Content
- The perfect care for the agave in the garden
- How often should agaves be poured?
- What should be considered when repotting agaves?
- When and how should agaves be cut?
- Which pests can be dangerous to the agave in the garden?
- Are there common diseases that affect agaves?
- How is the agave fertilized optimally?
- What should be considered during the wintering of the agave?
- Tips
The agave feels most comfortable in a sunny spot
The perfect care for the agave in the garden
The agave is a succulent plant, originally from the American continent. The plants of the family of asparagus plants, often associated with cactuses because of their characteristics, were planted centuries ago in parks and gardens of the Mediterranean and are now also popular plants in private gardens.
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As native plants in deserts and semi-deserts, agaves need a sunlit location for healthy growth. The plants are adapted to a climate with irregular rainfall and store a lot of water in the thick leaves. In the garden bed or in the pot, agaves should not be cast until the top layer of earth has dried around the plants. Although the root ball below the leaf rosette does not tolerate waterlogging, it must never completely dry out. In midsummer you should water agaves sparingly every few days, in winter quarters, the plants should hardly be poured. Once the leaves become thin and wrinkled, agaves should be poured urgently.
What should be considered when repotting agaves?
Agaves are relatively unproblematic in terms of repotting, usually every one to two years when weze out the plants in the garden, a move into a slightly larger planter. The substrate should always be a mixture of two-thirds of potting soil and one-third of sand (such as quartz sand). Larger stones and holes in the lower part of the planter prevent dangerous waterlogging in the root area of the agaves.
When and how should agaves be cut?
Since the leaf rosettes of the agaves grow very compact anyway, a pruning of these plants is basically not necessary. Yellow or putrid leaves, however, should be cut off early as close to the base as possible, without injuring the plant's stem. This removal of dead leaves results in a very old specimen over time, a trunk-like, woody plant base.
Which pests can be dangerous to the agave in the garden?
The very robust agaves are sometimes attacked by the following pests:
The shield and lice can be relatively uncomplicated with a sponge and low-dose detergent solution to deal with. Unfortunately, there is still no effective antidote to the larvae of the notorious palm weevil.
Are there common diseases that affect agaves?
Agaves in this country are not really often affected by diseases. If it comes to discoloration or death of the leaves, this is usually due solely to care errors such as too humid soil.
How is the agave fertilized optimally?
During hibernation you should not fertilize the agave at all, during the summer months it is possible to fertilize every two weeks sparingly with a suitable complete fertilizer in the irrigation water.
What should be considered during the wintering of the agave?
While many agaves can only tolerate slight drops for a short period of time, other species survive the winter with some winter protection even outdoors. You should therefore pay close attention to the care instructions of your respective Agave copies. Non-hardy agaves are ideally wintered at about 4 to 14 degrees Celsius in a bright location in the house. If you do not have a suitably tempered and bright staircase, basement or attic room, then it can offer a rather cool room of the apartment as well as the bedroom.
Tips
There are many different types of agaves, which differ not only in the respective Frost tolerance, but also in their growth speed and size. Over the years, an agave cultivated in a bucket can reach proportions that make the move to winter quarters and back to the garden a veritable show of strength. For all-year care on the windowsill, you should choose in the trade Agave, the overall rather weak and relatively small remain.