Black Friday agave takedown

As I mentioned a few weeks ago in this post, I was toying with the idea of removing our Agave weberi 'Arizona Star'. Beautiful as it is, it had simply gotten too large for its spot and was becoming intertwined with the Aloe marlothii to the left of it and the two mangaves on either side. 

There's simply too much going on here:

I happened to come across the photo below from October 2017—just four years ago!—and was stunned by how much everything has grown since then:

For comparison, this photo was taken in October 2017

I'm sure you know where this is going, based on the title of this post. Yes, my big Black Friday activity wasn't shopping, but taking down our 'Arizona Star'. Before I got started, I donned full protective gear: long pants, long-sleeved shirt, a baseball hat, and a face shield. It's not just for show: Agave sap contains calcium oxalate, which can cause contact dermatitis, and I'm a bit sensitive. In my case, it's not serious or long-lasting, but any sap landing on exposed skin causes an unpleasant burning sensation. I was reminded of that yesterday when I absent-mindedly rubbed the back of my neck with my gloves, which had gotten in contact with some sap.

My daughter took a short video of me getting started with my trusty reciprocating saw. You can see me cutting through the central core and removing some of the top leaves:

It didn't take long before I'd cut off all the leaves:

Here are the leaves I'd flung into the street:

And here's the entire agave, leaves and core all in a pile, ready to be hauled away by the city (Monday is yard waste pickup day):

With the Agave weberi 'Arizona Star' gone, there's a big gap now. And the fact that Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon' is growing crooked is readily apparent. Time to stake it.

On my Instagram page, several people expressed dismay about me removing a perfectly healthy plant. One commenter said they would gladly have dug it up and given it a new home. I understand where they're coming from, and I did check to see whether it would be possible to remove this agave reasonably intact. However, given how close it was to other plants on two sides and the fence behind it, there simply was no way to get to the root ball without removing a bunch of leaves first or risking damage to the surrounding plants. It just didn't seem worth it, considering this is a relatively fast-growing species and there were plenty of pups waiting to be dug up. 

Speaking of pups, I ended up with 8 of them, all with at least some roots. Here they are potted up:

I found another surprise: an Aloe schelpei that had been completely covered by one of the agave leaves. I barely remember putting it in the ground a few years ago. It hasn't grown much, but it looks remarkably healthy, considering it's been deprived of sunlight:

Aloe schelpei, previously hidden by Agave weberi 'Arizona Star'

If you're wondering what will take the place of 'Arizona Star', check back soon to find out.

© Gerhard Bock, 2021. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.