Special features of agave, tips for growing a plant, recommendations for transplanting and reproduction, pests and problems in cultivation, species, interesting facts. Agave (Agava) genus consisting of monocotyledonous plants belonging to the subfamily of the same name Agavoideae, ranked in the Asparagaceae family. The subfamily includes about 700 currently known species, 200 of which are found only in the United States (from the states of Utah and Nevada, ending with the lands of the West Indies and northern regions of South America). There, plants grow successfully on coastal lands, practically in areas that reach the surf, but they can settle in mountainous areas at an absolute height of up to 3000 meters.
But still, the homeland of this wonderful plant is considered to be the territory of Mexico and the surrounding areas. In European countries, agave appeared only after the American continent was discovered and the most widespread variety of American agave (Agava americana), it is grown as an ornamental crop in the Mediterranean. On the territory of Russia, this agave variety is grown on the Black Sea coast, the coastal territories of the Caucasus and the southern shores of the Crimea.
The plant bears its name in Latin in honor of the ancient Greek Agave, the third daughter of King Cadmus. This word is translated as wonderful, noble and excellent. However, the fate of this woman was very tragic. She and her son Pentheus did not want to believe in the divine origin of Dionysus (the god who patronized winemaking, the fruitful forces of the earth). For this, Agave was punished, she, participating in the procession and dances of the bacchantes (maenads), was completely distraught and, together with her sisters Autonia and Ino, tore her own son Penfey to pieces. And then, taking his head, she brought it to King Cadmus, her father, still in a mad state, mistaking it for a lion's head. These are the sad things that happened in antiquity!
The stem of the agave is very shortened, and at its base it is presented in the form of a leaf rosette, into which long, often fleshy and spiny leaf plates gather. The rosette diameter is highly dependent on the plant species. Its size can start at 3–4 cm (eg Agava pumila) and go up to 4.5 m (represented by Agava franzosini). The number of leaves is also very variable, but usually 20-50 units are included in the rosette, and in some species this number can go up to 200 pieces. The length of the leaf plates also directly depends on the species - it can be either a baby with a leaf length of 10-12 cm, or a giant with indicators up to 3 meters.
Their shape is quite varied, casting can be very wide or rather narrow, rounded or with a pointed top, upright and drooping over time to the ground. Their color is also very diverse: from light greenish to bluish-green, with a brown serration, which is present on the edge of the cast. And also with drawn longitudinal stripes or creamy-whitish spotting. Some species are devoid of teeth at the edge of the leaf and have a rough surface, they can be covered with a thick coating like wax.
The peduncle, which is pulled out from the center of the outlet, can reach up to 12 m in some agave varieties. At the top of this flower stem there is a large number of inflorescences (their number can reach up to 17 pieces), in which yellowish or greenish flowers gather. The shape of the inflorescence can be spicate or paniculate. On the peduncle, so-called bulbinella often appear from the adventitious buds - small daughter plants, tiny agave plants with leaves and root processes. They eventually fall to the ground, where they take root, growing into large specimens. After the end of flowering and ripening of the fruit, the entire aerial part of the plant will die off. In fact, agave is a monocarpic representative of the flora, that is, it blooms once in its life. Some species bloom at the age of 5-15 years, but there are those that will release their peduncles, being at the age of 50 and even 100 years of age.
The fruit is a capsule consisting of carpels that have grown together. Growing this exotic plant is completely easy, and even a novice florist can handle it.
Tips for growing agave at home, care
- Lighting. The plant is a real sun worshiper, if we remember, then such conditions of dryness and high illumination surround it in its natural environment. Therefore, it is better to put the pot on the windows of the east, west or south location. Supplementary lighting is provided on the northern ones. When the plant is still young, it should be shaded a little (especially from 12 to 16 pm).
- Content temperature. In the summer, if possible, the pot of agave is taken out into the fresh air, but it is preferable that the temperatures are not lower than room temperature, but with the arrival of the autumn-winter period, it will be necessary to keep smelt at 6-8 degrees, and heat-loving varieties at 10-12 …
- Watering. Agave does not require abundant watering; for it, you can moderately moisten the soil in the pot. If the plant is kept outdoors in the spring-summer period, then with the arrival of autumn days, the moisture begins to be reduced, and the pot of agave is transferred to the room. With the onset of winter, watering is significantly reduced. In any case, it is necessary to ensure that moisture does not enter the leaf outlet, as this will lead to the beginning of rotting of the entire plant.
- Fertilizer. When it's hot outside, it is recommended to feed agave twice a month. A universally complex fertilizer (solution) is used, which is highly diluted with water.
- Transfer and selection of soil. The change of the pot and substrate is usually carried out every 2-3 years, and a sufficiently adult specimen is disturbed once every 3-4 years. The main thing when transplanting is that the neck of the plant is at the same level as before. If this condition is not met, the agave will begin to rot and die. It is preferable to choose a container that is wide and flat. At the bottom, drain holes must be made and drainage material (expanded clay, pebbles or broken shards) is poured. The soil for growing agave is not very demanding; sandy and rocky substrates with good water and air permeability can be suitable for the plant. The composition of the soil should include equal parts of sod, leafy soil and river sand. It is also recommended to add a small amount of clay and crushed brick chips there.
Recommendations for self-propagation of agave
You can get a new exotic plant by sowing seeds, planting offspring, cutting rhizomes.
Naturally, the easiest way to get an agave is by collecting and planting bulbinella in separate containers - small ripened agaves, they are the offspring of the mother plant. The soil is taken the same in which the adult specimen is grown.
The cuttings of the rhizome must be divided in such a way that each of the cuttings has at least one bud. The pieces are left to dry (wither) for 2-3 hours to dry the juice. You can powder the cut with powdered activated charcoal or charcoal. After the specified time, the agave cuttings are planted in a seedling box filled with river sand for rooting. During the first year of vegetation, 4–5 leaf blades can form on young plants, the next - up to 7–9, in another year their number will be 10–12 units.
Seed material that was collected in natural conditions must be sown in February or March. In this case, the depth of the ground does not exceed 1 cm. The substrate in which the seeds are placed must be sandy or sandy-peat. Germination is waited for when the heat is equal to 20-25 degrees and usually they hatch after a week. After the seedlings grow up, you will need to dive - transplant into pots with a diameter of 6 cm. When a year has passed after planting, the container can be changed to a large one (up to 8-9 cm in diameter). The next change of pot and substrate is performed after 2-3 years.
Agave cultivation problems
Basically, agave is bothered by scale insects, they suck out cell juice from the leaves, the leaves wither, turn pale and fall off. The pest appears as brown plaques on the leaf surface or at the base of the stems. It is necessary to take household soap, foam it a little and wipe the bush with a soft sponge, then it is recommended to spray with a 0.15% solution of Actellik (or Aktara) at the rate of 1–2 ml per liter can of water. You should also fight the spider mite, due to which the leaves are deformed, turn yellow and fall off, and a thin cobweb may appear at the base of the stem. But usually the appearance of this pest is accompanied by increased dryness in the room.
If the leaves of a plant turn yellow, this means a lack of trace elements, dry soil in the summer or insufficient illumination, or increased air temperature, especially at night in the autumn-winter period.
When only the top of the leaf of an agave turns yellow, this means that the earthy clod is overdried, or there is too much calcium in the substrate. If the turgor of the leaves decreased, they hung down to the ground or began to crumble even green, then this indicates insufficient moisture or a mismatch in temperature indicators under conditions of detention, especially for winter days. Agave leaf plates have become wrinkled, which means they were exposed to cold air, and this also indicates a lack of potassium, magnesium and phosphorus, especially in old leaves.
If the whole plant turns yellow, then there has been a strong overdrying of the substrate or its gulf, the humidity in the room has dropped, the soil is incorrectly selected and it is too heavy and dense for the agave, but perhaps the plant is preparing for a dormant period.
Agave species
- American agave (Agava americana). A plant characterized by a large rosette, made up of a large number of linear-lanceolate leaf plates, painted in a bluish-green color. In length, the leaves reach 1–1.5 m with an approximate width of 20 cm at the base. The edge of the leaves is notched and serrated, the thorns are colored reddish-brown. The apex is distinguished by a sharp and very strong spine-like tip, which measures 3 cm in length. The peduncle has branches and grows up to 8 meters. From the flowers, racemose inflorescences are collected, which combine the buds of a yellow-green hue. The flower can be up to 9 cm long.
- Blue agave (Agava azul). May be found synonymously with Agava tequilana. This plant is widely used in folk agriculture to obtain raw materials used in the manufacture of tequila drink. Most of this variety is grown in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Prefers dry and tropical climates, and is usually cultivated at an altitude of 1500 m above sea level. In this variety, the leaf plates are very fleshy, in the shape of a rosette of leaves very much like a huge pink flower. The color of the leaves is blue-green, they are completely covered with hairs, the surface is very hard at the end there are hard thorns. Leaf plates, even growing to a considerable height, do not droop to the ground, even being located almost parallel to it. The length of the leaves can reach 2 meters. When agave grows in the wild, after 5 years, a long flowering shoot appears, almost 5 meters in length, which is completely covered with yellow flowers, collected in racemose inflorescences. Then these flowers pollinate one of the local species of bats, Leptonycteris nivalis, at night, and after that, thousands of seeds ripen. As soon as the seed material is fully ripe, the entire aerial part will die off.
- Queen Victoria's Agave (Agava victoriae-reginae). The homeland of this species is considered to be the lands of northern Mexico. A rosette assembled from leaf plates can reach a diameter of 60 cm. The leaves themselves are measured in length in the range of 10-15 cm and a width of 5-7 cm. Their color is rich green and lines are placed on both sides on the surface. And the reverse surface of the leaf has a deadrise, along which along the edges, as the stratum corneum passes along it. At the top there is a black thorn, 1–2 cm long and brown-yellow in color, and a couple of shorter spines. The leaves themselves have an entire-edged appearance; in cross-section, a soft triangularity can be observed. Thin white stripes run along the edge of the sheet plate and along the upper surface.
Interesting facts about agave
Only the Agava azul or tequila agave variety is used for the production of the famous drink.
Even the country of Mexico bears its name in honor of this exotic plant, and the literal translation sounds like "the place of the agave."
Agave does not bloom under room conditions, but in greenhouses you can wait for the flowering process in 20–30 years, compared to the natural environment - 10–15 years.
Since the sheet plates are quite rigid, some types of agave are used to make ropes, ropes or rugs, the leaves also serve as raw materials for the production of packaging and other rough fabrics, and paper products are made from production waste. In ancient times, the fiber from the leaves was used by the Indians as threads for sewing clothes, and the needle at the tip was attached by nature itself - the leaf plate is terminated by a sharp agave thorn.
The properties of agave have not yet been fully studied by doctors and scientists, but the leaves of the plant contain many useful substances, micro- and macroelements, dietary fiber and carbohydrates. Agave juice and leaves have long been used in folk medicine. If you use them for external compresses, it will contribute to the resorption of hematomas or hemorrhages under the skin. With their help, wounds heal faster, inflammatory symptoms are relieved and pain sensations decrease. If you use the juice inside, then there is a diuretic and laxative effect on the body, and it is more delicate than the action of the same sabur. Preparations made on the basis of agave parts help to normalize metabolic processes in the body and improve digestion.
However, there are contraindications when using Agave products. For example, the sap of a plant has pronounced irritating and caustic properties and must be carefully diluted during use as indicated in the specific case. It is necessary to use it very carefully for people who have liver disease, exacerbated inflammatory processes of internal organs, or in the presence of bleeding inside the body.
Agave should not be used by men who want to have children, since the sap of the plant is characterized by depressing reproductive functions (spermatogenesis). If a person's skin is highly sensitive, then even a chemical burn is possible.
It is also used to cure the following diseases: conjunctivitis, jaundice, manifestations of gout and osteochondrosis, spondylosis and gastrointestinal diseases. From the skin it cures abscesses and boils, dropsy (ascites) and removes furunculosis.
How to transplant agave, see this video:
