around -4, although each time i've been able to rescue it without damage. I also have a franszosini, ferox, montana & 2 others i can't remember for toffee which have come through winters fine

[smurnan]

All my agave are in a glasshouse that doesn't drop below 6C so I don't get a problem with cold. Because I use HID lighting as well I water throughout the year although only once every 4 weeks in winter.

Agaves currently growing :-
Parryi Truncata
Parryi Cream Spike
Guiengola Creme Brulee
Schidigera Shira ito no Ohi
Weberi Arizona Star
Schidigera Black Widow
Cupreata
Ovatifolia
Asperrima
Victoriae Reginae
Victoriae Reginae variegated
Havardiana
Montana
Parryi J.C. Raulston
Potatorum Kichijokan Several differing types
Montana
Lophantha Quadricolour
Isthmnesis several variegated types
Americana standard and 3 variegated types
Blue Glow
Funkiana Blue Haze
Parryi ssp Parryi
Cornelius variegated
Burnt Burgundy
Attenuata Raeas Gold
Attenuata Kara's Stripes
Chrysantha
Gentryi
Striata
Utahensis
To name but a few. I've probably got more than this but this is off the top of my head. You are probabaly getting the idea I like agaves buy now:roll:
Cheers,
Steve

[dave2166]

not quite as extensive as Steve (well some of them are his !!!))

AGAVE Americana Blue
AGAVE Americana Variegata
AGAVE Americana Variegata
AGAVE Attenuata Blue Glow
AGAVE Attenuata Raea's Gold
AGAVE Attenuata Swan Neck
AGAVE Broomii
AGAVE Celsii Multicolor
AGAVE Chiapensis
AGAVE Desertii
AGAVE fatal attraction
AGAVE Ferox
AGAVE filifera
AGAVE Funkiana
AGAVE funkiana 'Fatal Attraction'
AGAVE geminiflora
AGAVE guiengola
AGAVE Horrida v perotensis
AGAVE Istimensis OHI mediopicta alba var
AGAVE Kichiokan var
AGAVE macroacantha
AGAVE manfreda "Blood spot"
AGAVE Macho Mocha
AGAVE Mitsii
AGAVE Montana
AGAVE Neomexicana
AGAVE parrasana
AGAVE Parryii
AGAVE Potatorum kichijokan
AGAVE Potatorum "Verschaffeltii"
AGAVE Ghiesbreghtii
AGAVE Quadricolor
AGAVE scabra
AGAVE Schidigera Black Widow
AGAVE toumeyana
AGAVE verschaffeltii

and from seed, and only just getting of the ground really

AGAVE Attenuata Swans Neck
AGAVE Cerulata
AGAVE Congesta
AGAVE filifera ssp schidigera
AGAVE Flexispina
AGAVE Ghiesbreghtii
AGAVE Horrida Perotensis
AGAVE Istmensis
AGAVE multifilifera
AGAVE neomexicana
AGAVE Parrasana
AGAVE Parryi
AGAVE Stricta Rubra
AGAVE Titanota
AGAVE triangularis
AGAVE utahensis var. nevadensis “Dwarf Agave”
AGAVE Victoria Reginae
AGAVE xylonacantha

become a "bit" obsessive about them since i got a greenhouse last year

[smurnan]

That's a collection coming on there Dave

Did your Raeas Gold and Kichijokan turn up in this mornings post ?

[dave2166]

yes thanks, all potted up...

[smurnan]

Good news Dave. I was concerned about the temperatures especially for the Raea's Gold as they are probably the most delicate agave I've ever grown.
Ones I forgot that just sprung to mind:-

Celsii Multicolour
Demetiana Joe Hoak
Potatorum minature form variegated
Potatorum striped
Pachycentra
Macrocantha
Durangensis
Parryi Patonii

I really must make a list

[Davey]

The only one i've had a problem with (last year & this) is the medio picta alba, in which the white centre stripe in the centre of the leaf has started to blacken at around -4, although each time i've been able to rescue it without damage.

Monkey Dave, yep same experience with the picta alba, -4 it started to blacken, but able to recover when I raised the temp a bit. It is still housed in a cold greenhouse. Can't wait to spring time to start clearing out the greenhouse.

[smurnan]

You need to remember a variegate of any agave is considerably less hardy than its normal form. To recover a medio picta alba from those temperatures is good going. I've lost them at less than that.

[Chalk Brow]

americana
a. marginata
a. medio-picta
a. striata
angustifolia marginata
applanata
asperima
attenuata
celsii albicans
cerulata
chiapenisi
chrysantha
colorata
delamateri
deserti
desmettiana
filifera
f. 'Durando Delight'
f. variegata
flexispina
guadalajara
guiengola
hiemfiflora
hurteri
lophantha latifolia
macroacantha
montana
neomexicana
nigra ~ victoria-regina x scabra
oroensis
ovatifolia
palmeri
parrasana
parryi
p. patani
p. huachucensis
p. couseii
pendunculifera
polyacantha xalapensis
potatorum
p. potatorum
p. 'Kichiokan'
pumila
pygmae
romanii
scabra
schottii
sebastiana
seemaniana
stricta rubra
utahensis utahensis
verschaffeltii
victoria-regina marginata pillida
victoria-regina

. . . plus four or five lost label

All but several A. americana are kept in the greenhouse through winter, but most spend their summers outside. The greenhouse is kept to a minimum of about 4C, although due to an electrical failure following the upgrading of our fuse box, on three or four nights it dropped below that, one night to -1C, but this does not seem to have any detrimental effect on anything in the greenhouse.

Several agaves have been grown from seed, including some which I will be planting out eventually such as A. parryi and A. montanta.

[smurnan]

Grenville,
Another good collection

My montana's have survived this winter outdoors with temperatures down to -12C where as my americana's have taken a real battering and I think I've lost at least two of them.
I'm hearing good reports of gentryi and havardiana standing up well to UK conditions as well.
Steve

[Dave Brown]

I have about 20 up in the poly. I'll have to look at the labels to see what they are. I have a 160W mercury lamp that comes on during low rate leccy from 2am to 8am. The temp is kept frost free 1.3C but fell below that before I put the heater up there min was -1.9C. They all look far better than they did in my unheated, gloomy, packed covered bit last winter.

I also have several left outside including to small ones from Akamba last year which they said were not hardy, but seem two have coped with -5.6C. Only one looks dodgy, and that is A. v something shafti..... I'm hopless with plant names