What Is The Best Fertilizer For An Agave Plant ??

[billt]

I planted this Agave plant the other day to replace a Hibiscus tree that I lost this past Summer to extreme heat. It normally always dropped a lot of leaves in the heat, but this Summer was brutal, and finally killed it off.

Anyway, I was wondering about what to feed it? Also I have a bubbler running to it on a timer. (You can see it at about 3:00 O'Clock in the lower photo). It waters 3 times a week for 4 minutes. I've read that these Agave plants don't like a lot of water, so I was wondering how much I should give it?

The temperatures here are coming down now, with lows in the mid 60's, and daytime highs in the low 90's to upper 80's. They'll continue to drop over the next several weeks. Thanks in advance.

 

 

[Silas_Sancona]

2 hours ago, billt said:

I planted this Agave plant the other day to replace a Hibiscus tree that I lost this past Summer to extreme heat. It normally always dropped a lot of leaves in the heat, but this Summer was brutal, and finally killed it off.

Anyway, I was wondering about what to feed it? Also I have a bubbler running to it on a timer. (You can see it at about 3:00 O'Clock in the lower photo). It waters 3 times a week for 4 minutes. I've read that these Agave plants don't like a lot of water, so I was wondering how much I should give it?

The temperatures here are coming down now, with lows in the mid 60's, and daytime highs in the low 90's to upper 80's. They'll continue to drop over the next several weeks. Thanks in advance.

 

 

For Agave, no fertilizer is necessary.  If you do ( add any fertilizer ) you would apply something containing K ( Potassium ) and minor elements like Calcium once every 2 or 3 years. Other than what they'll pull from what they're planted in, no extra Nitrogen / Phosphorus is needed.

[Silas_Sancona]

25 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

For Agave, no fertilizer is necessary.  If you do ( add any fertilizer ) you would apply something containing K ( Potassium ) and minor elements like Calcium once every 2 or 3 years. Other than what they'll pull from what they're planted in, no extra Nitrogen / Phosphorus is needed.

I forgot to add:  As far as watering is concerned,   For Agave, a good, deep soak once a month is better than regular water.. Most will do fine on either no extra water,  or a once a month soak in fall / spring, esp if the weather has been warm and dry.  In summer, it is best not to water at all. Anything " succulent " can cook if provided more water than what nature might provide when night time temperatures exceed roughly 80F for extended periods.  Essentially, when it is that hot, many succulent -type things take a nap  ..go into a sort of heat- induced hibernation if you will,   until temperatures cool back down.

Not sure how the heat effected stuff up your way, but here in / around  Phoenix,  the extreme heat this year slaughtered all sorts of Agave, Cacti, etc succulent- type stuff all over town.  I came really close to loosing what few potted Agave i have left myself.. I'm sure you saw some of the news reports of people loosing big / old Saguaro around town here too..

A couple great threads from an Agave and Succulent- centric Forum for anyone here ..who doesn't also participate on that forum to read through,  ..to get an idea of how the kind of heat we experienced this year can effect things.

The forum member who started the Agave-related thread is the site admin for that forum, and a long time Agave stalker ( extensively researches them ) ..so ..out of anyone who grows Agave, here in AZ esp.  i trust his advise the most.

With the " Aloe " Thread, you can also see how Aloe sps some did after a wet winter as well..  Note that the person with the more extensive aloe collection in the thread is in Tucson, where it is " supposedly " ..lol..  cooler than either here in / near Phoenix, or out your way.. Regardless, a pretty good reference for anyone here interested in growing them here/ in nearby areas where which experience the same degree of brutal heat during the summer..

https://www.agaveville.org/viewtopic.php?t=10310

https://www.agaveville.org/viewtopic.php?t=12330&start=25

 

[billt]

I was living here in Lake Havasu City back in 1994 when we set the all time record high of 128F. There was a model home here in town that had the most beautiful, large, green Saugurao I've ever seen. That week of extreme high 120+ F temps killed it deader than a doornail. 

One by one the arms turned black and fell off. That home would have sold with that cactus alone. It was so beautiful it almost looked fake. It was sad to watch that thing cook in it's own juices.

[Silas_Sancona]

6 minutes ago, billt said:

I was living here in Lake Havasu City back in 1994 when we set the all time record high of 128F. There was a model home here in town that had the most beautiful, large, green Saugurao I've ever seen. That week of extreme high 120+ F temps killed it deader than a doornail. 

One by one the arms turned black and fell off. That home would have sold with that cactus alone. It was so beautiful it almost looked fake. It was sad to watch that thing cook in it's own juices.

Its pretty crazy..  Most folks would assume Saguaro ..and most other Succulent-type things  were built to withstand heat, but, just like any other living thing, there is a limit to how much heat ( ...or cold,  etc  stress-inducing exposure ) they will tolerate.

Not sure if it was because of a Saguaro in the neighborhood that came down,  but, for about a month, the smell of something large and dead was in the air any time the wind blew from a certain direction after the worst of the heat had broke in late July / early Aug. 

In one of the first news stories about " toppling Saguaro " earlier in August, the news crew was filming while a landscaper in the story was cutting into a large one that had come down in a yard.. As the guy cut through it, you could see how ..while it might have looked only slightly burnt on the outside, the interior -of the Saguaro- was cooked and already rotting.. Really sad and an eye opener at the same time..

In another story, the homeowner was discussing how they'd planted the saguaro that fell in their yard from a 3gal,  back in the 80's.

Back in 2020, i lost a some cacti and the one Agave ( a really nice parryi truncata ) i'd decided to plant in the yard at that time..  This year, most of the cacti in that yard ( not living there any more )  weathered the heat surprisingly well, mainly because no one watered and allowed them to get through the heat on their own.. As did 98% of my potted stuff  ..aside from what Agave and a few other things i lost. 

Already hoping next summer isn't as bad as this past one.

[Merlyn]

I'd also add that watering in the summer can lead to edema if the plant isn't used to it.  In hot, dry climates this can sometimes cause agaves to literally explode.  There's a big discussion about this over on Agaveville here: https://www.agaveville.org/viewtopic.php?t=10310

[Silas_Sancona]

3 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

I'd also add that watering in the summer can lead to edema if the plant isn't used to it.  In hot, dry climates this can sometimes cause agaves to literally explode.  There's a big discussion about this over on Agaveville here: https://www.agaveville.org/viewtopic.php?t=10310

Already linked, lol.

[Merlyn]

14 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Already linked, lol.

Oh...durrrrrrr.  I read what you typed but didn't see the link. 

[Tom in Tucson]

13 hours ago, billt said:

I planted this Agave plant the other day to replace a Hibiscus tree that I lost this past Summer to extreme heat. It normally always dropped a lot of leaves in the heat, but this Summer was brutal, and finally killed it off.

Anyway, I was wondering about what to feed it? Also I have a bubbler running to it on a timer. (You can see it at about 3:00 O'Clock in the lower photo). It waters 3 times a week for 4 minutes. I've read that these Agave plants don't like a lot of water, so I was wondering how much I should give it?

The temperatures here are coming down now, with lows in the mid 60's, and daytime highs in the low 90's to upper 80's. They'll continue to drop over the next several weeks. Thanks in advance.

 

 

For newly planted Agave, and for those grown in pots; as long as the low temperatures are below 70° at night, and the daytime highs are below 95°, they will develop roots faster by watering (and applying a low dose, low nitrogen fertilizer) around every ten days. So long as the leaves are filling out, and the rosette size is steadily increasing. If they're not responding positively to your watering, wait for a couple of weeks to prevent their roots from rotting.

BTW, I would dispense with automatic watering most succulent plants, and water them by hand. You can judge when to water by their reaction to your last water (and optional fertilizer) dose; as long as the temperature ranges make it safe to do so (like my current daily range).

Hi 91°, Lo 55°

[billt]

OK. I'll shut off the water, and go with a 2 gallon sprinkling can every 2 weeks. Would this be a good fertilizer to apply at the same time as watering? (Every 2 weeks).

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Miracle-Gro-Succulent-Plant-Food-8-oz-Instantly-Feeds-Succulent-Plants/41865389?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=&&adid=2222222222741865389_152355775858_18486918628&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=665822278016&wl4=aud-1651068664506:pla-1011407264394&wl5=1013433&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=5053246579&wl11=online&wl12=41865389&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAjw-KipBhBtEiwAWjgwrOLXkDuhmjZD1uQgPKPIkzV6JreFy451_mjprJFDwOg9laVZ7q7hjxoC_5kQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Merlyn]

BTW - your agave Desmettiana is a fast grower and prolific pupper.  In my yard these grew to about a 5' diameter and bloomed in roughly 3-4 years.  If you don't want the pups, it might be a good idea to pull them off now.  They are also not too cold-hardy, taking damage from anything under 30F and frost.  If you don't have frost there, it might be a bit tougher.

[Tom in Tucson]

17 hours ago, billt said:

OK. I'll shut off the water, and go with a 2 gallon sprinkling can every 2 weeks. Would this be a good fertilizer to apply at the same time as watering? (Every 2 weeks).

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Miracle-Gro-Succulent-Plant-Food-8-oz-Instantly-Feeds-Succulent-Plants/41865389?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=&&adid=2222222222741865389_152355775858_18486918628&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=665822278016&wl4=aud-1651068664506:pla-1011407264394&wl5=1013433&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=5053246579&wl11=online&wl12=41865389&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAjw-KipBhBtEiwAWjgwrOLXkDuhmjZD1uQgPKPIkzV6JreFy451_mjprJFDwOg9laVZ7q7hjxoC_5kQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

The Walmart link didn't seem to include the N-P-K ratio, but the Amazon site shows 0.5-1-1. That is a little too high for the nitrogen. A good ratio would be something like 2-10-10. As I stated before, start with a lower dose than what the label recommends (1/2 as much), for the first month or two, and half the frequency stated on the label.

Hi 93°, Lo 60°

[Silas_Sancona]

30 minutes ago, Tom in Tucson said:

The Walmart link didn't seem to include the N-P-K ratio, but the Amazon site shows 0.5-1-1. That is a little too high for the nitrogen. A good ratio would be something like 2-10-10. As I stated before, start with a lower dose than what the label recommends (1/2 as much), for the first month or two, and half the frequency stated on the label.

Hi 93°, Lo 60°

10% Phosphorus is a bit high.  I'd stay with something that has less than 3% of that, if any at all  ..and / or Nitrogen.