Herein lies the tale of two agaves and how their different treatment through the years have made a difference on their growth rate.
I bought two small Agave ovatifolias in 2013, grown from the same batch of seeds, they were exactly the same size when I acquired them. Repotted into identical pots, they both grew at exactly the same size until in 2015 when one of them was transferred on to a blue glazed pot and placed at the front of the house. Since the makeover all the plants there were given extra attention, to keep the front garden looking smart (prior to that the front of the house was genuinely neglected and often a dumping ground for building materials for the back garden). So plants were regularly watered, fed, and kept weed free.
The second one was placed by the edge of the koi pond in a plastic white pot. It was a prominent spot but not a conducive one for the health and growth of the agave. Under the eaves of a pergola, it remained dry whenever rain fell, and by being on the edge of a koi pond it was rarely watered to minimise the risk of soil (and more bacteria) running into the pond.
So the first one got watered regularly and was placed in a bigger pot, the second one kept on the dry side and remained in a small pot for years. The result is going to be obvious, two years on the former is more than double the size of the latter.
Feeling guilty that I have grossly neglected the latter, it was time to treat it right by giving it a much bigger pot. It has then been placed away from the shelter of the pergola in the open to bask in the sun and get watered much more regularly. So two weeks ago it was given a new home.
Where it is now gets sun all year round, sheltered but will get rained on, and much more likely to get watered when we have the hosepipe out and the entire garden gets supplemental watering.
Hopefully it will catch up in size with its front garden brother relatively quickly. With both being in a pot neither of them are likely to attain the size they can potentially do when planted out. But they can still attain a very good size even in a pot if watered regularly during the summer and given a sufficient sized container.
Mark :-)
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
An interesting accidental experiment. A quick search of your garden will reveal other poor tortured Agaves. I must now repot mine and I will hold you responsible for any damage I suffer :-)
ReplyDeleteHehe! They'll thank you for it so worth the suffering :))
DeleteWOW. I have never seen a better side-by-side comparison of what are essentially identical plants, just grown under different conditions. The difference isn't subtle, it's EYE-POPPING!
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy isn't it? Hopefully the little one will catch up quick!
DeleteCare matters, doesn't it? However you guys do a great job growing the exotics in your climate and hauling them all indoors every autumn.
ReplyDeleteI got two one gallon sized Aloe 'Hercules' at the same time; they were the same size. One got into the ground several years before the other, and is at least triple the size. I'm not good about taking care of potted plants, and the climate here allows laziness.
It certainly does :) both agaves stay out all winter but the bigger pot and getting more summer water made a predictably huge difference. Wish it was possible for us to plant out more like you do.
DeleteWait, which is which? ;) Amazing.
ReplyDeleteHehe they're both tortured anyway, one just has a bigger cage :))
DeleteOh! This is very interesting...happy the little guy is getting a chance to catch up now.
ReplyDeleteFeel better now getting the other into a bigger pot and more attention :)
DeleteThat is so interesting. I forget that during the summer the Agave's and Cactus need watering and probably don't water enough, thank you for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteThey do like a good drink during the summer :)
DeleteAn excellent and informative comparison! Who knew? I would thank you for this but now I have some agave re potting to do. Love your puppies in the last picture and I'm sure that the kitties approve of this kind of dog as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks Peter! The kitties love them, the best kind of dogs for them :))
DeleteThat's a big difference! The amount of water agaves receive seem to make the largest difference here - those more water-starved grow much more slowly.
ReplyDeleteDrought tolerant they may be but they do appreciate a good summer watering :)
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