Potted Agave Parryi in Maryland Winter

[newtopalmsMD]

I have a small (5 inch across) agave parryi Flagstaff in a pot.  I am in MD zone 7a and have now discovered that wet winters are not good for this agave.  Should it be wintered indoors or should I keep it in a colder area like a garage? Eventually when it gets bigger I plan to plant it in the garden and build a small structure to cover it for the winter to keep out rain and snow.

Thanks for the advice

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 11/17/2018 at 5:03 AM, newtopalmsMD said:

I have a small (5 inch across) agave parryi Flagstaff in a pot.  I am in MD zone 7a and have now discovered that wet winters are not good for this agave.  Should it be wintered indoors or should I keep it in a colder area like a garage? Eventually when it gets bigger I plan to plant it in the garden and build a small structure to cover it for the winter to keep out rain and snow.

Thanks for the advice

Expand  

Indoors, by a window that gets some sun / bright light should be fine. While the Garage could work, i'd imagine it would start stretching out for more light since, unlike things like Desert Rose, or Plumeria which typically go fully dormant in the winter, Agave will keep on growing, albeit slower than in fall and spring. Water it only when the soil dries.

 Correct regarding these disliking wet.. cold / soaked feet during the winter.  While growing conditions are obviously different here than back your way, i have killed my share of Agave by thinking they might need regular water this time of year.. All of mine..and my potted Cacti get a drink roughly once every 4 weeks.. less / none if we get rain, and / or the weather stays cool. Soil here can retain moisture for weeks after a good soaking, esp. if in a shadier part of the yard, and /or temps stay cool.

When you plant it, provide a nice deep bed where the soil is gritty and will drain off excess moisture well. Don't plant in something heavy or leaning heavy in organics.. While placing a cover over it should help keep direct moisture off of it, moisture from any melting snow, or rainfall runoff soaking through the soil will work its way toward the roots regardless of whether it were covered or not. The stony soil they grow in is one reason they survive being covered in snow up in the mountains. 

Hope this helps...

Edited November 17, 2018 by Silas_Sancona
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[PalmatierMeg]

They are very sensitive to rot in humid climates. While A. parryi is cold hardy here, bountiful rainfall and high humidity in summer rotted all mine. I gave up on this species. You might want to look into Agave ovatifolia. Plant Delights in NC has found they survive cold rainy winters there fine. Mine laughs at winter here, sails through rainy season and always looks blue & pristine. I don't know its ultimate cold hardiness for your area but it has to be more forgiving than parryi. It's only drawback for you may be its ultimate size: 4' tall x 5' wide.