AMERICAN AGAVE

ORIGIN AND CHARACTERISTICS

This succulent, also known as "Yellow Agave", belongs to the agavaceae family and is native to northern South America.

The Agave Americano is a perennial very resistant to arid soils. It is in the shape of a rosette, with a design and a green tone. It can reach a meter in height and width, and its leaves are elongated and contain thorns throughout all of it, finding them on the edge of it. It has a pointed finish and you have to be careful because they are sharp.

It blooms only once towards the end of its life, and produces a phenomenon known as "monocarpism", producing an inflorescence about 10 meters high. From this the films are born, ending these, in flowers of a yellowish color.

DECORATION OF ... EXTERIOR OR INTERIOR?

Normally we usually find this plant more in gardens than indoors, but it is valid for both environments.

Indoors it requires a bright and wide area in which it can grow, without the need for us to be overly concerned about it in the winter season, and in summer it only needs to be watered from time to time.

Outdoors it requires the same care, but we have to bear in mind that it does not tolerate direct sunlight well during long days in the summer season, so it must be planted in an area where from time to time it of the shadow.

CARE FOR CACTUS AND SUCCULENTS

They are showy plants, very pretty and that practically do not need much maintenance.

- They prefer places with direct light or that have good lighting, preferably next to a window, on a balcony, a terrace or in your Garden.

- They can withstand low temperatures, around -5ºC.

- It is essential that they have good drainage, both in the soil and in a pot.

- The ideal substrate for cacti has to be combined with sand and gravel, so that they have good drainage, humidity and excess water are not good.

- Irrigation does not have to be excessive. From spring to autumn, which would be its growth period, water every 15 days, abundant watering and wait for the soil to be very dry again. In winter do not water or give one watering per month.

- Fertilizer. During the growing season (spring - autumn) you can fertilize them with worm humus. Eggshells are a good homemade fertilizer, they contain (Calcium, Iron, Potassium, magnesium and Phosphorus) these nutrients are very important and favor their growth, you must crush and mix them with the substrate, administer them a couple of times a year.

- Treatment against fungi due to excess humidity, disinfect the area with a copper-based fungicide.

- If you want to transplant them from the pot or the ground, the best time would be from spring.

And don't forget that to work with cacti you have to wear good gloves.