GARDENING SUCCS
You say "obsession" like it's a bad thing.
  • Blog
  • Instagram
  • Store and Resource Guide

Roasted Agave With a Side of Shame

1/16/2013

 
Oh, friends. Oh dear, dear succ-er friends. I hesitate to share with you the fate that has befallen two of my loveliest agaves: my quadricolor and my attenuata.

Here's what happened. My girlfriend and I brought our many, many plants inside two months ago. We have a kind of weird little front room that's basically a small enclosed front porch. It's north-facing, unfortunately, but has windows and skylights, plus we've rigged up some extra lighting.

However, it's been SO cold that we started to grow concerned that our plants weren't getting enough warmth. So, uh, when she suggested we try a space heater, I said, "Sure."

And THEN what happened? Well, as you might know if you've ever tried this (or might imagine if you have an iota more sense than we did), the plants that were directly in the path of the warm air... Uh... Cooked. Literally, I think. Here's a picture of my poor, previously dapper little attenuata:
Picture
Yikes. No idea whether it might survive. The leaves definitely won't be coming back any time soon, so I cut it down to basically nothing and am hoping for an agave miracle.

My quadricolor fared a little better. You can tell from these pictures that it was in the path of the heater, but not the direct path. Basically, the warm air (which didn't feel THAT warm coming out, I swear) cooked the portion of the leaves in its path.
Picture
Here's a close-up.
Picture
I'm super bummed, but happy that we figured it out before it ravaged anything else (well, maaaaybe there was ONE teensy haworthia and half a kalanchoe--but that was it, really).

I've never had an agave with serious leaf damage like the quadricolor before. I need your advice... Better to let it repair on its own (I'm guessing that the damaged parts will just shrivel up and die eventually, but that the rest of the plant will survive), or better to cut away the damaged part? And if so, how?  Cut away the whole leaf?  just the damaged portion?

Eagerly and shame-facedly awaiting your advice...
Debra Lee Baldwin link
1/16/2013 06:29:44 am

You know how people write LOL but they didn't really laugh out loud? Well, when I saw the photo of the attenuata, I actually LOL'd. I'd yet to see an agave that sort of looks like a boiled artichoke. I know, I should be murmuring sympathetically, but attenuata is so common where I live (Southern CA) that it's not like it's a one-of-a-kind collectible.

Your 'Quadricolor', well, that IS more of a loss, especially if you paid what I think you paid for it. (Here, even wholesale, they're $30.) Unfortunately, once an agave's leaves are damaged they don't recover, and agaves keep their leaves a long, long time. Wait until the damage turns putty-colored (a week or so) so you can tell exactly what's healthy and what isn't, then trim the damage. Don't cut straight across; for aesthetics, trim each leaf to a point.

With the damage mostly on one side, it may take awhile before the plant regains its original pleasing symmetry, but consider it an amputee that fortunately will regenerate its lost limbs. As with most succulents, new growth is from the center of the rosette, and the bottom leaves become less prominent and may even wither and dry as the plant grows. However, 'Quadricolor' is very slow growing, so if you don't want to look at it, toss it. Which is what you'll probably want to do with that (hee-hee!) attenuata.

GS link
1/28/2013 05:38:19 am

A very belated response to your comment, DLB--thanks for your advice! Your comment made me LOL, too... seems like I've got an awful lot to learn! :)~

I'm glad to hear that attenuatas are fairly common in SoCal; I'm going down there in March and maybe will be able to pick a new one up for less than it costs up here in NorCal. As for the Quadricolor, I got a good deal on it, but I think it still cost me $15 or so (a hefty investment for a broke grad student), so I'm going to do my best to revive it. This may be a silly question, but is the Quadricolor a good candidate for core drilling as a means of propagation? In a book I was reading recently about propagation, the author said that you can basically cut an agave in half, right down the middle, and that the missing half will soon begin to sprout new babies. Is this accurate?

Thanks again... and I'm glad that at least my foibles served *some* purpose--they gave you a chuckle! Heh, heh. :)


Comments are closed.

    Subscribe by email:

    Picture
    Picture
    GS on Facebook
    GS on Instagram


    Other Succ-ers

    Danger Garden
    Debra Lee Baldwin
    ​Desert Plants of Avalon

    I Can Stop Tomorrow
    Rock Rose
    Sky Succulents

    Spiky Obsession
    Succulent Sundae
    Succulents and More

    Succulents Forever
    Succulent and Cactus Lady


    Categories

    All
    Adromischus
    Aeoniums
    Agaves
    Aloes
    Blogs And Blogging
    Cacti
    Crassulae
    Echeverias
    Euphorbia
    Events
    Fun And Games
    Guest Posts
    Haworthia
    Kalanchoe
    Nurseries
    Pets
    Photos
    Plant Health
    Projects
    Propagation
    Public Gardens
    Q&A
    References
    Sempervivums
    Wish List
    Zone 5


    Archives

    February 2021
    May 2019
    January 2018
    May 2017
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012

    RSS Feed