Agave Americana Variegata Progress in Ground

[TropicsEnjoyer]

I recently rescued a young agave from HD. It looked a bit rough but for 12$ it was decent size and had like 5 pups so i justified it. Anyway, it shortly after went in ground as I wanted to take advantage of the remaining warm weather before winter. Hoping to be able to keep this thread updating occasionally. 

Planted 10/27/2024

Today, new leaf open (11/8/2024)

It’s gonna get chilly next week but hope it tolerates it well. 

[TropicsEnjoyer]

Sooo after last night/this morning’s frosty freeze my little agave isn’t looking too happy. I think I overestimated its hardiness. Some of the leaves are a bit mushy, but luckily the spear/growth point is still solid. I am putting a bucket over it tonight for good measure. Here’s what it looked like this afternoon 🫤:

[Merlyn]

@TropicsEnjoyer yeah I noted "edema" on many of my agaves after cold nights.  A bucket will help keep the frost off, just be sure to pull the bucket off in the morning.  Otherwise the sun can easily cook a plant inside a box or bucket. 

[TropicsEnjoyer]

2 hours ago, Merlyn said:

just be sure to pull the bucket off in the morning. 

yeah I did. I want it to get sun of course!

you think I should do it daily given my night/morning lows are in the low to high 30s? I want this little thing to live a good long life. 

[TropicsEnjoyer]

So uhh it’s not looking too great now, the leaves are like juicy. Pic from literally 5 mins ago: 

I might have to use xmas lights tomorrow.

[Merlyn]

@TropicsEnjoyer I'm guessing it's got too much water, either from recent rains or maybe too much moisture retention in the mulch?  Temps in the mid 30s shouldn't affect that species, at least I haven't noticed a problem in my yard.  I'd let it dry out as much as possible, maybe brush a little of the mulch away from the base to help dry the caudex.  Mulch + agaves = death in my experience.  I built a couple of agave beds with fast draining sand, perlite, and topped with lava rock or granite.  For example, this is my center rear bed area, raised about 3 inches from the surrounding area:

Angustifolia are probably ok in mulched areas when they are bigger.  This area is also somewhat raised and pure native sand:

Angustifolia/Vivipara are fairly water tolerant, but the achilles heel of almost all agaves is water during the winter.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

@Merlynthis might be a bit rash but should i maybe dig it out?

[SeanK]

Agaves are tricky east of the MS River.

I've seen some planted in compacted clay do OK. Mostly though, they need super fast draining soil. They soak up water like sponges, so if it's below 85°, they can rot.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

Alright well considering that my weather isn’t gonna get any better for the next week and a half and the fact that it could also rain, I dug it out. Really only had a bit of new roots and one thick root holding it in place. Hoping it can recover in shelter and be strong enough to plant in spring.

[Silas_Sancona]

5 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Temps in the mid 30s shouldn't affect that species

I'm questioning the ID on this one...  A.  americana  -and the various clones of it-  are seen everywhere here and in CA  and handle a night  ..or 15.. in the mid /low 30s w/ out issue.  Couldn't survive in places like the cold spots around Tucson / places in zone 8B if it were really cold sensitive.  https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/64103-Agave-americana

Have observed feral pops growing near all year water sources as well ..so consistently moist soil shouldn't bother this sp. either.





 

[TropicsEnjoyer]

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

I'm questioning the ID on this one...  A.  americana 

Tbh I am too. I only went with it bc like 2 diff plant ID apps said that. However as merlyn and now you said, I too believe that an americana would not be so unhappy. I bought it at HD and it had no species on the label, literally just said succulent cactus 😂. And I also expected the leaves to be a lot rougher, this one has smooth leaves and the spines/serrations are pretty weakly attached and break off easily. Whatever it is though, I might find out given a bit of time. Now I especially don’t want to lose this plant haha.

[Merlyn]

@Silas_Sancona and @TropicsEnjoyer yep you are right.  I didn't really look at the leaf shape and size.  It looks like a "Celsii Multicolor" that is super stretched out.  I have several here and they are not very cold or frost hardy.  They do okay under "bright canopy" with frost protection.  Repotting it seems like a good idea.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

1 hour ago, Merlyn said:

@Silas_Sancona and @TropicsEnjoyer yep you are right.  I didn't really look at the leaf shape and size.  It looks like a "Celsii Multicolor" that is super stretched out.  I have several here and they are not very cold or frost hardy.  They do okay under "bright canopy" with frost protection.  Repotting it seems like a good idea.

I thought the same thing too, although what’s throwing me off are the teeth. They look a bit more hooked that an average celsii and which has more smooth teeth.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, Merlyn said:

@Silas_Sancona and @TropicsEnjoyer yep you are right.  I didn't really look at the leaf shape and size.  It looks like a "Celsii Multicolor" that is super stretched out.  I have several here and they are not very cold or frost hardy.  They do okay under "bright canopy" with frost protection.  Repotting it seems like a good idea.

Variegated form of A. celsii,  applanta,  or ..maybe.. something like A. gulengola " Crem Brulee' , though i can't see that one being offered in a regular ol' big box selection of plants ...but,  ...you can never say never.
 

Regardless of exactly which one this might be,  all 3 are quite attractive Agave selections..  ..And won't spread un-endingly like A. americana can ( ....uhh, does,  ...except maybe here,  lol )

[TropicsEnjoyer]

I haven’t been to home depot very much lately. They get a few interesting plants here and there though. This particular agave I remembered seeing maybe like 6 months ago and then about 3 months ago I went again and found it shoved on a shelf somewhere else. Felt like it waited for me to come back lol. But yeah now it’s potted and directly under light so it’ll be a bit warmer and hopefully put out some healthy leaves given a few months. 

On the bright side that clears space for me to plant my angustifolia in the spring where this mystery one was.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

13 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

something like A. gulengola " Crem Brulee'

I just looked this up

its a match I think!!

[Silas_Sancona]

1 minute ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

I just looked this up

its a match I think!!

Could be, ...but tbh,  i'd probably let it push out another set or two of leaves before settling on an exact match..  ..and,  if it stretched out while sitting around on a shelf at HD,  allow it to tighten up / return to  it's natural form again.. 

Regardless of which one it turns out to be, it's one you definitely want to have in your collection.

  Can't remember how big  Creme Brulee can get ( ..thinking it stays more compact ) but the " standard / normal form of... " A.  gulengola  can put on some size ..though it does stay smaller than americana or sisalana, height and width-wise.

[Jonathan]

Some inspiration! 

My variegated americana and it's plain cousin flowering their heads off...always spectacular when in flower but to be honest a big spikey pain in the neck the rest of the time...impossible to weed around and a haven for those little rabbit buggers to dig their burrows under.

Nice plant otherwise!

[Merlyn]

Finding "Creme Brulee" at a big box store around here is...improbable.  But almost all of them have the unknown species "Multicolor."  The mammillated thorns could still make it a very small Americana, but it might just grow out of that.  For reference, here's a pair of "Multicolor" with one blooming on the left.  As you can see, I also cultivate a wide variety of hardy native and imported annuals and perennials...aka weeds.

[tinman10101]

On 11/8/2024 at 9:25 PM, TropicsEnjoyer said:

I recently rescued a young agave from HD. It looked a bit rough but for 12$ it was decent size and had like 5 pups so i justified it. Anyway, it shortly after went in ground as I wanted to take advantage of the remaining warm weather before winter. Hoping to be able to keep this thread updating occasionally. 

Planted 10/27/2024

Today, new leaf open (11/8/2024)

It’s gonna get chilly next week but hope it tolerates it well. 

to my amateur eye, i believe the agave is agave guiengola creme brulee. the non uniform irreglular teeth is characteristic of this species.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

yeah the weird teeth, thick succulent leaves, and the characteristic “central spear” make me confident in A. guiengola “creme brulee”

rare find at a store for sure 

ive seen celsii multicolor and the leaves are much thinner and the center leaves are open when they emerge as opposed to rolled up

also, is it possible to edit the post title ? as i’ve said and others have mentioned it’s most likely not americana (which is good because they’re wild and vicious and bad bc whatever i have doesn’t seem hardy 😬)

[Merlyn]

Here's a good thread with various Guiengola species pictures: https://www.agaveville.org/viewtopic.php?t=4534

I've tried Guiengola here and killed 2 out of 3 small ones.  They are *extremely* fragile and easy to break off leaves.  This is a "Moto Sierra" or "Chainsaw" type, surrounded by the Christmas weed explosion and 2 pups.  You can see the wide square-like teeth that's the Moto characteristic.  A variegated Angustifolia/Vivipara is peeking in from above, for a size reference.  This one is in mostly shade with a Bismarck above it.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

 

On 1/12/2025 at 10:12 AM, Merlyn said:

Here's a good thread with various Guiengola species pictures: https://www.agaveville.org/viewtopic.php?t=4534

I've tried Guiengola here and killed 2 out of 3 small ones.  They are *extremely* fragile and easy to break off leaves.  This is a "Moto Sierra" or "Chainsaw" type, surrounded by the Christmas weed explosion and 2 pups.  You can see the wide square-like teeth that's the Moto characteristic.  A variegated Angustifolia/Vivipara is peeking in from above, for a size reference.  This one is in mostly shade with a Bismarck above it.

Very interesting! I can concur that the leaves are very fragile and the serrations are not much more than cosmetic haha. 
 

As for mine, it is much happier being sheltered and it’s pushing a healthy new leaf. The other cold damaged leaves are looking ugly but im not sure if I should cut them if they’re still somewhat succulent. Also it will probably live for a good while potted rather than planted.

another thing, can the post title be changed?

[TropicsEnjoyer]

Quick update on this one too, it’s been doing alright ever since I brought it in and potted it. The cold damage made me remove basically all the leaves besides the central one, which is now unfolding nicely. I’ll post a pic tmr, tho it’s not very pretty looking 😔.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

pic as promised

Also, I went to lowe’s today and was honestly shocked with the variety of their spring restock. They had A. americana, desmettiana, titanota ‘black and blue’, blue flame, parryi, and another guiengola creme brulee! They also had Yucca filamentosa and gloriosa. I took pics but there’s a lot! Wish I could have it all. Here’s some: