Question
QUESTION: Hi,

I recently acquired a "blue agave" plant (the kind used for tequila), but I'm not sure how to care for it. It has long fleshy leaves with spines about 10" tall. I'm growing it indoors on a south facing windowsill. My room has 3 windows (north, east, and south) so it's quite bright, which I believe are good growing conditions.

I was told it thrives on neglect and it grows slowly , how can I get it to grow larger with more leaves?

How often should I water it?

-Theo

ANSWER: Dear Theo,

Agave tequilana azul isn't the slowest growing agave that I know of.  It is usually grown outdoors but it seems that you have good indoor growing conditions.  They rarely bloom indoors however. They do thrive on neglect, but plant in well draining cactus medium and water when the soil is dry.  You can feed it about twice a year and repot every 1-2 years.  Normally they are dormant in winter so if you can put it in a cool room and give it very little water, if any, so it will grow better in the summer.

It will grow larger over time.  Succulents aren't for the most part fast growers and you can't really force them. Your plant will also develop pups so you'll have more plants.

Hope this helps.

maureen

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Maureen for the reply.

I actually don't have a cool(below 60) room to keep it in, and I also just read they need at least 6 hrs of direct sunlight, so I brought it to my office today which has one room that gets tones of direct sunlight all day. The environment here is relatively dry and warm, but we have a weird heating/cooling system so sometimes it get's quite cold due to the AC. It has a new leaf in the center, does that mean it's still in growth?

-Theo

ANSWER: Dear Theo,

No worries.  Just don't have it go dormant and treat it the same year round.  yes, the new leaf means it's still growing.  Just don't over water,that's how we kill most C$S.  Just drench when dry and don't let it sit in water. it should do fine.  Don't forget to repot if needed.

Maureen

P.S.  In winter it an do with less than  6 hours of sun if dormant.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Maureen,

Thanks for the advice earlier. I think the agave is doing well here in the office. It's next to large windows that get full sun at least 7 hours a day. I don't know if it's just me, but it seems to have grown a bit since I purchased it several weeks ago.

I know it's called a "century plant", and although I doubt I'll live another 100 years, I'm wondering how long can it really live if grown indoors and never flowers? Does this species of agave keep growing even after it flowers?

-Theo

Answer
Dear Theo,

I recently read about a blue agave that was grown in a greenhouse in Boston and bloomed after 50 years. I don't know how long they can grow if they don't bloom but it is interesting that this particular plant finally did bloom.  One wonders if the need to procreate is so strong that a plant finally will bloom even in culture. The plant dies after it blooms but throughout it's lifespan it produces pups which grow into new plants.  They can be potted up separately to keep the mother plant stronger or you can keep them attached which gives the plant another look.

After 12 years you can make tequila. You do have to kill the plant to do that however.

I'm glad your plant is happy. I'm a big fan of all agaves.

Maureen