Some random variegated Agave
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Re: Some random variegated Agave
Bananaguy - thanks. For me, a good rule of thumb is a pot which is the size of the rosette. The thinking here is a correct sized pot has the right amount of soil in it which would dry out quickly enough, yet support the plant with sufficient moisture between watering. Waterlogged pots may be one of the worst situations for a xeric plant - rot. On the other hand, a plant that is root-bound is going to need to be watered more often. An exception would be perhaps species with notably long leaves (angustifolia, etc) which would not necessarily require a huge pot in direct proportion to the size of the plant. For species that offset, there is a school of thought that under-potted plants are more likely to offset, and I believe according to experience, there does seem to be such a correlation. So, if the goal is to encourage offsetting, then under-potting is one method to help it happen quicker.
Plants put in the ground definitely grow faster and better. Unfortunately, a more northern climate prevents me from doing so, so I do what I must to keep the plants I love, and not risk loss during winter. In pots, I have ultimate control over location and protection - simply by moving them as needed.
sholtzma - I'll keep that in mind!
Plants put in the ground definitely grow faster and better. Unfortunately, a more northern climate prevents me from doing so, so I do what I must to keep the plants I love, and not risk loss during winter. In pots, I have ultimate control over location and protection - simply by moving them as needed.
sholtzma - I'll keep that in mind!
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Re: Some random variegated Agave
You do have a lot of potted plants that should do well in the ground there...you're not that northern! filifera, parrasana, parryi, asperimma, palmeri, sun/snow glow, vilmoriniana, victoriae-reginae, colorata.Spination wrote: Plants put in the ground definitely grow faster and better. Unfortunately, a more northern climate prevents me from doing so, so I do what I must to keep the plants I love, and not risk loss during winter. In pots, I have ultimate control over location and protection - simply by moving them as needed.
I understand it may not be worth the risk especially for some of the more exotic examples, and I don't know how much room you have outside either!
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Re: Some random variegated Agave
Ok thanks for the info. They don’t have roots popping out and dry out pretty quick. Last year they dried out a lot and now I know to water them everyday pretty much as they seem to love water in large volumes as long as good drainage.
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Re: Some random variegated Agave
MITS - It's true, there are a few more I can put in more permanent situations (so out of their pots!). Two I have in mind are a big 'Jaws' in pot, and an A. ovatifolia also having outgrown it's large pot. They will join a group that have been outside in full open exposure that are: A. americana Medio Picta Alba, A. x 'Mr Ripple', A. 'Cornelius', and A. parryi Truncata. Those 4 have had no problem so far with sun, rain, hot, or cold. They are in concrete planters though whereby the base of the plant is raised above ground level by at least 6", which I'm sure helped avoid rotting issues when last season, all that rain we had translated into water flowing over the tops of the planter walls during flooding for periods until water levels subsided. The point is their roots are unrestricted going down into the ground, and there is no doubt the plants have benefited greatly. They all look awesome, and are fast growing.
Bananaguy - that's pretty much it. They do seem to like it best when they get all the water they can take, but yet allowing the good draining soil to dry out at least for a short time between watering. During warm weather, I too water some things everyday. Amazing the different rate of speed a pot will dry out if it's a sunny day, or cloudy and cool. I have some things I am potting up yearly, because of growth seen, and other things still in their same pots for several years straight. A. verschaffeltii variegates seem to top out as miniature to medium sized plants - one pup I have is now the exact same size as the mother plant. Anyway, the mother plant has been in the same pot for years, and to no apparent ill effect - it still looks great.
Bananaguy - that's pretty much it. They do seem to like it best when they get all the water they can take, but yet allowing the good draining soil to dry out at least for a short time between watering. During warm weather, I too water some things everyday. Amazing the different rate of speed a pot will dry out if it's a sunny day, or cloudy and cool. I have some things I am potting up yearly, because of growth seen, and other things still in their same pots for several years straight. A. verschaffeltii variegates seem to top out as miniature to medium sized plants - one pup I have is now the exact same size as the mother plant. Anyway, the mother plant has been in the same pot for years, and to no apparent ill effect - it still looks great.
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Re: Some random variegated Agave
To the above post that’s crazy the plants were pretty much submerged! Then no damage but I assume that was in the spring or summer? Yes if a plant is happy being cramped in a pot I let it be, as you know certain types will reproduce more from stress we assume but mother still looks great. Same goes for banana plants with dividing the corm chopping it up. Each piece can regrow its own plant if it’s healthy and a great root system. Like many other plants if you leave a small piece in the ground missed from removing the variety it comes back. Survive tactics think I might repot some of mine this year an maybe find a fertilizer to give them...
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Re: Some random variegated Agave
4 years ago, I pulled this interesting looking one from an A. parrasana 'Fireball'
Today - keeps getting better and better
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Re: Some random variegated Agave
A couple of more recent shots of the above sport... (and I can't believe these two photos are closing in on a half year old already - where is the time going? )
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Re: Some random variegated Agave
Might as well toss in here something new for me, and quite rare and not often seen...
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Re: Some random variegated Agave
That last one is very nice with the silver blue coloring and red/brown teeth.
Are most of these variegated agaves coming from seed grown plants or are they sports found on bulbils?
Are most of these variegated agaves coming from seed grown plants or are they sports found on bulbils?
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Re: Some random variegated Agave
Thanks tod, mick, aloe..
Regarding where these are coming from - neither from seed or bulbils. There are only a few species one will find variegated bulbils on, such as desmettiana, murpheyii, angustifolia, and probably a few others (mitis would be another). Those would need to be variegated specimens to begin with to achieve variegated bulbils with the potential of variants in variegation as well. Regarding seed, the odds of getting a variegated mutant from a batch of seed is very, very small. Probably something on the order of 1 in 10,000 or less. Most variegates out there have been developed over time from mutated partially variegated specimens that can be cored or otherwise mutilated to promote pupping and thus greater odds of deriving better variegated variants.
My randomly variegated parrasana above came from an Agave parrasana 'Fireball'. I have 4 Fireball mother plants, and have seen dozens of offsets, but that one oddball is the only one of it's kind I've seen from the bunch, so a rather rare mutation and a lucky find. Not just that, but it was hell to keep it alive early on and was super slow growing.
From this to this after a whole year (still in it's one inch pot) to this in a 4" pot after 2 more years A laborious process but after the plant became vibrant and healthy (with enough leaves containing green tissue to finally thrive) it's now at a point where it has great value itself as a mother plant. It's offsets are more likely to have highly desirable variegation such as this first offset visible below which is already showing it will contain a great degree of yellow variegated tissue. The greater the degree of variegation in this case the greater the prospects of produce more very interesting variegated specimens. With this plant, it took 6 years to go from a weakly offset to healthy and producing mother plant. Very exciting will be the variants forthcoming in the next generation. Actually, by coring this plant such as I did with a Blue Flame partially variegated specimen, it would be also possible to create a Medio Picta version.
Regarding where these are coming from - neither from seed or bulbils. There are only a few species one will find variegated bulbils on, such as desmettiana, murpheyii, angustifolia, and probably a few others (mitis would be another). Those would need to be variegated specimens to begin with to achieve variegated bulbils with the potential of variants in variegation as well. Regarding seed, the odds of getting a variegated mutant from a batch of seed is very, very small. Probably something on the order of 1 in 10,000 or less. Most variegates out there have been developed over time from mutated partially variegated specimens that can be cored or otherwise mutilated to promote pupping and thus greater odds of deriving better variegated variants.
My randomly variegated parrasana above came from an Agave parrasana 'Fireball'. I have 4 Fireball mother plants, and have seen dozens of offsets, but that one oddball is the only one of it's kind I've seen from the bunch, so a rather rare mutation and a lucky find. Not just that, but it was hell to keep it alive early on and was super slow growing.
From this to this after a whole year (still in it's one inch pot) to this in a 4" pot after 2 more years A laborious process but after the plant became vibrant and healthy (with enough leaves containing green tissue to finally thrive) it's now at a point where it has great value itself as a mother plant. It's offsets are more likely to have highly desirable variegation such as this first offset visible below which is already showing it will contain a great degree of yellow variegated tissue. The greater the degree of variegation in this case the greater the prospects of produce more very interesting variegated specimens. With this plant, it took 6 years to go from a weakly offset to healthy and producing mother plant. Very exciting will be the variants forthcoming in the next generation. Actually, by coring this plant such as I did with a Blue Flame partially variegated specimen, it would be also possible to create a Medio Picta version.
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Re: Some random variegated Agave
Thanks for that info Spination. The only variegated agave I have is I think the americana version. It's got pretty floppy leaves and is really common here in commercial landscapes. I'll try to take a snapshot of it.
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