Repotting Young Agaves
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew are busy gathering all the tropical plants, so they can be moved into their designated heated greenhouses for the winter season. This is also a good time to do any repotting if necessary - and this year, we're transplanting some of my young agaves into larger containers.
Agave is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas. Many of them have elegant symmetrical rosettes made up of succulent, stiff and well-armed leaves with little or no stem. Some plants get up to 20-feet in diameter, while others grow only to dish-size. I love all agaves and have both large and small varieties in my collection. In fact, many of the plants started as offshoots, or pups, which were removed from adult specimens and replanted right in my greenhouse.
Enjoy these photos.
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- I love agaves and have a pretty large collection. Every summer, I take them out of the greenhouses and display them around the farm.
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- I collect interesting specimens in all different sizes.
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- They also come in a variety of different colors. The leaves range from pale green to blue-grey and can be variegated or striped, like this one.
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- I am especially fond of the blue agave. Do you know… tequila is distilled from the sap of the blue agave? Agave tequilana has sugars named agavins, mostly fructose, in the core of the plant that are suitable for the preparation of alcoholic beverages. In fact, the blue agave is an important economic product of Jalisco, Mexico, where tequila is produced.
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- Agave plants lend themselves well to container growing since their roots don’t mind being a bit crowded, but several of the younger specimens have outgrown their pots and need transplanting. Ryan and Jimmy removed all the agaves from their existing pots and placed them on this tarp. Using a tarp always makes cleanup much faster.
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- Agave leaves are fleshy and well-spiked.
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- Ryan gives the root ball some beneficial scarifying cuts. Never be afraid to give the roots a good trimming – succulents are very forgiving. And, scarifying stimulates more root growth. Do this whenever transplanting any plant.
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- Ryan uses his hori-hori knife. A hori-hori, sometimes referred to as a “soil knife” or a “weeding knife”, is a heavy serrated multi-purpose steel blade for gardening. The blade is sharp on both sides and comes to a semi-sharp point at the end.
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- Repotting is a good time to also check any plant for damaged, unwanted or rotting leaves as well as any pests that may be hiding in the soil. Ryan cuts off one leaf from this agave, but overall, it is very healthy. When cutting, grip the leaf and hold it away from the rest of the foliage and carefully cut through at the base.
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- Here is where the fleshy agave leaf was cut.
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- Agaves often produce small plant offsets around the base of the parent plant. These perfectly formed miniature plants eventually grow into full-size plants. This baby will be replanted and kept in my main greenhouse until it is more mature.
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- Here, Jimmy fills half the pot with soil. Agaves grown in pots need a soil that will dry out slowly but offer good drainage. Use a potting mix of equal parts compost and soil. Do not use peat moss; its acidity and its water-holding properties are not desirable for growing agaves.
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- Jimmy lines up several half filled pots near the plants ready to be repotted. Working in an assembly line fashion is a good way to get the task done if there are many to do.
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- This agave will be very happy in its new container. These agaves were removed from one-gallon pots and will be transplanted into two gallon pots. A rule of thumb when determining what size is good for transplanting – look for a pot that is about two inches larger than the plant’s diameter.
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- And always plant agaves so that the crown is well above the soil line and will stay that way when the soil subsides after watering.
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- Jimmy fills in the pot with more soil, but never overfill – only place potting mix until the bottom of the pot’s rim, so the soil does not spill out when it is watered. This also makes it much easier to lift and carry.
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- By the afternoon, this entire group of agaves was done and ready to store.
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- Ryan gives each agave a sprinkling of fertilizer – never forget to feed. It is very important. If you eat, so should your plants.
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- Use a fertilizer that is specially formulated for succulents – a slow-release granule type food will make nutrients available for up to two months.
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- These agaves will be very happy in the hoop house for the winter where they will get plenty of light. Potted agave plants will need to be repotted every other year or so to replenish the soil and root prune the plant. Here they are all lined up on a shelf in the greenhouse, where they will remain for the next seven months.
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- Outside, there is still so much more to be moved and stored. Wait until you see all the plants we fit into these hoop houses. I’ll be sure to show you photos.
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