Exotic lovers with large free spaces can grow a large, juicy, emerald-blue plant - blue agave, from the pulp of which tequila is produced in Mexico.
Blue agave is a cactus or not
Because of the prickly leaves and sharp thorns of the plant, many people think that agave is a cactus. But this is not so. Blue agave - what is it? The plant is one of more than 300 species of agave. It belongs to the genus Evergreen stemless Agave family. Neither to cacti, nor to aloe, which agave is very similar to, it has nothing to do.
Blue agave
On a note! In addition to blue agave, American, striped and yellow agave are also used for home cultivation. They differ in the shape and color of the leaves.
Short description of what a flower looks like
Under natural conditions, blue agave is grown in Mexico. This is a large plant with elongated arrow-shaped fleshy leaves up to 2 m long. After 5 years, the agave produces a peduncle 5-10 m high, at the end of which beautiful bright yellow flowers bloom. They are pollinated at night by local bats. After flowering, several thousand seeds are formed, and the plant itself dies.
To obtain tequila, a plant is required aged 8-12 years, so the locals cut down flower stalks, not allowing them to grow and bloom, in order to maintain agave strength for further growth. Felled shoots are immediately stuck into the ground, and a new flower grows from them.
At home, the culture grows less, but not by much - the length of the leaves can reach 1 meter. The edges of the leaves are covered with thorns, and on the tip of the sheet is a long and sharp needle. Therefore, the place where the pot will be located should be spacious and protected from children and animals. A solid needle is cut off at the end of the sheet for safety reasons. It does not harm the plant. The leaves of agava blue are thick and juicy, covered with a smoky blue waxy coating.
Using Blue Agave
Otherwise, blue agave is called tequilá lily (Agáve tequilána), because the famous drink is made from this plant. For the preparation of Mexican vodka, agave is grown for 12 years. Only the middle from which the leaves grow is suitable for use, but this seal can reach a weight of up to 90 kg. All other parts (leaves, roots and peduncles) are chopped off, and the core is sent for processing to produce tequila.
On a note! Agave leaves contain substances that increase the effectiveness of medications. They are used for the manufacture of drugs that stimulate metabolic processes, normalize metabolism and reduce intoxication. In cosmetology, the juice and pulp of the leaves are used as components of creams and lotions. Agave fibers are also used to make fabrics, fishing nets, ropes and even ropes.
Blue Agave Care at Home
Blue agave grows in a dry, hot climate, at an altitude of more than 1,500 m, so when grown at home, you will need to create a favorable climate for it.
Illumination and temperature
The flower is photophilous and requires a long daylight, and in the spring and autumn, when the sun is not enough, it needs additional illumination. In this case, direct sunlight is optional. In the summer, if possible, the flower is taken out to the street, to the garden or to the balcony.
Home flower requires long-term lighting
Do not scare any hot succulent fruit, it is a heat-loving plant. In winter, the flower must be kept in the winter garden or on the veranda with an air temperature of + 10 ... +12 degrees. However, he needs lighting for at least 16 hours.
Watering rules and humidity
The plant needs dry, warm air. It does not need spraying, on the contrary, if moisture enters the outlet of the leaves, the plant may become sick. From dust, the leaves are wiped with a damp sponge. The flower will not refuse from airing and he is not afraid of drafts either.
You need to water the agave as the earthen coma dries up. From increased humidity of the soil or air, the agave rots and dies. In winter, the plant should be watered moderately, 1 time per month. Water for irrigation is taken at a standing or thawed, and always room temperature.
Top dressing and soil quality
The plant is undemanding to the ground, since under natural conditions, agave grows in clay-sandy soils and feels great. The most important thing is to pour good drainage into the pot so that the moisture does not stagnate in any case. For this, any material (expanded clay, crushed stone, broken brick and even crushed polystyrene) is suitable.
Note! Agave prefers highly alkaline soil. Usually a mixture of garden soil, coarse sand and peat is poured into the pot.
As a top dressing, you can use universal fertilizer for succulents, but you need to use it not according to the instructions, but diluted at least 2 times. The plant needs only fertilizing in the summer, during the growth period. Fertilize it no more than 2-3 times a month.
You can feed with fertilizer for succulents
Flowering and perennial dormancy
Agave cactus blooms at home very rarely, almost never. The flowering of succulents can be seen only in the botanical gardens, in which this event is also not common. Indoor agave can bloom for 15-20 years of life. After flowering, it slowly dies, leaving thousands of seeds. But the flower is very spectacular in the form of a high panicle, covered with bright yellow, funnel-shaped flowers.
Flowering as powerful as a plant
Agave rest period occurs in winter, when it needs a low temperature, sparse watering (1 time per month) and the absence of fertilizers. Only lighting at this time cannot be reduced by adding artificial light without fail.
Mexican Agave Propagation
To breed blue Mexican agave at home is not difficult. To do this, use several methods.
Seeds
Succulent seeds have excellent germination. You can sow them at any time of the year, but the optimal period will be from late February to early March. To grow seedlings from seeds, you must:
- Prepare a container with a lid and fill it with peat-sand mixture.
- Sow seeds to a depth of 0.5 cm.
- To provide a stable temperature for seedlings - + 22 ... +25 degrees.
- Ventilate the container with fragile sprouts of a daily appearing in a week.
After 3 weeks, the first leaf will appear on the sprout, after another 3 weeks - the second. After about 3.5-4 months, the seedling will have 3-4 leaves up to 4 cm in length and developed lateral roots, then it can be transplanted into a new pot.
Seed germination
Kids
The easiest method of reproduction is by children. Agave releases them every year.
The mother plant is removed from the pot, daughter processes are carefully separated and left for 2-3 hours. The slice should dry out, otherwise it can rot, without taking root. The mother plant is returned to the pot at this time. Children are planted in soil or wet sand and left there for 3 days. After this, the seedling can be watered.
Agave kids
Children can be jailed at any warm time of the year. At first, it is not recommended to expose the pot with a seedling in the sun, the optimal place is a window facing east.
Leaf
Agave leaf can be propagated in the same way. The sheet is broken off at the base, left to dry. You can sprinkle it with ash. After 2-3 hours, the leaf is inserted into the soil, where after 2-3 weeks it will let the first roots. In the water near the leaves of agave root formation does not occur, from excess moisture they begin to rot.
Flower stalk
Under natural conditions on agave plantations, the plant is propagated by peduncles, cutting down a palm tree at the base and sticking it immediately into the ground. Since at home, a flower almost never lets flower stalks, so it is better to use the above methods.
Growing problems, diseases and pests
Despite the fact that blue agave is an unpretentious plant and tolerates any conditions, except for an excess of moisture, when growing it at home, some problems can still arise:
- The plant is frozen and does not grow. Perhaps the plant does not have enough space or the soil does not fit it. Try replacing the pot with another, larger one, filling it with suitable soil and moving it to a more spacious room.
- The leaves became small, and the plant stretched out. This means that the agave is not enough light. Additional lighting must be installed using a fluorescent lamp.
- The stem or root began to rot. If this occurs in the winter, the plant is cold, or the humidity of the air and soil is increased. Depletion can also occur due to too high a temperature during wintering. It is necessary to stop watering and rearrange the agave in a dry room with a temperature of + 8 ... +10 degrees. In the summer, decay is possible with waterlogged soil due to lack of drainage. In this case, the plant is transplanted into another pot with special holes, fill it with drainage by 1/3 and observe the irrigation regime.
Diseases and Pests
Blue agave has low immunity to fungal diseases and pests. With an excess of moisture, the flower begins to rot, and leaves and the root system are covered with brown and black spots.
Pest
Among the pests that infect agave cactus, weevil larvae, as well as scale insects and thrips, do particular harm. The plant needs to create favorable conditions, control the humidity of the air in the room and the soil in the pot, check the condition of the flower. If signs of the disease or pests are detected, the agave is transplanted into disinfected soil, previously treated with insecticides and fungicides.
Blue agave is an exotic powerful plant that does not require special care. The only difficulty can be the creation of conditions for wintering, when the plant requires low indoor temperatures, but it also needs a long daylight hours. Agave is very easy to propagate, so you can quickly create your own Mexican corner.
