Welp, it seems that I could not avoid buying another plant for much longer than a month 😂. Stopped by ace hardware to look for something and decided to check their cute  little garden center. There I found an irresistible deal of agave plants for $6.99! So I bought one. I think it’s desmettiana because the leaves are quite smooth, though the teeth are quite vicious. Any input on the id would be appreciated but I’ll enjoy my new plant either way. Also is this just a standard green or can it develop variegation?

they also had some furcraea mediopicta alba, but for $34. interesting nonetheless since they are quite uncommon.

38 minutes ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

Welp, it seems that I could not avoid buying another plant for much longer than a month 😂. Stopped by ace hardware to look for something and decided to check their cute  little garden center. There I found an irresistible deal of agave plants for $6.99! So I bought one. I think it’s desmettiana because the leaves are quite smooth, though the teeth are quite vicious. Any input on the id would be appreciated but I’ll enjoy my new plant either way. Also is this just a standard green or can it develop variegation?

they also had some furcraea mediopicta alba, but for $34. interesting nonetheless since they are quite uncommon.

Nice looking plants, though i don't recall A. desmettiana having any teeth on the margins.. Not saying it's not possible though. 

None of the A. d. specimens i've seen here have em'.



 

Some of the green Desmettiana have teeth when young, and end up smooth with maybe 3 or 4 teeth near the base of the leaves.  That looks like the babies they sell around here.  They get moderately big (about 4-6' diameter) and are not particularly frost hardy. 

Oddly enough, the same goes for the variegated Furcraea.  I have one in the front yard that's been through several serious 27-28F frosts.  It's grown back each time, but does look crappy for 3 or so months.  They can also get BIG at 8-12' diameter, though I'm not sure if that applies to the variegated type.

2 hours ago, Merlyn said:

are not particularly frost hardy. 

I found them out on a 32° morning so I’d believe they’re at least cold hardy. 

 

2 hours ago, Merlyn said:

I'm not sure if that applies to the variegated type.

I think it does, they also get huge I’ve seen other nurseries sell them fairly large sized.

2 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Some of the green desmettiana have teeth when young, and end up smooth with maybe 3 or 4 teeth near the base of the leaves.  That looks like the babies they sell around here.  They get moderately big (about 4-6' diameter) and are not particularly frost hardy. 

interesting.  pups off the specimen pictured / other A. d's planted around the neighborhood, etc  are completely toothless. 

Yet to notice any of them being bothered  by / what 27-32F mornings they see here either.

My Agave desmettiana had toothed margins when young, less so with age. 

My variegated A desmettiana had nice color for a few years, then kind of lost it as they get closer to blooming size. I've been drawn in by variegated plants in the past, but I always tire of them and prefer the more uniform coloration of the common type.

When I want patterns and multicolor foliage, I like banded bromeliads and spotted Manfreda (still a genus?). To each their own!

On a marginally related note, there's an attractive and very compact form of Agave bracteosa that I think originally came from Rancho Soledad. Worth growing if you find one. 

I didn't notice any damage to Desmettiana with just "moderate freeze" and no frost, but they get torched with a 27~32F + frost.  This winter I've noted at least 5 frosts, so any Desmettiana are just under some kind of minimal canopy.  I've probably posted this picture before, the day after ~27F and frost in this area.  The variegated Desmettiana in the foreground turned to 90% mush but survived, and the solid green one just behind it was partially protected by the Lutescens fronds...and mostly ok.  Also of note, the "Engleri" just to the left turns out is a Tremula.

Also do they sucker prolifically regardless of whether they are potted or planted?

34 minutes ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

Also do they sucker prolifically regardless of whether they are potted or planted?

Planted? .. they'll pup, though the " babies " stay close to the mother plant, unlike A. americana pups which can pop up a distance away from " mom " .

You'll probably get some  pups in a pot, though with the root zone being restricted, you might only get a few. 

FYI, While a lot of info says these flower when 8 - 10 years old,  specimens which have been planted at several properties across the street flower just about every year ..Not the same individual plants, but for the offsets that keep growing after the mother plant dies, the " 8 -10 year " assumption doesn't seem to apply..

Also, these will form Bulbils  ( Bulbils = small plants that form on the flower stalks after flowering ) instead of seed pods.

  I'll have to get some shots of the plants over there that are just about ready to start flowering this year atm. 

1 minute ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Also, these will form Bulbils  ( Bulbils = small plants that form on the flower stalks after flowering ) instead of seed pods.

Yeah I’ve read about this. It’s very intriguing to me as to why they do not produce seed. Nobody seems to ask about it, let alone have I seen any solid explanations. Especially with all the varieties of this species, surely there has to be seeding plants somewhere??

And yes I’ve seen that they flower quite quickly. I saw one in a nearby shopping plaza flowering right now in fact.

34 minutes ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

Yeah I’ve read about this. It’s very intriguing to me as to why they do not produce seed. Nobody seems to ask about it, let alone have I seen any solid explanations. Especially with all the varieties of this species, surely there has to be seeding plants somewhere??

And yes I’ve seen that they flower quite quickly. I saw one in a nearby shopping plaza flowering right now in fact.

...There's an reason ..but can't recall the discussion around it atm.. 

Some other Agave like A. bractosa ( Octopus Agave ) will also produce bulbils instead of seed as well..

I was generally getting 4 or so years before blooming, but plenty of pups to replace them.  I habitually yanked out and trashed pups just to keep them fairly clean.  When the new center leaves started getting smaller that's your warning it's getting ready to bloom, so at that point I'd pull the biggest pup and use it to replace the parent plant.

I think the big octopus agave (Vilmoriana) also produces bulbils.  I have a big one in the front yard that's thinking about blooming, so I'll see!!!

On 1/26/2025 at 10:24 AM, Silas_Sancona said:

interesting.  pups off the specimen pictured / other A. d's planted around the neighborhood, etc  are completely toothless. 

Yet to notice any of them being bothered  by / what 27-32F mornings they see here either.

I see the same here.  Several weeks ago I collected some bulbils from a local plant and potted them up.  They didn't flinch at one night of 27°F on a covered porch although its probably a degree warmer in that spot.  They're toothless also.  Never saw any cold damage to the mother plant since I've been here.

Quick update

I have removed the pups from my plant and potted them separately, one on its own in a small pot and another 2 pups (they were attached for some reason) in a pot with a bunch of other succulents. They are small but happy, i’m looking forward to see their development.

Another update, I have since planted this agave under the canopy of my large Phoenix sylvestris and it’s been very happy. I’m also very surprised by how quickly it grows, it’s pushed 2 new leaves from when I first got it. And it has taken the few colder days without any damage.