Agaves

I've got 9 different species of agave, 2 of yuccas and 4 of bananas and plenty of bedding and tomatoes as well.

My 6' x 8' greenhouse is pretty crowded right now. Must convince SWMBO to let my get another one

 

Ola Agaveman and welcome to GC!

I have various mini Agaves but not the large ones as I have a small garden and I am blessed being surrounded by them here where I live. I have two Yuccas and two BoPs (S reginae and S nicolai).

I do put up lots of photos of Agaves and Yuccas however that may be of interest to you ... very old ones in bloom usually.

There are quite a few folk here who share your love for these plants so I hope you enjoy the forum.

 

Be nice to see some pics Agaveman

 

Hi L.O.L. & Pete,

My garden project for this year is going to be a 'desert' raised type bed for the agaves and other succulents so I'll post some before & after pics later in the year. The only thing in the bed I'm going to keep is a Chusan Palm that I grew from seed which in 11 years has grown to over 6' tall !

I will load some pics of my banana's,palms and yuccas as well (when I have the time).

Interesting that you have 2 types of bop plants L.O.L. I've just put a variant of Reginae called 'Mandelas Gold' into the propagator. They are the identical in form but where Reginae has an orange flower Mandelas Gold is a bright yellow colour and the photos I've seen look stunning.

I'd be interested to know what species of agave you have that have gone native or are grown in your area. For a guess they are likely to be a.americana, a. sislana or a.augustifolia which are the most common forms in cultivation in Europe but any photo's would be of interest as I'm sure there are some exceptions to the rule out there.

I also import lots of agave, yucca and palm seeds to propagate and add to my collection which means I tend to buy in wholesale lots from major suppliers (mainly because I've found the viability of exotic seed sold in small packs to not be poor). Consequently of always got plenty of fresh seed spare. If you are interested I can let you have some at cost plus the postage. Let me know.

Cheers
Steve.

 

I maybe interested from time to time in any seed you may have left over Steve, I also think many of the seeds sold by the usual seed companies are pretty old and passed their best.
Will be interested to find out if "Mandelas Gold " comes true from seed.

Do you have trouble with leaf spot on your agaves and yuccas outside?
I do and its a major problem for me, would be interested in how you cope with it.

 

I hope Mandelas Gold comes true as well Pete as they cost a fortune, are hard to get hold of and it will take me 4 years to find out if I've got the genuine article.

If you are interested in any agave seeds I've got about 16 different varities all purchased this year including some very rare ones. The price would be between �£1 & �£2 for 10 depending on the variety you are interested in. Maybe I'll post a list of surplus seeds tomorrow then any one interested can drop me a line.

Interestingly I don't get leaf spot on my yuccas out doors and my agaves are currently potted and undercover so I've not had problems with them either. However some varieties of agave are susceptible to water spotting. This is usually the result of vigourous watering from above which for some reason bruises the leaf. It generally shows up as a tan or orange spot on the leaf which be come hard and then turn dark brown. Are these the symptoms yours have ?

 

I'd be interested to see your list.

Here's the grisly problem, I dont think its what you describe.
I've tried all kinds of fungicide and am pinning my hopes on liquid sulphur which I have just bought.

 

Hi Pete,

I must admit that looks like one sick yucca.

It's difficult to tell which variety it is from the photo but it looks like y.aloifolia so it should be hardy down to -16c.

Looking at it I think it's Cytosporina or grey leaf spot which is a particular problem with y.aloifolia (Spanish-bayonet). Symptoms usually include tip and marginal necrosis with a predominantly grey color and brown margin. Lesions can often reach 3 inches and have concentric rings of light and dark tissues and this tends to happen on older leaves in the main. What is happening is this, the lesions are forming and then killing the rest of the leaf by blocking water and nutrients etc, hence they turn brown.

The control requires the removal of older infected leaves, elimination of overhead watering and exposure to rainfall and a liberal dose of fungicide. So if it were my plant I'd dig it out of its position, get it into the greenhouse, remove all infected leaves as close to the main stem as possible and give it a good fungcidal spray and keep it there until the plant has recovered. If you don't remove those leaves the disease lives in the necrotic patches and no amount of fungicide will ever shift it.

When the plant has recovered plant it back out but remeber to give it a fungicide spray every month or so to prevent re occurence (preferably one of the systemic variety).

Your agave doesn't look to good either which is a shame . It looks like an a.parryi. This type comes in three distinct varieties and yours looks like var. huachucensis (this type can be easily confused with its closly related cousins a.havardiana and a.neomexicana but their leaves are more concave than a.parryi).

I think the problem with this one is rot or leaf blight as it's sometimes called. It wouldn't surprise me if it didn't have a a bit of botrytis as a result. I think the cause of this could be one of two things or a combination of them.

Firstly if you pot an agave it is essential to plant it at the same level as it was in the previous pot. Any deeper and rot will take hold in the lower leaves and if too deep the crown as well which kills the plant.

Secondly agaves need sharp drainage. I pot mine into a mix of 45% cornish grit 45% sharp sand and only 10% compost with slow release fertilizer added. For propagation I only use a 70% perlite 30% vermiculite mix. No compost at all. The soil looks too rich in compost to me and combined with overwatering would be almost guaranteed to give the plant leaf blight.

If it were my plant I'd re pot it as I've suggested and trim any roots that look unhealthy as well, remove the rotten leaves and apply a good systemic fungicide and keep it indoors until it recovers. Only water this plant from the base every 2 weeks in summer and it will withstand winter frost as long as it's kept dry. or is planted in very free draining material.

Hope this helps but alas it is only my humble opinion.

Cheers
Steve.

 

I will have to take some pics of mine tomorrow :D All seem to have been fine outside, even the very baby americana.

 

You left your A. americana outside all winter BM? My 2 (one ordinary one variegata) struggled in the g.house. OOOOh you effete southerners.

 

Aye lad, and one was really tiny. The Variegata's have been fine. If it makes it better we have had some northern gloom today in the weather stakes :D

 

You're only trying to cheer me up. :confused:

 

Y.americana should survive -6C or the variagated variety is a bit more tender but will still take -4C.

Down here in the Gods own country aka the West Country americana's are pretty common outdoors. The biggest I've seen on my travels is in the public park in the middle of Exmouth, a superb plant.

 

Thanks for the info Agaveman.

The problem on the aloifolia is definitly the same as on the agave, that particular agave, suddenly in a matter of a couple of weeks, lost most of its older leaves.
It happened last spring, it had not been repotted for at least 2 yrs, and was in a cold frame.
I vitually have no yuccas or agaves that have not been affected by this problem, apart from filamentosa perhaps.
I have even seen plants in gardencentres with the spotting on the leaves.

BTW, the aloifolia is about eight feet high and downright dangerous, so I dont think I will be digging it up, and moving it into the greenhouse. :D

 

Strange thing is my baby Cycads (all varieties) are all fine. Maybe I should look for other causes with the Agaves? Leave it with me, as soon as I sober up I will look into it.