Content
- What an agave has in common with a cactus
- The botanical classification of agaves and cactuses
- The rarity of the flower in agaves
- Similar climatic needs: Agaves also thrive in the cactus house
- Agaves require as substrate as possible cactus earth or the like
- Tips
Agaves and cacti have very similar claims
What an agave has in common with a cactus
Regularly, agaves are referred to by some plant lovers as cacti. Although this classification certainly has its reasons, strictly speaking it is not really correct.
The botanical classification of agaves and cactuses
Although agaves are not cacti, they share various characteristics and location needs with many types of cacti. This is probably not least because both the different types of agave and the cactus belong to the so-called succulents. This generic term subsumes in general plants that store due to the prevailing at their natural sites dryness a lot of moisture in their parts of the plant and so can survive even long dry periods without special care. But there are also other special features that share the agaves with many cactus species.
The rarity of the flower in agaves
Many cacti are known to flower very rarely. The same is true of the agaves: While some common as houseplant species of agave can bloom after a few years, it takes in other species of agave sometimes decades to the first and sometimes even single flower. It may even be that a magnificent agave with an age of several decades after flowering dies almost inevitably. This rarity of the flowering of agaves makes this genus even more interesting and challenging for some gardeners.
Similar climatic needs: Agaves also thrive in the cactus house
For private agave enthusiasts, older specimens are often brought from the summer location to the winter quarters and back under great effort. Since some Agavearten are only very restricted hardy, these are (like cactuses) often cultivated in correspondingly large planters. In botanical gardens, this effort is usually spared: there, agaves are cultivated on the spot in the cactus house under mild climatic conditions all year round. In contrast to a greenhouse with tropical conditions, there is generally a much lower humidity here, which is very conducive to the plant health of the agaves.
Agaves require as substrate as possible cactus earth or the like
Agaves are not only cultivated under similar climatic conditions as cactuses, they often lead their owners to the same shelf in the garden center as cactus growers. So you do not have to mix together a suitable agave soil from various porous and coarse-grained materials, you can also simply use commercially available soil for cacti. This is characterized by:
Only rarely does the care of agaves cause dehydration of plants due to insufficient water rations. A much greater risk of decay by waterlogging, but these can be partially avoided with a suitable substrate such as cactus.
Tips
If you are looking for rare agave species, you might want to first look at the traders who specialize in cacti. Due to the similar growth conditions, the breeding and propagation often goes hand in hand with the cactus breed.