Friday, January 13, 2012

uh-oh*

(* actual verbal outburst censored to achieve desired G rating rather than a likely PG-13, or possible R) I’ve had very little to worry about this year as far as my tender plants are concerned. So far the worst we’ve seen are a few nights at 28 and a very brief flirt with 26. Combine that with the fact that we’ve been almost eerily dry and you’ll understand why I was so surprised to see this… Agave leaves are not supposed to look like, or move like, that. Its sister across the way (the canary in the coal mine so to speak, since it was my test subject in this same spot of ground through last winter) has no soggy mushy arms. Just a few acne blemishes. Speaking of ache blemishes, one on my third Agave Americana… …has gone from subtle to terrifying. Yuck. It doesn’t end there. One of my Agave ovatifolia has also got spots on a leaf. Although the other one looks fine. One of my little Agave Montana also has a few spots. I suppose this is the price you pay, for pushing the zone and pretending you live in the desert, when you really live in the rain forest (okay not really…I exaggerate for effect). But all is not bad. The Agave bracteosa looks perfect! As does the Agave parryi 'J.C. Raulston'…should have bought more than one of this one. Agave americana 'Opal' is also unscathed. It’s only damage coming from some little critter that ate right through several leaves (when they were still curled together) last summer. Not so for its tiny pups who are suffering some sort of ghosting disease (yes I made that up). Both of them have a leaf that has turned utterly translucent. This concludes our front garden Agave tour for January. Let’s hope February doesn’t bring anything worse okay?

29 comments:

  1. So this damage is mostly from the cold? I bought a J.C. Raulston in the fall, but being a nervous Nellie, and not actually having a spot yet to plant it in the ground (who does that? Oh right, everyone), I brought it into the house and it is doing great. But it would help to know what I can expect once it goes outside permanently.

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    1. Actually it's both the cold and the wet. If it were just cold but dry then everything would be fine. That's where great drainage comes in. I wouldn't call mine great...only good. There is nothing wrong with keeping an Agave in a container and taking it in over the winter. Lord knows I've got several!

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  2. I am not nervous at all, but am sorry about your Agave plants. We put so much heart into keeping them alive when just a bit of weather undoes it all. But I guess you are right about pushing the limit zone -wise. Good luck. I hope they survive and I'm glad they aren't here (18 degrees).
    Nellie (not the one mentioned in the post above.)

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    1. Is it dry where you are? If so then 18 wouldn't be a problem. These are all cold hardy here...it's all the moisture. But I do appreciate your good luck wishes!

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  3. Oh no. How much will an Agave grow in a year? In other words, how long until the damaged leaves are replaced or overshadowed by the new, clean growth?

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    1. I chopped off the mushy arm and dosed the cut with hydrogen peroxide (as per the boys at Cactus Jungle). It was dry for a good 5 days afterwards so I felt like that was the best bet. As for the spots they should grow out of it. I'll cut off any really ugly arms and new ones will unfold. They grow a lot quicker in the ground than in a container. If it doesn't get worse then things should be fine in the summer...providing we actually get a summer this year.

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  4. Omg!!!! That is tragic!!!!! Here's hoping they grow out of it do to speak! I think my one ovatifolia has a sad bit but it has started from a blemished spot that it already had when I bought it. I'm going to have to check mine when I get home!!

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    1. Hope you don't find anything alarming at home!

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  5. Pushing the zones is one of the most exhilarating and disappointing things we can do as gardeners, IMHO. In other words, no guts, no glory! ;-)

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  6. I'm SO excited to see all these agaves in the ground! (Not the reaction you were looking for, right Loree?) Okay, so yes, they are sustaining some damage but it's to be expected, as you say. But A. ovatifolia in. the. ground! A bracteosa in. the. ground! I'm inspired by your push-the-zone experiments. You make me feel like being a lot braver next summer with my agaves.

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    1. I love your reaction! Yes this is exactly what I thought I would see...well thought for the kind of winters we've been having, this one seemed a bit more promising. I planting all of these not knowing what would happen but looking forward to finding out. Glad to be sharing the experiment.

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  7. I don't know if this will help but I put those plastic bells over things here in the UK. It keeps the water of so if it gets too cold the plant doesn't freeze. Sometimes its the wet that gets to them.

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    1. Oh yes...I've got an entire collection of things to wrap and cover, although none as nice as what you describe. I agree that it is the wet. And even when we are comparatively dry it's still wetter than what they know.

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  8. I think it is really just damper air plus some mid-20's lows. Not sure of your solar intensity, but it seems pretty faint that far north even when clear, sompared to the power it has down here at 35N. My experience is that even 15-20F in our dry air doesn't cause such spots, and eventual holes on Agave americana. But <10F, and that's often a problem.

    A. bracteosa does take more humidity and less sun than some others. But don't even try A. parrasana...hates humidity and moisture!

    At least you don't push the zone upward, and plant central Canada / high mountain species - boring compared to spiky SW stuff!

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    1. I agree. As I said above our "dry" is still wet to these plants. It's all an experiment and so far I'm not at all discouraged. Also as you note our FULL BRIGHT SUN, is nothing compared to yours. Good to know about the A. bracteosa, I have seen a few sail through the winters around here. What ever lives there will be more of planted. Oh and I would have never thought of planting A. americana here...had they not been gifts. Nothing to loose really.

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  9. It's so hard to bear when these sculptural plants get blemished. Shizen! Now you're PG (in Germany). I've just had that one A. guadalajarana check out recently and, knock wood, it's fairly quiet as far as plant tragedies. Your parryi and ovatifolia should be fine in your zone 7, right?

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    1. Actually we are supposed to be zone 8 but I do feel like parts of my garden are zone 7, especially the front where these are all planted. It's very exposed! Yes parryi, ovatifolia and bracteosa should all be fine with our temps.

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  10. I had this happen in my garden two years ago. It isn't so much the cold as wet followed immediately by cold. The plants take up water and then it freezes the tissue. Most deserts are dry through the winter . Even the best drainage doesn't always help. Hope they recover. I now pull out many of my agaves and leave them in a wheelbarrow over the winter .

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    1. You did!? I wouldn't have thought it possible there...good to know. And yes it is the damn wet.

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  11. Damn! I want to challenge the zones as well, but the reality is, we live pretty northern. Not to say we've lost all hope yet, but it is a bit discouraging. I'm thinking of trying to create a hyper drainage bed, for dry loving succulents. There has been stories around town of a large agave that used to be down the street until it disappeared in that freak cold snap a couple years ago. Keep trying, we'll create the tropics eventually!

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    1. It can be done, don't give up! I don't count any of these as out yet. I think they'll be fine...if not specimen quality.

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  12. What the what?!? I would have thought for sure they would be ok this year...it's been so (relatively) mild. ARGH. Let's hope they recover when warmer temps return. I really dig the 'J.C. Raulston'...if I were to get an Agave...it would be that one...love those wide leaves...and those dark spines...so good!

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    1. I know right? This winter has been a dream...I still have Echium that are alive! Are you going to the YG&P Show this year? That's where I got my 'J.C. Raulston' last year. I'll let you know if I see one this year!

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  13. Sorry to see all the damage, it is always upsetting, especially as it sounds like you have had the same mild winter as us in the UK. I find it is the damaged leaves that tend to spot first. Often where the surface has been broken either through pests or spine damage. The good news, is that often these plants survive, and the damage will grow up (hopefully quicker than it does in the uk!)

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    1. Good point about the damaged leaves. The mushy one had perfectly healthy leaves below it, must have been something wrong with it to cause the mush. With a little luck and an early warm dry spring things should be fine....(she says while knowing the chances of an early warm dry spring are small).

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  14. It's frustrating when you see blemishes like that, especially with their potential to spread and disfigurement to get worse. Hope they won't and come mid spring your frustration will be forgotten as they put out more growth and looking pristine again :)

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    1. I do recall similar spots on a few Yuccas that by mid summer were gone (some cut off, some truly seemed to disappear), so I do have hope.

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  15. AgaveKillerApril 10, 2012

    Spots on agaves are indicative of moisture penetrating the leaf cuticle during "dormancy". Lots of spots, and the leaf eventually turns dry and brittle.
    Mush is indicative of excessive root hydraulic conductivity; most, if not all, agaves do not go fully dormant and if the roots conduct moisture into the plant during cold (<15F)weather, you get mush. Varies with species.
    Only a few species tolerate being under snow for months on end: parryi, havardiana, utahensis, and a few others. In these, the cuticle hardens off more than in other species. Cold hardening occurs within a few days after initial exposure to cold.
    Quite a few other species tolerant temps below 0F if the soil is dry.
    The drier the soil, the less root conductivity, and so the less chance of plants turning to mush.
    Rotted agaves smell vaguely like artichokes and, of course, tequila.

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