Agave - care and reproduction at home, photo

Plant photo

Agave belongs to the category of succulent plants from the Agave family. The culture comes from India, Mexico, tropical and subtropical regions of South and North America, is also found in the Mediterranean countries.

The size agaves, depending on the species, varies from 30 to 200 cm. The growth rate is medium. Refers to perennial crops. At home, culture almost never blooms.

	The growth rate is medium.
	At home, almost no blooms.
	The plant is easy to grow.
	Perennial.

Beneficial features

Photo of agave in a pot

It releases phytoncides, which have a disinfecting property and strengthen people's immunity, reduce the level of harmful microflora in the room, saturate the air with mineral and organic compounds, remove negative ions from the air, which makes it cleaner.

Under the influence of volatile components, indoor air is closer to forest level in purity. In a room where agave plantings are present, the number of harmful insects usually decreases sharply.

Features of growing at home. Briefly

When cultivating a crop at home, the following factors are considered:

Temperature	In the summer period it should be + 16 ... 29С, in winter it varies within + 10 ... 17С.
Air humidity	Indicators of this factor should be low.
Lighting	Plants prefer powerful and bright lighting. It is recommended to place pots with them on the windowsills located on the south side of the houses.
Watering	Refers to drought-resistant crops, due to its southern origin. In summer, they are limited to infrequent irrigation of crops, in winter they completely limit them to a minimum.
Priming	For the plant, purchased soil is suitable, which should be heavier in composition, but at the same time quite permeable. It should contain a small amount of sand. You can prepare the soil mixture yourself. To do this, 3 parts of perlite or coarse sand, 2 parts of leaf soil (humus) and garden soil, and also lime, bone meal or eggshell are mixed together. The acidity of the resulting soil mixture should vary from 6.8 to 7. The soil is poured into the pot, which is equipped with through technological holes to remove excess water.
Fertilizer and fertilizer	It is recommended to use water-soluble top dressing. They are paid twice a season: in April or July.
Transfer	Plants with slow growth are transplanted at the age of a year, while for fast-growing plants this period is reduced to several months. After another year, a new pot is selected for the crop, which would be 3-4 cm larger. With subsequent cultivation, the plants are transplanted every 2-3 years.
Breeding	The best option for reproduction - with the help of offspring, which can withstand in moist sandy soil in low light, occasionally spraying with water. It is used by seed propagation, however, plant growth in this case is significantly slowed down. Seeds may be planted only in spring. Some varieties of culture, in particular, Queen Victoria's agave, cannot reproduce in any other way than by seeds.
Growing Features	Varieties with variegated leaves slow down significantly. Low-growing stands can be cultivated under hydroponic conditions.

Agave care at home. In detail

It requires a certain care, without which it is almost impossible to get quality plantings.

Landing

Before planting, you should make sure that a particular species is suitable for cultivation at home. The best options for growing at home are:

• Agave Queen Victoria
• small flowered;
• agave nitiferous.

Seeds are planted between February and March, digging them into the ground by 5-10 mm. In the presence of air temperature at the level of + 21 ... 25С, seed germination will occur on approximately 5-7th day. First, the first leaf is formed, after 2 weeks the second, and another three weeks later, the third is formed.

In two weeks, it will grow to a length of 8 cm and a width of 1.5 cm. A fourth sheet is formed even after 3-4 weeks. By this time, the plants begin to form a rosette. The diameter of the underground stem will be equal to 1.5 cm.

When planting, the root neck cannot be buried in the ground. If this is done, then the sprout can rot.

For preventive purposes, soil around the neck is sprinkled with sand.

Bloom

Agave at home is rarely seen in a flowering state. Peduncles form paniculate inflorescences with a large number of yellow flowers, made in the form of a funnel.

Under natural conditions, the plant blooms in the 10-15th year of life; with indoor cultivation, usually it is possible to achieve flowering when the plant becomes 20-30 years old. Immediately after completion of flowering, the culture dies, and in its place there are many root processes.

Temperature mode

In summer plant feels best in the temperature range from +20 to + 28C. An increase in this indicator is allowed, it is only important not to lower it to + 18C and below. In late autumn, when the daylight hours begin to decrease, the temperature is lowered to + 10C. Some varieties may feel normal at lower temperatures.

Spraying

Homemade agave feels good in dry conditions and does not need additional spraying. During its transplantation into the open ground, it is necessary to provide the plant with protection from rain and other rainfall.

Lighting

The agave plant responds positively to an overabundance of light. Flower pots must be placed on the windowsills on the southeast, south, or east sides. For young plants, a slight shade is important, protecting them from burns, which they can get from the intense rays of the sun.

In winter, the leaves are usually extended in length, which is why the plant must be placed indoors at the most illuminated point.

If the light is not strong enough, the use of phytolamps will be required.

Watering

From the beginning of spring to the end of autumn, moderate watering is suitable for agave in room conditions. In winter, they try to practically not water it, especially in severe frosts. During irrigation, do not drip water into the sinuses and the socket, as this leads to stagnation.

For irrigation use warm and settled water. When the plant enters the phase of active growth, the intensity of irrigation is increased to 2-3 per week. At the same time, the soil near the bushes should have time to dry out slightly. Plants practically do not need spraying.

Pot

For growing room agaves classic pots in which the diameter is equivalently related to the height of the tank. Choosing the optimal volume, we proceed from the fact that the culture is distinguished by a powerful growth of the root system in the first years of life.

In mature plants, the root volume remains almost unchanged, and for them the pot is selected based on the current volume.

Priming

Under natural conditions, agave grows in rocky-sandy soil, which makes it unpretentious to the soil. The soil mixture is prepared according to the following proportions:

• 3 parts of sod-clay soil;
• 1 part of aggregated river sand and lime.

It is allowed to add to this composition 1 part of charcoal, lime or bone meal. These components allow you to disinfect the soil mixture and positively affect its fertility. At the bottom of the pot you need to install a drainage coating.

Fertilizer and fertilizer

Homemade agave is usually fed only during the growing season. Fertilizer is applied 1-2 times a month, and in winter the plant is not fed. As a top dressing, compounds with a limited nitrogen content are used. An excess of this element can lead to negative consequences, in particular, to the growth of the vegetative mass and exposure of the culture to disease.

Fertilizers that are suitable for succulents or cacti are allowed.

Transfer

Agave is transplanted as necessary, if the pot has become a small plant that has grown. The procedure is carried out no more than once every 2-3 years. Young plants are usually transplanted annually, always picking up a larger capacity for them than the previous one.

This is due to the fact that at this age, the root system is actively growing. Plants are always replanted in the spring.

Pruning

The plant is almost never cut. There is no need for this.

Rest period

It enters the dormant period in the fall and stays in it all winter. During this period, the optimum temperature regime for the plant will be 0 ... + 10C. Irrigation is not carried out at this time, however, if the room is at the wrong temperature, the plantations are watered occasionally to avoid overdrying.

Breeding

In the cultural environment for propagation of the plant in question, the following methods are used:

• reproduction by offspring;
• propagation by cuttings.

Agave propagation by offspring

In this case, offspring that are formed near the stem base are separated from the plant. The place of the cut must be dried up. Siblings are transplanted into pots filled with a slightly moistened soil mixture. Irrigation begins after 2-3 days. Until the cuttings are rooted, watering is carried out carefully, in a small stream, so as not to erode the soil.

Agave propagation by cuttings

Rhizome cuttings are cut so that each of them has at least one kidney. They are left for 2-3 hours to wither, and then showered with crushed charcoal. Divlenki placed in a pot filled with sand, and irrigated with water at room temperature. In the first year of life, plants form 4-6 leaves, in the second - 7-9, in the third - 10-12.

Under natural conditions, propagated by seeds. This is the longest process possible.

Diseases and Pests

It is often prone to various diseases and problems:

• leaves turn yellow agaves - deficiency of macronutrients, lack of light, overdrying, elevated air temperature, especially at night during dormancy;
• leaf edges turn yellow - an excess of calcium in the soil, the earthen lump is overdried;
• spider web on a plant - exposure to spider mites;
• wither leaves (lose turgor), leaves showered green - lack of moisture, inappropriate temperature, especially in winter;
• wrinkles on the leaves - a sharp effect of cold, a deficiency of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus is also possible on old foliage;
• agave turned yellow completely - the plant is overdried or, conversely, excessively moistened, the soil is too heavy or its density is high, it has insufficient water resistance, dry air. Also, this is possible when preparing the plant for the rest period.

Among the harmful insects are the most dangerous:

• scale insects;
• spider mite.

Types of home agave with photos and names

Agave american

Variety Mediopicta is distinguished by foliage with a longitudinally extended median band of light yellow color, the height of the plant is 0.6-1 m, it does not bloom.

The Mediopicta Alba variety is similar to the previous one, but it has a white stripe.

Queen Victoria Agave

The plant has a small spherical rosette, the foliage is stiff, 10-12 cm in length. On the upper side of the sheet and along its edges are visible white narrow stripes.

Agave drawn, or agave attenuate

Perennial plant, the stem of which is 1.5 m long. Succulent thin leaves up to 70 cm long are collected in a rosette. Their color is gray-green with a slight bluish coating. Their advantage is smooth leafy edges without sharp spikes.

Agave nitiferous

One of the most common types. The leaves are arranged in a thickened spherical rosette without stems. The foliage is oblong, long-pointed, elongated upward. It forms many offspring that can be easily separated immediately with roots.

Agave drinkers, or agave potatorum

Small plants with foliage in the form of a shovel, with denticles along the edges and multi-colored spikes (mostly red). It grows very slowly.

Watch the video: How to propagate agave plants (April 2024).