Agave sisalana: characteristics, uses and basic care

Agave sisalana is a succulent plant

Image – Flickr/Joel Abroad

The Agave sisalane it is a succulent that could well be confused with a young Yucca, but in reality they are plants that are not related. In fact, one of the many differences that exists is that our protagonist only blooms once and then dies, while the yucca, once a year, we can already assume that it will do so in the following years until the end of the year. of his life. But that doesn’t mean one is better than the other, far from it.

And it is that in a garden both can be really beautiful. If we now focus on the agave, it is a plant that will grow and beautify the place for a fairly long season (we are talking about twenty years). Moreover, it is easy to maintainsomething that is certainly interesting to know.

Contents

What are the characteristics of Agave sisalane?

The sisalana agave is tall

Image – Wikimedia/Forest and Kim Starr

The Agave sisalane It is a native species of Yucatan, Mexico. It is popularly known as sisal or henequen, and it is a plant that, as we have already said, dies after flowering. It is therefore a monocarpic plant since it flowers only once. Depending on where it grows, it can develop a stem of up to 1 meter, or none at all.

The leaves are sword-shaped, with a pointed tip.. When the specimen is young, it has a glaucous color, but as it matures, it produces silvery ones. These also have a dark colored spine at the tip. When it flowers, it produces a flower stalk that is between 5 and 6 meters high. The flowers are greenish yellow and the fruit is a capsule containing seeds.

It has a life expectancy of approximately 25 years around.

What uses does it have?

It is a plant that It is mainly used to decoratebut in the 20th century and still today in its place of origin It has also been widely used for its fibers; that is why it is known as sisal. It is used to make ropes, mats and steel cables.

What care should be taken?

Agave sisalana is a succulent plant

Image – 阿橋 Wikimedia/HQ

The Agave sisalane It is a very resistant species, to which extreme heat (40-45ºC) does not harm you if you have some water available. That is why it is very interesting to grow it in cactus and succulent gardens, as well as in xeriscapes.

Now it is important to know what to do to keep it healthy. So, without further ado, let’s see how to take care of it:

Location

It is an agave which, like the rest of the species of the genus, needs a lot of sun. For this reason, he must be outside, and in a place exposed to the light of the king of stars if possible throughout the day, or even a large part of the day.

But be careful, you have to take into account that its resistance to cold is low, which is why I advise you to keep it in a pot if there are severe frosts in your area, since it will not resist them if you keep it outside.

soil or substrate

  • Flower pot: the substrate that will suit you best is the one specially prepared for cacti and succulents (on sale here), because it is light and has good drainage.
  • Garden: if you are going to plant it in the ground, it is advisable that the ground quickly absorbs and filters the water; if not, it’s best to make a big hole and fill it with the substrate I mentioned earlier.

Irrigation

When to water Agave sisalane? You will have to do quite a bit in fact: only when the soil is dry. It is very important to do this because this plant does not like excess water or always having wet roots.

Therefore, if in doubt, we will wait a few days before adding water or, with a stick, we will check whether the earth is wet or dry.

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You can fertilize it if it is potted so that it grows well. To do this, you can use a fertilizer for succulents like this one, liquid or granulated, always following the instructions for use to avoid overdosing. And it is that if you add more fertilizer than necessary, the roots will literally burn; and you could lose the agave.

Transplant

It is an agave that grows relatively over the years, as we have already mentioned before. But of course, If left in the same pot all its life, it will remain small because it will not have enough space to grow.; and not only that, but he might die before his time.

For all that, It is very important to plant it in the ground as soon as possible or transplant it to a larger pot every 1-2 years. (The exact time will depend on how long the roots need to start growing out of said container, emerging from the holes in it). We will do this in the spring when the weather improves.

hardiness

Agave sisalana blooms once

Image – Flickr/Kaleomokuokanalu Chock

It is a plant which, although it supports the freshness, fear of frost. This is why it should not be kept outdoors if temperatures drop below 0 degrees.

Do you like this species of agave?

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