What Is Foxtail Agave?
Foxtail agave is a member of the Agavaceae family, including plants such as yucca and century plant. Foxtail agave (or ‘foxtail aloe’) is an evergreen succulent found in prairies and open grasslands across the Western United States. It grows to 2 feet tall with a bushy rosette of plumose (feathery) leaves and elegant, tall flower spikes.
Foxtail agave is one of my favorite plants because it’s so easy to grow in the home landscape. This article will show you how to grow this beautiful succulent plant indoors or out.
Foxtail Agave Care & Maintenance
Growing Foxtail Agave can be easy if you give it the right conditions and a little love. Keep reading this article to learn more about growing agave plants outdoors and indoors.
Foxtail agaves are sap-free and infrequently need watering once established. To keep your foxtail looking healthy, follow these tips:
· Allow soil to become almost completely dry before watering again (Never let your agave sit in soggy soil).
· Water in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler for best results.
How to Grow an Indoor Foxtail Agave Plant
Start with a small, young foxtail agave plant if you want to grow an indoor foxtail agave plant. This article will show you what to do:
· Foxtail agaves like bright light but not full sunlight. Place them near a sunny window that gets about 4-6 hours of direct morning sunlight or grows lights indoors.
· Foxtails produce flower stalks from the center of the rosette, so keep your foxtail plants evenly watered (but not too wet) and fertilized for best results. Avoid pruning dead leaves and browning foliage because they will remain on the plant and serve as food for growth.
Light Requirements
Foxtail agaves are native to the cool, temperate zone of North America. They like bright light but not intense sunlight (they can sunburn), especially during their summer growth phase. If possible.
Find a spot near a sunny window that gets about 4-6 hours of direct morning sunlight or grow lights if indoors.
Foxtail Agave Water Requirements
Because foxtail agaves are native to the cool, rainy Pacific Northwest area of the United States, they prefer moderate watering conditions.
Allow soil to become almost completely dry before watering again (Never let your agave sit in soggy soil).
Watering is best done in the morning or evening when temperatures are cooler for better results. Be careful not to overwater! Foxtails will rot if left sitting in water or soggy soil.
Fertilizing Your Agave Plant Getting used to container growing takes some time and practice. Also, many plants don’t do well indoors because their needs aren’t all met with artificial lighting and limited space.
However, if you need a low-maintenance plant that can take the indoor environment, agave is an excellent choice. Just make sure to fertilize regularly and keep your agave in a sunny location that’s not too hot. Generally speaking, indoor agaves don’t require much care or maintenance at all!
Soil Requirements
Use a light potting mix with excellent drainage. These plants don’t like to sit in wet soil. If available, you can use a standard cactus mix or purchase a specific agave potting mix from your local garden center.
Temperature and Humidity Requirements
These plants thrive in warm, dry conditions. Daytime temperatures of 70-90 degrees are ideal. They do very well in a sunny window and will even survive light frosts outdoors with minimal damage.
Fertilizing Your Agave Plant Foxtail agaves like feeding about once or twice a month during the spring and summer months (but don’t overdo it, or you’ll get lush growth that needs to be trimmed).
Use an all-purpose plant food for best results. Avoid fertilizers high in nitrogen because they produce soft stems and spindly growth.
Fertilizing Requirements
Foxtail agaves are native to the cool, temperate zone of North America. They like feeding about once or twice a month during the spring and summer months (but don’t overdo it).
Use an all-purpose plant food for best results. Avoid fertilizers high in nitrogen because they produce soft stems and spindly growth.
How to Grow a Foxtail Agave Plant Outdoors if you live in zones where foxtail agaves can survive without protection, then you have it easy! Just follow these steps:
· Choose a location with full sun but plenty of airflows to help avoid mold. You’ll likely want shade during the hottest parts of the day in summer, though.
· Dig out a small hole for planting. Be sure to remove all rocks, roots, or other debris that will cause the plant to settle unevenly in the soil.
· Place your agave with the rosette facing up, about 2 inches below the surface of the soil. The base of each leaf should be slightly covered in the earth.
· Backfill with soil around the base and gently press down so that there’s good contact between the plant and its new home. Keep an eye on water levels while it grows to make sure they stay consistent.
Foxtail Agave Growth Stages Now, you can sit back and watch your agave grow! This is one of my favorite parts because it just takes care of itself once established in a pot or outdoors. It will take 4-6 years for your plant to reach flowering size, but you’ll enjoy it long before then!
You can expect the following growth stages over the first year or two of care: Growth Stage 1: The leaves will grow tall and thorny in the first year. This hardens up the plants and prevents them from being eaten by rodents while they’re still small. Growth Stage 2: In year two, the foliage will begin to spread out more like a rosette shape, as pictured above (A).
This is when you’ll notice new leaf areas emerging at the end of each segment, as well as a large vertical stalk that grows upwards.
Growth Stage 3: Once established in its container or soil, your agave should start to pup. This is when new shoots will sprout from the base of the plant and grow upwards.
Growth Stage 4: After a few years, you’ll notice that the leaves start getting smaller in size (the older ones may fall off too). These agaves are in a reproductive mode now, so that they won’t support large healthy leaves anymore. The plants should slow down their growth at this point, but you can still enjoy the outdoors for many more years!
Potting and repotting Requirements
After a plant has spent 8-10 years outdoors, its root system will have filled up the space around the original container. At this point, you’ll want to repot it into a bigger pot.
You can follow these steps: 1) Carefully pull your agave from its old container and shake off excess soil 2) Place into a new pot that is one size larger 3) Add fresh soil around the base of the plant and fill with water until soaked.
4) Let sit for several hours 5) Water until completely saturated (add more if needed overtime – don’t worry about overwatering!) 6) Enjoy watching your agave grow happily in its new home! If you’re not interested in repotting after this many years, you can keep your agave in the same pot for a few extra years, and it will be fine.
Agave rosettes can live for over 15 years outdoors without maintenance! Many people have them survive 20+ years with little care due to their hardiness. Next time you’re at your local nursery or garden show, take a look at Agave parryi. You’ll see why they make such attractive landscapes for sunny spots around the yard!
Foxtail Agave Propagation info
If you want to grow more agave plants, there are a few different ways to do it. First, remember that Agave parryi is not the only species of agaves that produce pups! Most require similar conditions and care but will look slightly different.
· You can carefully remove (and replant) a pup while watching closely for roots · You can start from seeds (it can take up to 4 years for these seeds to germinate!) Make sure you store in a cool dark place during this period.
Agave parryi starts reproducing when it has reached 15-20 years old and has flowered once. After this first cycle, they begin producing pups each time they flower if they don’t reach flowering age.
Foxtail Agave Problems
It’s tough to kill an agave once it has gone about a year or two outside! Once they’ve become established in their containers, they can go years without care. However, there are still some things you need to look out for:
Invasive roots – As your plant ages, the rosettes will die, and new ones may grow from the sides of the base. For this reason, make sure that your pot is stable enough so that the plant won’t tip over when fully grown.
If any of these pups get too close to the ground level, they can develop invasive roots, making transplanting difficult later on (this happens most often with pup starters due to height). Overwatering – Water until the soil is completely saturated, then wait until it has only dried out 50% before watering next time.
Agaves are very slow to drain, so these conditions should be sufficient for most plants in a sunny environment. Overwatering will rot the plant at the base and cause the leaves to turn red or brown as they start to die off from stress. Brown leaf tips – Watch out for spider mites that love agave plants!
They don’t usually damage plants indoors, but you can easily mist your plant with a bit of water (using a spray bottle) and watch closely for small moving dots- if caught early enough, this will help save your plant’s health!
Well, there you have it, everything I know about Foxtail Agave care. If you have any questions, feel free to ask down below, and I’d be happy to answer! You can also check out all of my other posts on plants here.
