Friday, May 19, 2023

Blood is thicker than water, the pen is mightier than the sword, and the agave is stronger than the strawberry

I've been planting my chartreuse strawberry pots with agaves and succulents since I bought them back in 2014. 

This particular combo has been in place for at least a couple of years.

I laughed when I pulled it out of the shade pavilion greenhouse a couple of weeks ago and noticed an agave pup had pushed up out of one of the pockets, forcing out the sempervivum that had been growing there. Well, I'm not laughing anymore.

Damn.


Who knew? 

I guess I'd better think about pulling out that agave before it happens again.

Funny, I just planted the top of the second pot with a random agave last week.

Since this one pups a lot (I think it's an Agave lophantha 'Splendida', just a little sickly looking) I'd better not leave it in there too long either.

So there you have it. What's good for the strawberry is in fact not good for the agave...

(my umbrella was out to give me shade while repotting in the driveway, it's still sunny and warm here)

To receive danger garden posts by email, subscribe here. All material Loree L Bohl for danger garden © 2009-2023. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

13 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 19, 2023

    Wow, that's kinda crazy! Live and learn, I suppose. At least the pot is still usable, sort of. That is one giant drainage hole. I like the Haworthia growing in the pockets of the second pot!
    Does the Peony live in an outside pot year round?
    Chavli

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the peony stays right there, kind of odd, but it works.

      Delete
  2. Great title! Some agaves are really opportunistic with their pups. Agave 'Mediopicta Alba' and A. lophantha 'Quadricolor' are among the sneakiest but A. funkiana probably belongs on that list too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can definitely understand why Agave americana has a bad rep for pups, and yes even for me A. lophantha 'Quadricolor' pups a lot! Now if I could just keep a 'Mediopicta Alba' alive long enough for it to pup...

      Delete
  3. AnonymousMay 19, 2023

    Hmmm, that damage is pretty subtle. It might be repairable. Then with a gentle trailer or something fluffy in there you might never notice (or that side to back) . Maybe a muhlenbergia? Or, if you closed the whole thing off with something decorative like a knockoff talavera wall lizard or sunface (or small China plate,etc) you'd end up with a whole new unique accent. E6000 is supposed to be waterproof. I've never had it fail. There's even a new low odor version but not sure about waterproofness on that one.
    Your second pot is the first one you've shown that I actually have all the plants in it. 😃

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think for now I'm just going to save the broken piece, but watch the agave grow. I hope I don't regret it.

      Delete
    2. I have read that the best adhesive to attach ceramic to ceramic is 2-part epoxy. I buy the 30-minute kind which gives me 30 minutes to get the broken pieces together just how I want them. And yes, then I have to hold them together for 30 minuets. Have you used E6000 adhesive on ceramic pots?? What do other readers use to glue pots back together?

      Delete
  4. Bad agave. However, the silver lining is it looks like you can glue the piece back on. I have several pots that have been cracked by agave roots so am getting good at gluing. Gorilla glue works well as does a ceramic glue. Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Andrew is a glue wizard so eventually I think I'll ask him to repair it.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousMay 20, 2023

      What ceramic glue do you use? Always interested in better products. Thanks!

      Delete
    3. I believe one of his go-to's is gorilla glue.

      Delete
  5. Beautiful pot, naughty Agave! Hopefully your glue wizard can work some magic. The Haworthia looks nifty snaking out of the pockets.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. I do like how chartreuse pops against the metal.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Comment moderation is on (because you know: spam), I will approve and post your comment as soon as possible!