Agave salmiana

Care Guide: Planting, Soil & Watering

Overview: Agave salmiana is a slow-growing, drought-tolerant succulent that thrives in full sun to light shade and sharply drained, sandy or gritty soil, and does best in a frost-free position. It stores water in its fleshy leaves, so it needs only occasional deep watering and must never be left sitting in wet ground.

Quick Care Requirements

Requirement	Ideal Condition
Planting Season	Spring after the last frost in cooler zones; year-round in frost-free zone 11+
Growth Rate	Slow
Soil Type	Sharply draining, sandy or gritty; poor to moderately fertile
Water Need	Low – drought tolerant; let the soil dry out fully between waterings

Planting & Establishment

• Best Planting Season: Plant in spring after the last frost in cooler zones; spring in cold hardiness zone 7, spring to summer in hardiness zone 9-10a, spring to autumn in hardiness zone 10b, all year in hardiness zone 11+. In frost-free climates it can be set out at almost any time, ideally at the start of the warm season.
• How to Plant:
  • Hole Preparation: Dig a hole a little wider than the root ball on ground that drains freely; in wet or clay-prone sites plant on a mound or raised bed so the crown never sits in a puddle.
  • Soil Amendments: Work in coarse sand, grit or pumice to open up heavy soil; agaves want fast drainage far more than richness, so keep added organic matter light.
  • Planting Depth: Set the plant so the base of the leaves (the root collar) sits at or just above soil level – never bury the stem or lower leaves, which invites rot.
• Growth Speed & Expectations: This is a slow grower; in cooler-than-native conditions the rosette expands more slowly and takes extra years to reach flowering size. Give it space and let it fill in over several seasons.

Soil, Watering & Drainage Care

• Soil Mix & Drainage Needs: Use a free-draining, gritty mix – a cactus/succulent blend or garden soil cut with sand and pumice. In containers make sure there are ample drainage holes, and refresh the mix every few years as it breaks down and drains less freely; sharp drainage is the single best defence against root rot.
• Watering Schedule & Technique:
  • Young / Newly Planted: Water lightly every few days at first to help roots establish, keeping the mix barely moist but never soggy.
  • Established: Water deeply but infrequently, then let the soil dry out completely before watering again; overwatering is far more dangerous to an agave than drought.
  • Seasonal Adjustments: Water more often during hot, dry spells and cut back sharply in winter, when the plant is resting and cold, wet soil can be fatal.

Growing in Pots, Balconies & Indoors

Agave salmiana is a large, sun-loving agave – not a houseplant, and too big for a windowsill for more than its early years. It makes a fine container specimen while young or a movable patio and balcony plant in full sun, but in time it needs a very large pot or open ground. Deep indoors it will never get enough light.

Safety: Agave sap can irritate skin and eyes and is toxic if chewed, and the leaves are sharply spined – keep it away from children and pets, especially in a home or on a windowsill.

Quick Details

• Container Size: A pot about 30-50% larger than the root ball; pot up a size each time it fills out and offsets (the grower’s rule)
• Indoor Suitability: Not a houseplant and too large for a windowsill long term; grow it in a container while young or on a sunny patio
• Best Spot: Full sun to light shade – the hottest, sunniest place you have
• Soil & Drainage: Gritty, very free-draining succulent/cactus mix; strong drainage is essential
• Watering in Pots: Water sparingly and let the mix dry out between waterings – never leave it wet

Indoors & On the Windowsill

• Houseplant limits: The grower marks this as not suitable as an indoor houseplant – like most agaves it needs strong, direct light that a room interior cannot provide, and in low light it stretches and softens.
• Windowsill growing: Only a young rosette suits a very sunny sill, and briefly – it soon outgrows the space and is better moved outdoors into full sun.
• Overwintering: Agaves are frost-tender in cold climates, and this is a key reason to keep one in a pot – move it to a bright, cool, frost-free spot indoors over winter and keep it nearly dry until warmth returns.

On a Balcony or Patio

• Light & heat: Give it the hottest, sunniest position; agaves thrive on reflected heat from walls and paving. Pots dry fast in these spots, though these plants prefer to run on the dry side.
• Wind & weight: When the tall flowering stalk eventually appears it is heavy and top-heavy – the grower advises weighting the base of the container so it cannot topple. Site the pot clear of walkways, as the leaves are sharply spined.
• Drainage runoff: Stand the pot on feet for free drainage and to keep runoff off the balcony floor; a full pot of gritty mix is heavy, so check the balcony can take the load.

Choosing the Pot, Soil & Long-Term Care

• Pot & drainage: Choose a pot roughly 30-50% larger than the root ball with plenty of drainage holes; skip a standing water saucer to avoid root rot. Terracotta is ideal – it breathes and dries the mix faster than glazed or plastic.
• Potting mix: A gritty, very free-draining succulent/cactus mix – a loam or coir base with plenty of coarse sand, perlite or pumice.
• Feeding: Feed only lightly in the warm season; potted plants lose nutrients as water leaches through, but agaves are lean, slow growers and too much feed makes them soft.
• Repotting: Pot up to the next size as the plant fills out and produces daughter plants (offsets). The grower notes that after a few years the mix breaks down and drains poorly – refresh it with new gritty soil at that point.

Grower’s Container Tip

• Sizing up for offsets: Start in a container about 30-50% larger than the root ball and move up a size each time it fills out; a mature plant needs the extra room for its daughter plants (offsets).
• Stability at flowering: The bloom stalk can be very tall and heavy – place weight such as stones or bricks in the base of the container so it stays stable.
• Refresh the soil: After a few years the drainage declines – replace the old mix with fresh, free-draining soil.

Bloom & Edible Flower Guide

Quick Details

• Bloom Season: Spring to summer, once the rosette reaches flowering maturity
• Time to First Bloom: Many years, often a decade or more – Agave salmiana is monocarpic and flowers only once in its life
• Flower Appearance: Yellow flowers carried along a tall flowering stalk, held well above the foliage
• Edibility: The flowers of this large agave (known in Mexico as flor de maguey) are traditionally gathered and eaten cooked; raw agave sap and tissue are irritating, so they are only eaten after cooking, never raw

Detailed Blooming Overview

After years of storing energy in its rosette of fleshy leaves, Agave salmiana finally sends up a single, dramatic flower stalk – the once-in-a-lifetime event behind the “century plant” name. The rosette pours everything into this bloom: yellow flowers open in spring to summer, carried along a tall flowering stalk, the plant sets seed, and then slowly dies, leaving a ring of offsets (pups) to take its place. It is the grand finale of a long life rather than a yearly display.

Flower Characteristics

• Colour: yellow.
• Form: small, tubular, nectar-rich flowers carried along a tall flowering stalk.
• Once only: the rosette is monocarpic – it blooms a single time, sets seed, then dies while the offsets carry on.
• Edible when cooked: in its native Mexico the flower buds and flowers of this large agave are gathered and cooked as a traditional vegetable (flor de maguey); they are never eaten raw, as the raw tissue is irritating.

Bloom Care & Thinning

• Managing the bloom: there is no fruit-style thinning to do – once the stalk emerges the rosette is committed. Let it flower, then cut back the spent stalk and the dying rosette and leave the pups to grow on in its place.
• Support and space: the flower stalk can reach several metres and become top-heavy, so give it room and stake it in exposed positions.
• Pollination and seed set: in the wild the nectar-rich flowers are pollinated mainly by bats, hawk moths and hummingbirds; leave the stalk in place if you want ripe seed, or simply lift and replant the offsets around the base.
• Safe handling: the sap and cut tissue can irritate skin and eyes and the leaf tips are sharply spined, so wear gloves and eye protection when cutting the flower stalk or clearing the old rosette.

Bloom Health & Protection

• Agave snout weevil: large, mature plants near flowering age are the classic target of the agave snout weevil, whose grubs tunnel into the core and can collapse the rosette. What helps: keeping plants vigorous and unstressed, removing any affected plant promptly, and, where pressure is high, a soil-applied systemic insecticide.
• Crown and heart rot: in cold, wet spells water sitting in the crown can trigger rot around the base of the emerging stalk. What helps: sharp drainage and keeping the heart dry, with a copper-based fungicide if rot takes hold.

Pruning, Training & Seasonal Maintenance

Agave salmiana tolerates only light, sanitation-style pruning on a large, heavily armed rosette – the wedge-shaped leaves carry spines along their full margins, not just at the tip, which changes the safety calculus more than the pruning approach itself. As a solitary succulent with no wood or branching, there’s nothing to structurally shape; cuts are limited to dead or damaged leaves and, once the plant’s one-time bloom is over, its large spent flower stalk. This species is also the most cold-hardy in the batch (to zone 7 with care), so unlike its more tropical relatives here it can face genuine frost dieback on leaf tips in a cold winter, which is itself a legitimate reason to prune.

Quick Pruning & Maintenance Specs

Pruning Tolerance	Low
Primary Pruning Window	Year-round, for dead/damaged leaf removal
Secondary Maintenance Window	After the spring/summer bloom stalk has fully dried
Typical Frequency	Occasional, plus an extra check after any hard frost
Main Objective	Sanitation, managing a heavily spined margin safely, and removing the spent bloom stalk
Young Plant Priority	Leave foliage intact; remove only transplant-damaged leaves
Mature Plant Priority	Remove dead lower leaves, frost-damaged tips, the spent flower stalk, and manage offsets
Best Tool Type	Loppers and a pruning saw for the substantial stalk; thick gloves for handling the leaves
Avoid Heavy Pruning During	Any time, for living leaf tissue; avoid fresh wounds right before a hard freeze

Pruning by Plant Age & Size

Newly Established

Leave the rosette undisturbed apart from removing leaves broken during planting, letting the plant put its energy into establishing roots.

Young / Formative

No structural training applies to a solitary rosette. The only formative consideration is siting with enough clearance, since a mature specimen’s spread and its heavily armed margins make later access difficult if it’s planted too close to paths or structures.

Mature / Established

Remove the outer ring of leaves as they naturally decline with age, and trim back any leaf tips damaged by winter cold where this species is grown at the cooler edge of its range. Once the rosette blooms it dies, and the mother rosette is removed to make room for offsets.

Seasonal Pruning Schedule

Dormant/Winter

In the coldest parts of this species’ range, check after frost events for browned or collapsed leaf tips and remove only the damaged portion once the extent of injury is clear – don’t cut preemptively before cold damage has fully shown itself.

Ongoing Sanitary

Outside of frost season, dead or damaged leaves can be removed at the base at any time of year.

Post-Flowering

Bloom occurs in spring to summer on a stalk that can reach 3–4m (10–12ft). Once flowering is completely finished and the stalk has browned and dried, take it down in sections near the base. The mother rosette dies at the same point and is cleared once fully dead.

Special Growth to Remove

• Dead or dying leaves – cut at the base once fully brown.
• Frost-damaged leaf tips – trim back to sound tissue after a hard freeze, once the true extent of the damage is visible.
• Spent bloom stalk – a substantial structure on this species; remove in stages near the base once fully dry.
• Dead mother rosette – clear away once fully dead post-bloom.
• Offsets – thin or divide as the clump develops, working carefully given how heavily armed the mature leaves are.

Container & Small-Space Pruning

This species eventually becomes too large and too heavily spined for most containers or tight spaces; if grown in a pot while young, plan to transplant it to open ground well before its leaves reach full 1–1.5m length, both for root volume and for safety around a plant this well-armed.

Tools

Loppers for the fibrous upper stalk; a pruning saw for the thick base of the flower stalk or older dead leaves; thick, gauntlet-style gloves are essential given the marginal spines along the full leaf edge, not just at the tip. Hedge shears are never appropriate on this plant.

Tool Hygiene & Disease Risk

Increased. Agave snout weevil, a recorded pest of this species, is drawn to wounded or stressed tissue, so keep cuts to what’s necessary and clean blades between plants to avoid introducing rot into fresh wounds – a real risk given the size of the cuts this species can require.

Cut Placement & Technique

• Cut dead or frost-damaged leaves close to the base, working carefully around the spined margins.
• Never cut into or near the central growing point.
• Take down a large flower stalk in sections rather than one cut, to control where it falls.
• Prune when soil is dry to reduce rot risk at larger wounds.

Heavy Pruning & Rejuvenation

Not tolerated. As a single-growing-point rosette, there is no hard-cutback or regrowth response regardless of the plant’s size; damaging the growing point kills the rosette.

Post-Pruning Care

No feeding after routine leaf removal. After taking down a large flower stalk, keep the wound dry and monitor for soft or discolored tissue; after frost-damage trimming, hold off on watering the cut area until the danger of further freezing has passed.

Common Pruning Mistakes

• Handling this heavily spined species without adequate gloves, leading to injury during routine leaf removal.
• Cutting back frost-damaged tips too early, before the full extent of cold injury is visible, wasting still-viable tissue.
• Attempting to fell the full bloom stalk in one cut rather than working it down safely in sections.
• Pulling dead leaves off by hand instead of cutting them cleanly at the base.

When NOT to Prune

• Don’t cut live, healthy leaves for shape – there is no cosmetic shaping pruning for this species.
• Avoid making fresh cuts immediately before an expected hard freeze, since wounds are more vulnerable to cold injury.
• Avoid pruning during prolonged wet weather, which increases rot risk at any cut.

Recommended Tools (by task)

Dead/frost-damaged leaf removal	loppers	Handles thicker, well-armed leaf bases more safely than snips
Spent bloom stalk, sectional removal	pruning_saw	Needed for the woody base of a 3–4m stalk on a mature plant
Handling spined leaves during any cut	blade_disinfectant	Clean, disinfected blades reduce infection risk on a species already noted for weevil susceptibility

Pests, Diseases & Troubleshooting

Overview: Agave are tough, sun-loving succulents that stay largely trouble-free when grown lean and dry, but the fleshy, water-storing tissue of a massive, soft-leaved species that can span several metres makes it vulnerable to rot and to a handful of specialist pests once conditions turn wet or crowded. The single most damaging problem across the genus is the agave snout weevil, whose grubs tunnel into the core and open the door to fatal bacterial soft rot; as a large, soft-leaved species it is a prime weevil target, especially as it nears flowering size. Management is overwhelmingly cultural — sharp drainage, careful watering, airflow and prompt removal of collapsing tissue — with sprays or drenches reserved for confirmed problems.

Quick Troubleshooting Overview

Issue / Pest	Main Symptom	Primary Solution
Agave snout weevil	Base of rosette softens; outer leaves fold down and collapse; grubs in the core	Preventive drench of susceptible plants; dig out & destroy infested ones
Crown / root rot	Central leaves blacken and pull out easily; mushy, foul-smelling base	Improve drainage, withhold water, cut back to clean tissue
Scale & mealybugs	Sticky honeydew, sooty mould, cottony tufts or hard bumps in leaf axils	Wipe/spray with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap; treat roots for root mealybug
Agave & spider mites	Corky scarring or fine stippling and webbing in the folds of new leaves	Improve airflow, rinse foliage; miticide or oil for severe cases
Sunburn / etiolation	Bleached tan patches (too much sun) or pale, stretched, floppy growth (too little)	Acclimatise to light gradually; bright light with midday shade in fierce heat
Overwatering / cold	Translucent mushy leaves, basal rot, or frost-scarred tips	Water sparingly; protect from hard frost and wet cold

Common Pests & Management

• Agave snout weevil (Scyphophorus acupunctatus):
  • Symptoms: The adult is a dull black, long-snouted beetle about 1–2 cm long that chews into the base of the rosette to lay eggs. The real damage is done by pale, legless grubs tunnelling through the core and introducing bacteria as they feed. Watch for outer leaves that suddenly wilt, fold downward and lie flat, a base that feels soft or spongy, and a collapsed centre that lifts out with little resistance — by then the plant is usually lost. Large, soft-leaved specimens approaching maturity are hit hardest.
  • Prevention & Control: Prevention is everything: keep plants unstressed, avoid wounding the base, and clear away spent or rotting tissue that attracts egg-laying adults. Inspect the crown regularly during warm growing weather. Dig out and destroy any plant that is already collapsing to stop the grubs — and the rot bacteria they carry — spreading to neighbours. For valued specimens where the weevil is known, a preventive soil drench with a systemic insecticide labelled for the pest, applied at the start of the warm season, is the main chemical option; there is no reliable cure once the core is destroyed.
• Armored & soft scale (Diaspididae & Coccidae):
  • Symptoms: Small, immobile brown, grey or tan bumps or flattened discs cluster along the leaves, in the folds and on the undersides. Soft scale excrete sticky honeydew that leaves foliage shiny and encourages black sooty mould; armored scale do not, but cause yellow or bleached spots and pitting where they feed. Heavy colonies weaken and disfigure the rosette.
  • Prevention & Control: Rub off light infestations with a cloth or soft brush dipped in soapy water, and isolate new plants until you are sure they are clean. Encourage natural enemies (ladybirds, parasitic wasps) by avoiding broad-spectrum sprays. For persistent scale, thorough coverage with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap smothers them; repeat every couple of weeks and treat in the cool of the evening to avoid leaf scorch and to protect pollinators.
• Mealybugs, incl. root mealybugs (Pseudococcus/Planococcus spp. & Rhizoecus spp.):
  • Symptoms: Foliar mealybugs look like small white, cottony tufts tucked into leaf axils and the tight centre of the rosette, often with honeydew and sooty mould. Root mealybugs are sneakier: white, waxy specks and a mould-like ‘ash’ on the roots and inner pot wall, showing as unexplained stalling, yellowing and slow decline even when the top looks clean — always check the root ball at repotting.
  • Prevention & Control: Dab visible clusters with a cotton bud moistened in dilute rubbing alcohol, and hose or wipe out the crown. Quarantine new arrivals and inspect roots when repotting. For root mealybug, bare-root the plant, wash the roots, discard the old soil and repot into fresh gritty mix; a soil drench of insecticidal soap or a systemic can follow. Oil and soap sprays handle the foliar form; keep ants away, as they farm and spread mealybugs.
• Eriophyid agave mite (Aceria sp.):
  • Symptoms: This microscopic mite feeds hidden in the tightly furled heart of the rosette, so damage only shows as new leaves expand: rough, corky scarring, pimpling, distorted margins and streaks of tan, russeted tissue along the young leaves. It is easily mistaken for physical or edema damage. Once leaves harden the scars are permanent but no longer spreading.
  • Prevention & Control: Because the mite hides in the growing point, prevention centres on hygiene and isolation of new stock, since it spreads plant-to-plant by contact. Remove and destroy badly deformed leaves to knock the population back. Miticides or horticultural oil worked into the crown help on valued plants, but repeat applications are needed and results are only partial — many growers simply cull heavily infested plants to protect a collection.
• Spider mites (Tetranychus spp.):
  • Symptoms: Spider mites thrive in hot, dry, dusty, still air. Look for fine pale stippling or a sandblasted, silvery cast on the leaves and, in bad cases, delicate webbing in the leaf folds and between spines. They are tiny — tap a leaf over white paper to see the specks move.
  • Prevention & Control: Raise humidity and airflow and periodically rinse the plant to knock mites and dust off — a hostile environment does most of the work. Avoid drought-stressing the plant. Insecticidal soap, horticultural oil or a labelled miticide clears persistent outbreaks; rotate products and repeat to catch newly hatched mites, and avoid broad-spectrum insecticides that kill the predatory mites keeping them in check.
• Thrips (Thysanoptera):
  • Symptoms: Slender, fast-moving insects a millimetre or two long that rasp at soft tissue, leaving silvery or bronzed streaks flecked with tiny black specks of excrement and sometimes distorting new growth. They are more of a cosmetic nuisance on tough agave leaves but can scar young foliage.
  • Prevention & Control: Blue or yellow sticky traps help monitor and reduce adults. Keep the surrounding area weed-free, as thrips move in from nearby vegetation. Insecticidal soap, horticultural oil or spinosad give good control; treat in the evening to spare pollinators, and repeat to break the life cycle.

Diseases & Fungal Issues

• Phytophthora / Pythium crown & root rot (Phytophthora & Pythium spp.):
  • Symptoms: The classic killer of over-watered agave. Roots turn brown and mushy, the base softens, and central leaves discolour, blacken and pull out easily from a rotten core. It strikes fastest in cold, wet, poorly drained soil.
  • Treatment & Management: This is a cultural problem first: plant in fast-draining, gritty mix, never let agave sit in waterlogged soil, and water much less in cool weather. Caught early, unpot the plant, cut away all soft brown tissue back to firm healthy flesh, let the wound callus dry, and repot into fresh dry mix. A soil drench with a fungicide effective against water-moulds can support recovery, but drainage and restraint with the watering can are far more reliable.
• Bacterial soft rot (Pectobacterium / Erwinia spp.):
  • Symptoms: Fast-spreading, foul-smelling wet rot that turns tissue into a slimy, collapsing mush, often starting from a wound, a weevil tunnel or a cold-damaged spot. It is distinguished from fungal rot by its speed and strong sour odour.
  • Treatment & Management: There is no cure for badly affected tissue — cut well back into clean, firm flesh with a sterilised blade (disinfect between cuts), remove all slime, and let the wound dry hard. Keep the plant dry and airy while it heals. Prevent it by avoiding injury, controlling the snout weevil, protecting from frost, and never overhead-watering into the crown.
• Anthracnose (Colletotrichum agaves):
  • Symptoms: Sunken, dark brown to black lesions on the leaves, often with a slightly moist look and, in humid weather, pinkish-orange spore masses in the centre of the spots. It favours warm, wet, crowded conditions and spreads rapidly by splashing water.
  • Treatment & Management: Improve airflow and spacing, avoid wetting the foliage, and remove and destroy infected leaves promptly, disinfecting tools afterwards. Where pressure is high a copper-based or other labelled fungicide applied protectively helps, but keeping the foliage dry and the plant uncrowded is the core defence.
• Fungal leaf spots (Cercospora, Colletotrichum & others):
  • Symptoms: Assorted round to irregular grey, brown or black spots and blotches, sometimes ringed or haloed in yellow — mostly cosmetic but disfiguring, and worse in prolonged damp or under overhead watering.
  • Treatment & Management: Water at the base and early in the day so leaves dry quickly, give the plant sun and air movement, and pick off badly spotted leaves. Routine fungicide is rarely needed on a well-sited plant; copper or a broad-spectrum fungicide is an option only under persistent wet pressure.

Growing Difficulties & Abiotic Problems

• Overwatering & rot:
  • Cause & Symptoms: By far the commonest way to kill an agave. Too-frequent watering, heavy soil or a pot with no drainage leads to translucent, yellowing, mushy lower leaves and a soft base — the prelude to root and crown rot.
  • Correction Strategy: Grow it hard: use a very free-draining, mineral-rich mix, let the soil dry out fully between waterings, and water much less in cool or dormant periods. Ensure every pot drains freely and never leave the plant standing in a saucer of water.
• Sunburn / scorch:
  • Cause & Symptoms: Sudden exposure to intense sun — especially after cloudy spells, a move outdoors, or under glass — causes permanent bleached tan or white patches, sometimes with dry scarring, on the most exposed leaf faces.
  • Correction Strategy: Acclimatise plants to strong light gradually over one to two weeks, and provide light shade during the fiercest midday heat in hot climates. Scorched tissue will not recover but is outgrown as new leaves form.
• Frost & cold damage:
  • Cause & Symptoms: Depending on the plant’s hardiness, frost causes water-soaked, then brown or black, mushy patches and scarred leaf tips; wet cold is far more damaging than dry cold, and cold injury frequently opens the door to bacterial soft rot. As with most agave, this species tolerates dry cold and brief light frost far better than prolonged wet cold.
  • Correction Strategy: Keep plants dry through cold spells, improve drainage, and give overhead protection or move containers under cover when hard frost threatens. Do not cut cold-damaged tissue until active growth resumes and the extent of the damage is clear, then trim back to clean flesh.
• Etiolation & edema:
  • Cause & Symptoms: Too little light produces pale, soft, elongated growth with widely spaced, weakly formed leaves (etiolation). Erratic watering under cool, humid, low-light conditions can cause edema — corky, blistered bumps on the leaf undersides where cells burst from taking up water faster than they lose it.
  • Correction Strategy: Give the plant as much bright light as it can take (acclimatising to avoid scorch) to keep growth tight and symmetrical. For edema, steady the watering and improve airflow and light, avoiding water in cool damp conditions; the corky marks are permanent but harmless and stop forming once conditions are corrected.

What Helps — Products & Tools

For this succulent the toolkit stays simple and gentle: horticultural (mineral) oil and insecticidal soap for scale, mealybugs, mites and thrips; dilute rubbing alcohol on a cotton bud for spot-treating mealybugs; a labelled miticide for stubborn spider or agave mite; blue/yellow sticky traps for monitoring thrips; and a systemic insecticide drench reserved for preventing agave snout weevil on valued or susceptible plants. On the disease side, a sharp sterilised knife and dry, airy conditions matter more than any spray, backed by a copper-based fungicide for anthracnose and leaf spot and a water-mould fungicide drench for early root rot. Above all, a gritty free-draining mix and a restrained watering can are the best ‘products’ you can give an agave.