Agave's spiky leaves make it a popular drought-tolerant plant. Here's how to care for an agave plant in your container garden.
There’s a good reason agave plant was given the unique nickname ‘century plant.’ These succulents flower just once in their lifetimes—anywhere from 7 to 50 years, depending on the species. But there’s much more to agave than its short-lived blooms. Here’s why you should add this drought tolerant plant to your container garden.
Grow Agave in Containers
Agave is a fuss-free container plant that thrives on sporadic watering. It can handle a variety of light exposures depending on the species, from full sun to filtered shade. In Zone 8 and above, most agave can be grown in the ground or in containers, year-round. (There are exceptions, so research your species ahead of time). Northern winters would be too severe for the succulent to handle, so gardeners in colder zones likely haven’t seen agave growing in landscapes.
But don’t despair, northern gardeners! If you want to grow agave in your garden, you can. Grow it as a potted agave plant—that way, you can easily move it indoors when winter temperatures arrive.
Agave Plant Light, Watering, Fertilizer
While agave is easy to grow, it has some special requirements when grown in containers. You’ll need a fast-draining potting mix formulated for succulents. An agave plant doesn’t like wet feet, and soggy soil can kill it.
Water only when the top inch of soil is completely dry. In hot, arid climates, water once a week in summer. In other climates, water once every two to three weeks (rainfall is typically sufficient). During spring and fall, watering every three to four weeks is usually enough. An agave plant seldom needs water in winter, but you can lightly water it once a month.
Like most container plants, agave needs to be fertilized. In late spring and summer, add an all-purpose (20-20-20) liquid fertilizer at half strength, once a month. In desert climates, add fertilizer in spring and fall, but skip fertilizing in the summer. Agave doesn’t need fertilizer in winter.
However, agave does need direct sun, especially when grown indoors. Place your container next to a west or south-facing window, where it will get plenty of sunlight.
Agave Plant Varieties
The variety of agave species is astounding. Some are thorny, while others have little to no thorns. Others have white margins on the leaves or leaf imprints. Agave with blue or gray coloring can be used to contrast with darker green plants in the landscape. Small agave can also make nice outdoor centerpieces on your patio table.
No matter your climate or plant zone, agave makes a great container plant. I’d recommend small-to-medium species like black-spined agave (Agave macroacantha), Victoria agave (Agave victoria-reginae), Agave colorata, Agave schidigera and my favorite: Agave parryi truncata.
When Do Agave Plants Bloom?
“I have a 2-year-old agave plant in a container that I put outdoors in the summer and bring inside for the winter. In mid-October it started a flower stalk, and by early January it was 9 feet tall and blooming. Is this unusual?” asks Birds & Blooms reader Cindy Kutz of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Horticultural expert Melinda Myers says, “What a nice surprise, as most agaves take years to mature and flower. Some varieties do bloom sooner, and botanists believe flowering is linked to the availability of water the year before flowering occurs. Unfortunately, the parent plant eventually dies once it finishes flowering.”
Agave Pups
Melinda says, “Some agaves form offsets, called pups, that can be removed to start new plants. Most form small plantlets on the flower stalk called bulbils. In the wild, these fall off the plant once the flowering is complete, to root in the surrounding soil. You can wait for them to fall off the plant or remove them with a gentle twist. Some gardeners allow them to callus over for a day or two in low light with good air flow to reduce the risk of rot during rooting. Plant the bulbils and pups in a well-drained cactus and succulent potting mix.”
About the Expert
Melinda Myers is the official gardening expert for Birds & Blooms. She is a TV/radio host, author and columnist who has written more than 20 gardening books. Melinda earned a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
