Thar she blows!

Use this forum to discuss matters relating to Agave, Beschorneria, Furcraea, Hesperaloe, Hesperoyucca, Manfreda, Polianthes, Yucca and related species. This is where one posts unknown plant photos for ID help.
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Gee.S
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Re: Thar she blows!

#51

Post by Gee.S »

Seven stalks up, three now in flower, including two Nova's and one A. difformis.
A. 'Celsii Nova'
A. 'Celsii Nova'
A_Mine 076.JPG (153.83 KiB) Viewed 2576 times
A. 'Celsii Nova'
A. 'Celsii Nova'
A_Mine 075.JPG (99.45 KiB) Viewed 2576 times
A. difformis
A. difformis
A_Mine 077.JPG (174.06 KiB) Viewed 2576 times
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#52

Post by mcvansoest »

Want to try and make some Mangaves?
I can save some of the pollen from the Manfreda 'Chocolate Chips' that is currently blooming - I was going to do it anyway on the off chance that the blooming weberi in my yard actually got all the way to blooming.
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Re: Thar she blows!

#53

Post by Gee.S »

I'm game if you are. The Novas would be perfect, since they do not self-fertilize (dunno about difformis). They'll be done blooming very soon though...

Or if you can bring your plant by this weekend, we can load it up with two kinds of Agave pollen.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#54

Post by mcvansoest »

That would be great, but... this is like worst timing ever: I have got a wedding to attend on Saturday and on Sunday I also already have plans - and that after weeks of pretty much work in the yard weekends... and on top of that work is still kicking my butt so it will be tough to just take off for a few hours (already planning that tomorrow to go to the CACSS show and sale and say hi to Greg, as otherwise I will miss that opportunity again), maybe I can make something work on Sunday morning, but I would have to play it by ear a bit, if that is OK with you.
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Re: Thar she blows!

#55

Post by Gee.S »

Sunday morning is not good for me. Besides, terrible forecast for Sunday, I doubt we would get much pollen off of soaking wet Agaves. I'll be around tomorrow -- if you want to devote the entire day to Agaves!
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#56

Post by mcvansoest »

I would but the DBG is 10 minutes away from work, so pretty amenable to a short excursion, but unfortunately you are quite a bit further away and I have like 5 things that need to get done at work tomorrow as well...
Do have plans most of next week?
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Re: Thar she blows!

#57

Post by Gee.S »

Looks like seven bloom stalks in one year just wasn't enough. Here comes #8.
A. isthmensis
A. isthmensis
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Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#58

Post by Gee.S »

...and #9.
Mangave bloodspot
Mangave bloodspot
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Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#59

Post by Melt in the Sun »

Just starting now? That's kind of strange - a full 2 months behind mine here.
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Re: Thar she blows!

#60

Post by Gee.S »

Well I may have better luck with blooms/flowers in cooler weather. Of course I'm hoping against hope these two late bloomers of mine stay in synch.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#61

Post by AGAVE_KILLER »

Agave x Isth-menses cv 'synched cycles'
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Re: Thar she blows!

#62

Post by Melt in the Sun »

Yeah, maybe all the pollen won't boil on yours. :(
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Re: Thar she blows!

#63

Post by Gee.S »

I wonder if maintaining close proximity might encourage these stalks to stay in synch. Unfortunately, that might prove a dangerous experiment, since Manfreda/Mangave seem a packrat's favorite snack...
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Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#64

Post by Gee.S »

Coming along, though the bloodspot seems to have forged ahead. Still hoping for some crossover for an end game of A. isthmenspot. That is a lot of stalk development in just two weeks.
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Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#65

Post by Agave Down Under »

Gee.S, hows the pollination going? any luck with flower timing?
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Re: Thar she blows!

#66

Post by Gee.S »

Thanks for asking. The Bloodspot has forged ahead, not surprising since it features a simpler inflorescence, but I'm still hoping for some crossover.

In the meantime, I've begun harvesting seed from my Nova bloomers. That booty includes Nova, Nova × difformis, Nova × deserti v.simplex, and Nova × angustifolia.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#67

Post by Agave Down Under »

Sounds good!!
Hopefully you get to use the Bloodspot, i reckon you would get a mean looking cross!
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Re: Thar she blows!

#68

Post by Gee.S »

Aw, hell -- let's go for 10!
Stalk 001.JPG
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Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#69

Post by Melt in the Sun »

That's an odd time for a stalk...looks like palmeri?
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Re: Thar she blows!

#70

Post by Gee.S »

I've never known what it is. I've long suspected a murpheyi hybrid, an ID the odd bloom time may support. Best guess A. murpheyi × palmeri.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#71

Post by Gee.S »

One more for an even dozen. A new A. agustifolia stalk emerging while another is still full of bulbils.
angustifolia_new 001.JPG
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Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#72

Post by Gee.S »

May have caught a break. The Bloodspot is nearly done and I had all but lost hope, but isthmensis blooms are now opening, so a couple days of crossover is better than none. My plan is to simply let nature take its course. I set the Bloodspot right next to the isthmensis, so blooms are less than a foot apart. I've never heard of Bloodspot seed, so perhaps that hybrid is sterile (??), and I don't know if isthmensis self-fertilizes, but am hoping not. If neither self-fertilizes, all seed should be hybrid. We'll wait and watch with fingers crossed.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#73

Post by Gee.S »

This Bloodspot thing has been an education. The plant was on a patio table, in front of a large living room window (30' x 8'), so I couldn't help but notice the presence (or lack thereof) of pollinators. I had always assumed insects as primary pollinators of my Agaves, but no longer believe that is true. The only insects I saw paying any heed at all to the Bloodspot stalk has been flies, and only occasionally. OTOH, hummingbirds have fought and stood guard over this stalk as if its nectar is delicious beyond reckoning. This has now extended to the isthmensis stalk today. Tomorrow, some isthmensis blooms should be fully open, and I have no doubt the hummers will cross pollinate as long as they are able. Go birdies!
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#74

Post by Gee.S »

Turns out the hummers don't like the isthmensis blooms nearly as much as those of Bloodspot. Difference is that Bloodspot flowers have erect tepals, while isthmensis does not, and this has a great impact on how much nectar blooms can hold. Upper Bloodspot blooms appear to have been fertilized, pods are still green of course, but noticeably swollen, so a good sign. On a related front, I surely hope A. 'Celsii Nova' × A. angustifolia turns out to be a nice Agave, because I have thousands of seed, thanks to the hummers.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Thar she blows!

#75

Post by Melt in the Sun »

If you've still got pollen around, please save some - I've got a mangave (parviflora x maculosa) throwing a stalk and I know Greg has a A. v-r hybrid going up...
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