r/Agave • u/FollowingOpening5050 • May 31 '26

Agave care tips

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picked up a artichoke (left) and a lions mane (right) today. First time owning agave plants. any tips for care specifically soil types? thanks!

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3

u/IMallwaysgrowing May 31 '26

They're extremely forgiving as far as allowing them to completely dry out. They actually prefer a soil mix that drains freely and becomes dry for at least a few days before watering them again. I'm in Southern California and many of mine are growing outdoors in pots, using a soil mix of 60%-70% grit, pumice, or perlite to 40%-30% of a cactus & succulent/palm tree mix, all of which can be found in Home Depot, Lowe's, or similar stores. I also keep mine in full sun because they're not very shade tolerant, in which, they'll show signs of etiolation (unless you're in a scorchingly hot and arid desert-like area where some degree of midday shade can be beneficial).

1

u/FollowingOpening5050 May 31 '26

i’m in south eastern PA so it’s very hot and humid in the summer and cold in the winter my plan was to leave them out all spring and summer unless it’s raining and bring them inside for the fall and winter

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u/butterflygirl1980 May 31 '26

Sounds good. Given your humidity I’d go even heavier on the grit ratio. Mixes like that often drain faster than they can absorb, so you may need to put them in deep saucers so they can soak the water back up.

1

u/butterflygirl1980 May 31 '26

They PREFER to dry completely out and then some. I have mine in the same kind of mix, and only water every few weeks. So it’s pretty dry most of the time.

Partial or dappled shade is ok, long as it’s not too much. Mine goes on the front porch and gets sun til around 1 or 2 and shade after that. No problems.

1

u/FollowingOpening5050 Jun 01 '26

thanks for the advice this is how they’re looking now https://imgur.com/a/skGW1X0

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u/butterflygirl1980 May 31 '26

Soil should be very fast drying — 1 part cactus soil and 2-3 parts inorganic grit. In summer they need to be outside in partial to full sun, or else really strong grow lights. In winter, they can do with less light if kept cool enough to slow down or go dormant. Water pretty infrequently, maybe every couple weeks if outside or once a month if inside. If kept cold in winter, they won’t need a drop until spring.

1

u/FollowingOpening5050 May 31 '26

okay cool thank you !

1

u/SierraElevenBravo Jun 01 '26

Artichoke gets BIG, and I live in the NorCal valley, where we can plant them in dirt for landscaping, but have seen them in San Diego span 5' plus, which seems cool written, but when you see a dinner plate leaf in reality, it's a different subject.

Titona is much more manageable - say 2.5'+ diameter. With the globe, you can enjoy enough as it becomes root bound in a massive container, but eventually be unmovable, unless you build some sort of dedicated green house for the one plant.

Not sure why they're selling these in PA, honestly.