Rotting Agave pumila pulls through
In January, I noticed that a few leaves on my prized Agave pumila in the front yard had started to rot. The seemingly non-stop rain in January was simply too much. (In total we had over 30 inches of rain this winter--10 inches more than our historic average.)
I first applied a fungicide in hopes of stopping the infection but that didn't seem to do very much. I was thiiiiiis close to removing the entire plant but pity got the better of me and I decided to give it one last chance. I pulled off the rotten leaves--they practically came off in my hands--when to my surprise I noticed a handful of babies hiding underneath. There was no way I could get rid of the mama now!
Fast forward 3+ months to May 24. This is what my Agave pumila looks like now:
I first applied a fungicide in hopes of stopping the infection but that didn't seem to do very much. I was thiiiiiis close to removing the entire plant but pity got the better of me and I decided to give it one last chance. I pulled off the rotten leaves--they practically came off in my hands--when to my surprise I noticed a handful of babies hiding underneath. There was no way I could get rid of the mama now!
Fast forward 3+ months to May 24. This is what my Agave pumila looks like now:
Mama may be half the plant it used to be, but it has healed and is pushing out new leaves.
And the babies are growing too:
They're better off staying with mama for a while yet.
This winter was brutal enough, which is why it's good to see a success story!
Whew ..I bet that's a relief ! My A. 'Arizona Star is making a comeback too. It looks a bit crappy right now but the new growth is plentiful.
ReplyDeleteMy 'Arizona Star' also had some problems with leaf spots over the winter. The new leaves look perfect. Keep on growing, baby!
DeleteI'm glad she and her babies didn't drown! We got almost 24 inches of rain, significantly more than our average which is just a smidgen less than 15 inches, but I recently determined that our soil is heavy on sand so our drainage is good - almost too good.
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky with your soil. Ours is the opposite--clay. Fortunately, we've amended most areas in the garden enough over the years that it's not a big problem any longer.
DeleteAhh that's good. And perhaps in just a few weeks it will be back to its original size, if not bigger.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be a while yet since it's a slow grower. I can't wait to see what it looks like in a year's time.
DeleteI have trouble staying with disfigured, is-it-dead-yet plants, so your happy ending is a lesson for me to hang in there and be patient. Look at all those babies!
ReplyDeleteMe too! That's why I wanted to remove it. And I would have done that if it hadn't been for those offsets.
DeleteA happy ending to a wonderful winter. Can't say no to rain. All your plants in that area look larger, and refreshed.
ReplyDeleteI was getting a bit sick of the rain there a few months ago but now I'm wishing for a rainy day...
DeleteI'm so glad you didn't yank that agave, Gerhard! I knew it would make it!
ReplyDeleteLOL, you had more faith than I did!
DeleteGotta love a survivor!
ReplyDeleteToo often they don't get a chance because of impatient people like me!
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