Tequila (Blue) Agave

Description:  Agave tequilana is a very slow-growing succulent that forms large rosettes of thick fleshy blue-green to silver-green leaves that turn reddish in full sun. The rosettes grow up to 6 feet tall and are also 6 feet in diameter. Leaves are lance-shaped with have marginal teeth and a sharp terminal spine. They are up to 4 feet long and up to 5 inches wide. After 15 to 20 years (up 100 years if grown in containers), the rosettes mature and produce an 20 foot tall flower stalk with 20 to 25 branches. Flowers are green with purple stamens and appear in summer. The rosette dies after flowering, leaving offsets to continue the life cycle. For more information see: gardenbeast.com/blue-agave-guide

Care and Growing Tips:  These plants require full sun to part shade. If you are growing Agaves indoors, choose a bright, sunny window with as much sun as possible. Agave plants benefit from being moved outside from late spring through fall. Agaves will tolerate most soils as long as they have good drainage, but their preference is sandy or rocky soil. Agave tequilana can withstand temperatures as low as 25 degrees Fahrenheit but it is best to avoid temperature below 40 degrees.

Mature plants are very drought tolerant. From spring to fall, water your Agave thoroughly when the soil becomes completely dry. In winter, water sparingly about once a month. Plants in containers require more frequent watering than those in the ground. Give your Agaves a small amount of fertilizer in the spring about every 5 years. When the pot becomes full of roots, it has become pot-bound. If you notice your Agave becoming pot-bound, repot it with new soil in a new pot that is just slightly larger than the old one. Since it can take up to 100 years for a potted Agave to flower and produce seeds, Agaves are usually propagated by offsets.