agave sisalana

El agave sisalana it is a succulent that could well be confused with a young Yucca, but in reality they are plants that are not related. In fact, one of the many differences that exists is that our protagonist only blooms once and then dies, while the yucca, once a year, we can already assume that it will do so for the following years until the end of the year. end of his life. But that does not mean that one is better than the other, far from it.

And it is that in a garden both can look really beautiful. If we now focus on the agave, this is a plant that will be growing and beautifying the place for a fairly long season (we are talking about twenty years). Also, it is easy to care, something that is certainly interesting to know.

What characteristics does the agave sisalana?

El agave sisalana It is a native species of Yucatan, in Mexico. It is popularly known as sisal or henequen, and it is a plant that, as we said before, dies after flowering. Therefore, it is a monocarpic plant since it flowers only once. Depending on where it grows, it can develop a stem of up to 1 meter, or not at all.

The leaves are sword-shaped, with a pointed end.. When the specimen is young, it has a glaucous color, but as it matures it produces silvery ones. These also have a dark-colored thorn at the tip. When it flowers, it produces a flower stem that is between 5 and 6 meters tall. The flowers are greenish-yellow, and the fruit is a capsule with seeds inside.

It has a life expectancy of about 25 years approx.

What uses does it have?

It is a plant that It is mainly used to decorate, but in the XNUMXth century and still today in its place of origin It has also been widely used for its fibers; hence it is known as sisal. This is used to make ropes, carpets, and steel cables.

What are the care that must be given?

El agave sisalana It is a very resistant species, to which extreme heat (40-45ºC) does not harm you if you have a little water at your disposal. That is why it is very interesting to grow it in cactus and succulent gardens, as well as in xerogardens.

Now, it is important to know what to do to keep it healthy. So, without further ado, let's see how to take care of it:

Location

It is an agave that, like the rest of the species of the genus, needs a lot of sun. For this reason, it must be outside, and in a place exposed to the light of the star king if possible throughout the day, or a large part of the day.

But be careful, you must take into account that its resistance to cold is low, which is why I advise you to keep it in a pot if there are strong frosts in your area, since it will not resist them if you keep it outside.

Soil or substrate

• Flower pot: the substrate that will suit you best is one that is specially prepared for cacti and succulents (for sale here), since it is light and has good drainage.
• Garden: if you are going to plant it in the ground, it is advisable that the soil absorb and filter the water quickly; otherwise, it is best to make a large hole and fill it with the substrate that I mentioned before.

Irrigation

When do you have to water agave sisalana? It will have to be done quite little in fact: only when the earth is dry. It is very important to do this as this plant does not like excess water or always having wet roots.

Therefore, whenever doubts arise, what we will do is wait a few days before adding water again, or with a stick we will check if the earth is wet or dry.

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You can fertilize it if it is in a pot so that it grows well. For this you can use a fertilizer for succulents such as this, either liquid or granulated, always following the instructions for use so that an overdose does not occur. And it is that if you add more fertilizer than necessary, the roots are going to burn, literally; and you could lose the agave.

Transplant

This is an agave that grows relatively large over the years, as we have already mentioned before. But of course, If it is left in the same pot for its entire life, it will remain small because it will not have enough space to grow.; and not only that, but he could die before his time.

Therefore, It is very important that we either plant it in the ground as soon as we can, or that we transplant it into a larger pot every 1-2 years. (The exact time will depend on how long the roots need to start growing out of said container, coming out through the holes in it). We will do this in spring, when the weather is improving.

Rusticity

It is a plant that, although it supports the cool, afraid of frost. That is why it should not be kept outside if temperatures drop below 0 degrees.

Do you like this species of agave?