Competent care of agave at home is the key to a long life of a succulent
As a type of succulent plant, agave special requirements does not represent to cultivation, and at the same time feels good indoors. If caring for an agave at home is correct, admire its beautiful forms can be more than one decade. Broad fleshy leaves, collected in a beautiful rosette in the form of a flower, make the plant extremely decorative. In nature it grows in open ground and can reach up to 5 m in diameter.
However, agave is a plant that absolutely does not tolerates low temperatures. Our winters make it year-round in in the open field is impossible. The plant completely freezes and dies. But compact dwarf agave varieties feel quite comfortable in indoor conditions. What is this culture and how to grow and care behind room agave?
What does it look like agave - plant description
Almost all types of succulents do not have a trunk, or it very short. Agave is no exception: the small stem is almost completely hidden in the soil. The aerial part of the plant is wide rounded deciduous rosette. The leaves of the cactus are very beautiful, wide and fleshy. The edges the leaf plate is decorated with small thorns. And the leaf ends long sharp thorn. Depending on the variety, the color of the leaves may be different. But the main color remains green and an elegant waxy coating. Only the shade changes from blue to gray, and in some species the leaves are decorated with white or yellow stripes.
In vivo when cactus grows year-round in warmth, it can grow just huge sockets. For indoor cultivation, more compact varieties are used. So, there are dwarf agaves, the diameter of which does not exceed 5 cm.
Features: flowering agave
Like other cacti, agave blooms are very gorgeous. True, it does not come before the plant reaches 15 years old, and then in natural conditions. However, as for a long-lived culture capable of growing up to 100 years old, this is a fairly young age.
In most species, flowers are collected in inflorescences and are placed on a high peduncle, sometimes reaching a height of 10 m.But there is also plants that tie buds at the tips of long leaves. Their color can be very diverse, from delicate yellow and pink tones to saturated crimson color.
Indoor agaves bloom very rarely, and then only after 20 years of life. They are mainly grown as ornamental plants.
Another characteristic feature of culture concerns how many times agave blooms. Adult specimens bloom only once, after which go to the stage of reproduction. Young begin to grow from the rhizomes baby sockets, and the mother's outlet, having tied the fruit, gradually dies off.
We create for agave comfortable conditions
Special problems with where to put the pot of a succulent will not. Almost all windows are ideal for him, except for the northern ones. IN in winter it is too dark there and it can be cold. In this case agave will suspend its development and retire.
You can understand that agave lacks light by the changed shape of the outlet. If the cactus is comfortable, the leaves sit tightly to each other and they are large.With a lack of lighting, the distance between the leaves increases (the rosette is extended), and they themselves become small.
Like most cacti, agave is a plant thermophilic, not adapted to life at low temperatures. So that it actively growing new leaves, the room should be warm (from 18 to 25 °). In winter it is necessary to ensure that the temperature does not drop below 10 °, otherwise the succulent will die.
For the summer, it is better to take the agave pot out into the garden. Young specimens can even be planted in a flower bed, but be sure to take them into the house at the beginning of autumn.
Agave care in at home - simple rules
There are no special requirements for growing succulents presents and does not need daily care. Moreover, this plant is quite able to live for several weeks without an owner due to the high drought resistance.
For growing agave, it is worth picking up wide and low pots, always with drainage holes. Cactus in nature grows in rocky and sandy soil, so there should be no problems with the soil. You can buy a ready-made substrate for succulents or mix turf, leaf coarse earth and sand.
When planting, it is important to leave the root collar above the soil surface. Fine gravel or shells will help fix the rosette. They will also serve as a kind mulch, protecting the roots from rapid drying out of the soil.
In general, the complex of measures for caring for agave at home is minimal and consists of only a few points, namely:
- Watering. Even in summer, it should be moderate but regular. It is enough to moisten the soil in the pot every 7-10 days. Excess moisture contributes to decay of the roots and the outlet itself, especially during cold wintering. If the agave will stand in a cool room in winter, watering should be reduced to 1 time per month from October.
- Top dressing. Agave is not demanding for nutrition, but for more active growth, you can occasionally fertilize it. For this, a special mineral complex for succulents is used. The cactus should be fed only from May to September.
- Transfer. Up to 4 years old, a young agave needs to be transplanted annually, partially renewing the soil. Older specimens may not be touched for three years.
Unlike most houseplants, agave tolerates dry indoor air well. The plant does not need additional spraying. Moreover, the accumulated moisture in the center of the outlet will cause it to rot.
The ways breeding agave
At home, a cactus reproduces most often in a vegetative way using:
- Children. They grow at the bottom of the rosette, at the base of the short stem. When the shoot has at least one knot, it can be carefully separated from the mother plant. Then you should leave it for a couple of hours to dry the cut and root it.
- Leafy cuttings. The rooting technology is similar to the procedure with children. In this case, a large and healthy leaf acts as a planting material.
When propagating agave by leaf and children, it is better to root them immediately in the ground. Juicy cuttings can rot in water even before the roots grow.
For the same reason, you should not cover the plants by arranging a greenhouse. The first watering can be carried out no earlier than 3 days after rooting.
If you wish, you can still try to grow agave from seeds by planting them in the month of February in a greenhouse. But this way is used rarely due to the slow development of seedlings. Formation of a rosette in bushes will begin no earlier than 3-4 months after germination. In this respect grafting and separation of children is much more profitable.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in how to care for an agave cactus. By choosing the right place for him, and once a week paying a little attention, you can grow a beautiful rosette.