When to put Agaves into dry places for the Winter?

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Adam D
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When to put Agaves into dry places for the Winter?

Post by Adam D »

Hello,

I have a few outside Agaves (parryi, striata and stricta) and I am wondering when to move them and put them out of the oncoming wet and cold.

I have left my parryi outside for the last 3 winters and it has done fine.

However, I am more concerned about my striata and stricta. I have a bright, but sunless and dry position to put them in (which they survived last winter), but the question is when?

I guess it very much depends on the weather over the next month or two.

Any advice would be welcome.
telipogon

Re: When to put Agaves into dry places for the Winter?

Post by telipogon »

Even striata might be ok left as is but if in doubt i would wait till the first air frost is forecast then think about moving them. All mine are still outside, even geminiflora, today being October 1st.
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Dave Brown
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Re: When to put Agaves into dry places for the Winter?

Post by Dave Brown »

Hi Adam it depends on the Agave species, but here Agave attenuata, one of the most tender, survived a couple of degrees of frost before I lost my nerve last winter. It was probably good that I did with the winter that followed :roll: Once they close down for winter they won't need bright sunlight, and in fact I had some Cacti that scortched last winter in Feb. The ideal would be to give a rainshelter where they grow in summer but if not possible move them when the cold is forecast as Telipogon suggested.

For protection of small Agave americana I impale newspaper over the spikes on cold nights but I don't get as much rainfall as you in an average winter. I bought a set of plactic dumbells, not for Agaves here, but if you raise them off the ground on bricks to allow airflow they would act as a rainshelter :wink:
Best regards
Dave
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