Content
- The agave - does it tolerate frost or not?
- It depends on the exact subspecies
- There is a worse enemy than the winter cold
- Thus, the non-hardy agaves are wintered properly
- Tips
Some types of agave are hardy
The agave - does it tolerate frost or not?
Many gardeners do not want to do without the Mediterranean flair of succulents like the agave in the garden. However, in Central Europe, not all species of agave can be overwintered without problems and without shelter outdoors.
It depends on the exact subspecies
In total, more than 300 subspecies belonging to the genus of agaves are known today. These sometimes differ greatly in size and growth rate as well as in the color appearance. However, all agaves have in common that they can store a lot of water in their thick-fleshed leaves like a cactus. In Germany, this will be fatal in particularly wintry temperatures, because then the leaves will freeze and usually turn yellow at the latest in the spring and die off. There are also agave species from mountainous regions such as the agave parryi or the agave utahensis. These can tolerate up to about minus 15 degrees Celsius and thus survive in mild conditions and the winter outdoors.
There is a worse enemy than the winter cold
The frosty winter cold is not the only enemy that threatens agaves in the winter garden substantially. Almost even worse than the frost itself is the pronounced moisture, which sometimes causes the first signs of decay on the roots and leaves of the agaves from autumn onwards. So that the waterlogging does not become a problem for your agave, you can change specimens in the pot from the late summer to a covered place in the garden. During the winter you can also rely on the following measures:
A slight inclination of the plants in the bed ensures that rainwater can run off and does not collect on the leaf rosettes.
Thus, the non-hardy agaves are wintered properly
Non-hardy agaves are protected from the rain in the autumn and converted at winter temperatures between 7 and 10 degrees Celsius for wintering in a cold house. As a cold house with as much daylight and temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius, for example, a garage, an unheated conservatory or a stairwell can serve.
Tips
Even more important than during the summer is for the care of any Agave in winter a relatively pronounced dryness at the roots of the plant. Large specimens of the Agave americana can sometimes be overwintered outdoors if they are kept dry and protected with a cover from the worst frosts.