Agave desmettiana

(This plant comes in a 3.5" pot. You will receive a very similar plant to the one in the picture. It may or may not be blooming at the time of your purchase. The plant is shipped in its pot to prevent any damage to the roots).

Agave desmettiana, a family member of Agavaceae, is noted for its softness. It is also known as Smooth Agave or Dwarf Century plant. Local to Mexico, the Agave desmettiana grows as a rosette with green foliage. The monocarpic fragrant plant bears small pale-yellow flowers from early spring to summer and dies thereof. However, no worries, as the perennial succulent bloom takes about eight years. Dwarf Agave desmettiana looks like the Octopus Agave plant but is much smaller, growing to about 6 to 9 ft. tall. The fast-growing Dwarf smooth agave is winter-dormant and needs the filtered sun for optimal growth. It is not hardy to cold or frost.

Growth Rate
The Agave desmettiana growth rate is fast.

Flowering
The typical feature of this Agave variety is that it blooms after eight years of growth. The blooming season begins from early spring to summer when small yellow Agave desmettiana flowers can be witnessed.

Watering and Feeding
Variegated dwarf smooth agave requires moderate to light watering only during the growing season. During winter, the watering should be drastically reduced.

Soil
A part of Agave desmettiana care is to use well-draining loamy, sandy soil. Ensure that the soil is non-fertile.

Hardiness
The hardiness zone of Agave desmettiana is 9 to 11. It is not frost-hardy.

Light
Provide the Agave desmettiana with the filtered shaded sun.

Propagation
The ideal method to propagate the Smooth agave is via offsets. You can also use leaf cuttings and seeds for propagation.

Decorate your rocky garden landscape with the Dwarf century plant. Shop for Agave desmettiana from Planet Desert.

Some of the information in this description has been found at desert-tropicals.com, llifle.com and cactus-art.biz