How To Grow Huge Agave As Seen In Pacifica, CA

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I’ll admit I love agave, and I would love to know how to grow huge agave as seen in Pacifica, CA! I know the title on the photo says “giant agave” but that might be confusing is that is actually the name of a different agave plant, that I actually shared previously. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but when you visit neighborhoods in areas that are conscious about planting drought tolerant species, many homes especially seem to have the same plants, namely there is lots of repetition, which I do find interesting. And it is not likely that all the neighbors are sharing cuttings (though in some cases maybe agave babies) but rather doing what I always recommend which is check out what is doing well in your neighborhood and rather than trying to re-invent the wheel, take that as a cue for what to plant yourself.

So in this case I will mention that lovely agave plants are basically everywhere, not just in Pacifica, but also in the Oakland neighborhood whose gardens I’ll be sharing soon, meaning agave is easy to care for, drought resistant and looks great! Growing agave plants successfully requires understanding their preference for rocky, sandy soil and full sun, which ensures your agave remains healthy and vibrant year-round.

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How To Care For Agave

Provide well-draining soil, like rocky, sandy, or cactus soil.
Requires at least six hours of full sun daily.
Plant in the spring or early fall.
Prefers neutral to slightly acidic soil.
Does not grow well in humidity.
Do not fertilize.
Water only when the soil is very dry.
Grows well in containers indoor

Light

Agave plants prefer a spot with full sun, meaning at least six hours of direct sunlight on most days. Agave can adapt to some shade, and the warmer the climate the more shade the plant can tolerate.

Soil

Agave plants can adapt to any well-draining soil but prefer rocky or sandy soil, with a slightly acidic to neutral soil pH. Poor soil drainage can lead to root rot, which will kill the plant

Water

Mature agave plants are very drought tolerant. Generally only water them if there has been a long stretch without rainfall and the soil is completely dry. That said, when establishing a plant, water every four or five days for the first month. Then, water once a week, and gradually space watering to every other week, depending on rainfall.

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Mature agave plants produce pups, or small new plants, around their base. Once the pups are a few inches in diameter they can be separated from the mother plant by cutting the root that attaches it to the mother plant. Like other cacti, the pup is not planted right away, rather only after a few days so the cut area can form a callus, and then plant the pup in a small container with drainage and moist soil, and place in a warm bright spot. Water liberally, and the pup should grow new roots in a few weeks such that it can be replanted outside.

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The agave here are so beautiful, though plants like this do take years to grow this large, and yes, they do flower, every 20 to 30 years, and then the plant dies. One of the reasons that fertilizer is not recommended it that it can encourage the plant to bloom, which you don’t want!

Okay friends, I would love an agave in my container garden, and I did have one once, but now I’m thinking it was overwatered, which was a shame as it was on the expensive side. In Australia where agave are growing all over the place I’ve seen photos of folks putting them in large glass vases and rooting them that way and maybe even leaving them there, as it looks fabulous, just need a very large, heavy vase!

Hope you’ve enjoyed learning just a bit about agave!