Q: Please tell me when I can transplant two small agaves that I raised from the little ones off a large plant. I was thinking of doing it now that it has cooled off, but I thought it would be better to get your advice.
A: Agaves are easily propagated from the offsets, aka pups, or little ones as you called them. Now is a fine time to plant them. If you removed them from the parent plant by cutting the stolons (the underground branches by which they are attached), it’s a good idea to let them dry for a few days to form a callus on the cut end. Agaves do best in well-drained soil such as a mix sold for cacti and succulents. You can simply push them into the soil, although they might get a better start if you put them in a container in a shady area until they establish roots.
The root establishment can take up to four weeks. Once rooted, they will start growing and then you can apply a soluble fertilizer, but only once or twice per year. Watering should be done as often as the container dries out. It’s not great for them to stay wet all the time, so allow the soil to dry between watering. If you eventually transplant them into the ground, watering should be done less frequently. In the summer, water every 10 to 14 days unless there was rain. In the spring and fall, every three to four weeks and none in the winter.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Email questions and photos to tucsongardensage@gmail.com
