Expert: Greg Simpson - 7/13/2006

Question
I recently aquired a 2 month-old Agava Cactus from one of my Mother's friends. I have many cacti, but I've never had an Agava before. I've seen a picture of it's mother, it's mother is about 8-9 feet across and healthy.

My question is, how do you propagate Agavas and how old should my cactus be before I begin to propagate it every once and awhile?

Thanks!

Answer
Dear Lakota,

Most Agave put off what are commonly called "pups". They won't do this right away, but will eventually. The only other way is to wait for it to put out seed. When an Agave flowers, the main plant will die just after it sets seed. It can take 10 to 30 years before it will flower depending on the variety. If the persons plant that you got the "pup" from is 8 to 9 feet across, it may be getting close to flowering. Once it does, see if you can get some seed from that plant and grow your own. Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Greg