Agave Attenuata Plant Care

The Agave attenuate is an easy plant to grow, provided it has the right environmentLooking at the image, you can see what a great outdoor plant this is. It has soft-textured silver-grey leaves growing in whorls.

Another interesting thing is as they grow older, the clusters produce the most amazing tightly packed flowers resembling a foxtail. Hence, the name Foxtail Agave. Some gardeners also refer to them as the Dragon Tree Agave.

So today, we will let you in on a secret where you can find this fabulous evergreen succulent perennial and take care of them.

What is Fox Tail Agave?

agave

With an Agave attenuata in the landscape, it becomes the garden’s focal point. Those fleshy green leaves form a rosette arch and look like a huge open flower. Sometimes gardeners refer to this plant as Swan’s Neck Agave. As the plant matures, the leaves die off, and you see the stem remaining visible.

The stem can reach 60 inches, but the inflorescence reaches up to ten feet. Next, your young plants develop arching flower stalks curving backward to the ground. You then notice a second arch that resembles the tail of the fox.

The Agave species produces a lot of offshoots known as suckers that increase the clumping to result in a thicker growth. Once it blooms, it develops greenish-yellow flowers that eventually fall, making a place for seed pods that works well with probation.

The Attenuata Fox Tail Agave originates from Mexico, making it a hardy succulent plant. It adds flashiness to a landscaping bed and does well in pots standing on a patio or rock gardens.

Agave Attenuata Care

Agave Attenuata

Even while the Agave attenuata Fox Tail has this extravagant flower, it does not have a fragrance. Hence, it makes for an exceptional indoor plant if you suffer from allergies.

The next thing you may wonder about is the Agave attenuata poisonous. No, but it is mildly poisonous if ingested.

Hence, we still recommend taking precautions when following the care tips that follow here.

Best Soil Mix for Agave Plants

When caring for the Agave attenuate, the most important thing is that it needs well-draining, sandy soil that is slightly acidic. Still, as it is native to Mexico, it prefers sandy to rocky ground. Thus, poor drainage can lead to wet feet and root rot.

Hence, if grown indoors in a container, you can provide your Fox Tail Agave with a cactus or succulent mix. You can also add some grit to make the soil porous and loose. With enough drainage holes, it helps to prevent overwatering.

Another important note is that the Agave plant has shallow root systems, and the container’s depth is not essential. Still, while we are on the best soil to use, Agave species need fresh soil growing in a container every two years.

Lighting Needs For Agave Attenuata

agave lighting condition

Growing Fox Tail Agave is not too difficult as it can thrive in full sun to partial shade. So, providing them with six hours of direct sun exposure is not a problem.

Yet, if you have had your Foxtail Agave in the shade for a long time and want to move it into direct light, we recommend doing this gradually. You can increase the amount of sun over a few weeks as a sudden move can result in plant shock, and it loses its leaves.

Agave Attenuata Is Drought Tolerant

Agave attenuata plants do well in succulent gardens as it is drought-tolerant plants. For this reason, it is crucial to wait until the soil dries between watering. So, water sparingly to prevent root rot from forming.

Depending on the climate and environment, you can expect to water your Agave plant once a week in the summer. Nonetheless, you can reduce your watering during the winter months as it stores water in the foliage.

Temperature and Air Humidity

The Agave attenuata Fox Tail loves warm temperatures with low humidity. Your plant will flourish in a frost-free area as it is not frost-hardy compared to other succulents. When the temperatures drop, the leaves freeze and result in tissue damage and best to bring your plant indoors.

You can place your plant in a sunny window to keep it warm. The same applies to humidity as it needs to be lower than other plants. We do not recommend placing your Agave attenuata Fox Tail close to the bathroom or kitchen.

We do not recommend grouping your Foxtail Agave with other tropical plants as the added moisture is not suitable for your plant.

Pruning Your Foxtail Agave

The good news is your Attenuata Fox Tail Agave does not need much pruning. Nevertheless, you can trim them to remove brown or dead leaves as the base. In addition, giving them a trim helps make your plant more attractive.

We recommend removing the entire leave and not only a portion of it. Furthermore, it will help improve your Agave plant’s health. With too many offshoots, your succulents can become overcrowded.

Hence, they start competing for nutrients and water, and the regular removal of the offshoots from the parent plant helps.

Fertilizing Agave Plants

fertilizer

The Fox Tail Agave is a slow grower and not a heavy feeder. But, yes, they still need nourishment from time to time, and it takes up to 20 years to fully mature.

So, do not go wild in overfeeding your Agave just because it has pale green leaves or wants it to grow faster.

We recommend using a balanced fertilizer diluted during the growing season but refrain from feeding in winter.

Propagating Agave Attenuata

In Mediterranean gardens Attenuata Fox Tail Agave, you see them growing in decorative pots. So, if you want to ensure that you have enough of these plants to make a statement propagating them is the way to go.

Your mature plants produce pups, or you will see tiny new plants forming around the mother plant at the base. It is an inexpensive way to grow new plants and prevents overcrowding by the young plants.

The best time to remove the offshoots is when they are a couple of inches in diameter, following these steps:

  1. Loosen up the soil around the offshoot to find the root connecting it to the mother plant. Take a pair of sterilized shears to cut the root but take extra care not to cut the pups’ roots.

  2. Dig up the offshoot and place the pup in a well-ventilated area with shade to callus for a couple of days.

  3. Take a small container with ample drainage holes and fill it with a potting mix made for succulents.

  4. Moisten the soil, place it in a warm, bright spot, and continue caring for it.

Growing Your Agave Plants From Seed

If you can get your hands on seeds, you can fill a shallow container with a seed-starting mix. Scatter the seed on top of the soil. Then, depending on the Agave species, you can provide it with light to germinate.

If no lights are needed, you can cover them and keep them lightly moistened. If covered with a plastic wrap and you notice new growth in a few weeks, remove the plastic and care for them as usual.

Agave Attenuata Varieties

You can find a wide range of Agave varieties in different shapes and sizes to grow with your Fox Tail Agave.

Agave cernua A.Berger

Agave cernua A.Berger

It is a rare plant found growing in central Mexico and grows in small colonies. It has pale blue-green leaves with creamy yellow stripes. It can tolerate full sun as a variegated plant, but filtered light works best for this pricey plant.

Agave Parviflora

Agave Parviflora

The leaves on this succulent have white marking and form curling filaments that have a hairy look. It only grows six inches tall. Furthermore, it blooms green flowers every eight years.

Agave tequilana azul

Agave tequilana azul

Many gardeners refer to this plant as the Weber’s Blue Agave. In Mexico, it is used to make tequila and is a beautiful plant to grow in the garden. It can reach up to six feet tall and flowers every eight years with yellow blooms.

Agave Attenuata Diseases and Pests

As with other Agaves, your plant can become the home to pests and diseases. Some common insects found are soft scale, cactus longhorn beetle, and Agave snout weevil. These insects enjoy munching on the foliage to suck out the nutrients leaving your Attenuata Fox Tail Agave with brown spots.

To manage infestations you can remove them manually using a tweezer. But if a huge infestation is present, then a broad-spectrum insecticide helps. Some disease concerns are root and crown rot, anthracnose, and Phyllosticta pad.

These are Agave attenuata common bacterial infections found in the plant species. It results from fungi and the symptoms include brown spots, lesions, and foliage rot. Sometimes the roots are also damaged.

To prevent this from happening provide your plant with full sun to partial shade and moderate watering.

Frequently Asked Questions

You will find your plant only flowers once it matures and blooms once in a lifetime in spring and summer.

You will find your plant only flowers once it matures and blooms once in a lifetime in spring and summer.

The Fox Tail Agave can grow from a young plant into a mature plant in 20 years.

Finding the Fox Tail Agave is not tricky, and sold at local garden centers. Yet, now that you are reading our article, you can see this desert heat plant right here at Plantly. So, there is no need to leave the comfort of your home as you can have your plant delivered to your home.

Whether you want to buy, sell or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!

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