How do I transplant a succulent (agave, I think!)

14 years ago

Hi there,

I've just moved into a new house, and am looking to transplant an existing large succulent. I think it's an agave, but am not sure.

Here's a photo of it:

http://bit.ly/czbxSn

It's about 85 cm tall.

Is this an agave? How would I go about transplanting this? Can I grow it in a pot? Is it possible to cut the stem shorter in the process?

It's such an amazing plant and I don't want to inadvertently kill it, so your collective advice and wisdom is much appreciated.

Cheers,

Ally

Comments (2)

alisonoz_gw
14 years ago
Yes it's an Agave, maybe A attenuata?

It looks great, if a bit "leggy". It also looks to be right at the edge of a fairly shallow garden bed, so I'm thinking the root system won't go down forever, just find your preferred new spot. Dig it up leaving as much of the existing root-ball as you can, and when planting it (somewhere free-draining) just backfill with some good draining material. Sort of shake it in to settle it rather than watering it in copiously - you could add a little seasol or similar to help against transplant shock. then basically leave it and don't coddle it too much.
OR if you have the courage to do it, just cut the top stem off, rest it somewhere in shade for a couple of days for the wounded stem to "heel over" a bit, dust it in rooting hormone, and try striking it again - perhaps in a big pot, and with some cactus mix or a gravel mix - nothing too wet.
You may loose some bottom leaves but if lucky it'll strike.
Save the rooted but and put elsewhere and you might find it'll throw some babies off the side.
OR OR you could go ask in the US forums.... for cacti etc
moksha
14 years ago
Yes it's attenuata.

Cut it off maybe 15cm below the head and just leave it wherever you want it to grow, they're very tough and easily root.

If you leave the stem in place you should definately get more plantlets.
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You might consider cutting most of the top growth back to allow the roots time to recover. When you dug it up all the tiny feeder roots stayed behind. Until those regrow, there is little moisture getting to the foliage and the bush is losing more than it can take up. Thus the drooping leaves. When transplanting you should not use any chemical fertilizers. Most are fast acting and can burn newly forming feeder roots, delaying the recovery. Keep in mind also the root system of an undisturbed bush is as large as the top growth. When diggging it up, most of the roots are left in the ground. That's why I recommend cutting back the top. A reduced root system can only support reduced top growth. It'll grow back once the roots recover. Better to lose it on the front end than to lose the whole bush. Keep watering deeply and consider shading the bush during hot sunny days until it shows signs of recovery
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Thank you for your replies. Well.. after digging out the 'big mamma', it was obvious it couldn't be saved.. the roots were awful looking & the whole thing smelled BAD. There were 2 babies off to the side and one of them was still colored brightly and had decent roots, so I pulled it out and am waiting for it to dry completely before putting it into new dirt.
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You need to get them growing properly first before thinking of what you do with them at a later stage. If you are new to this, best keep them individually potted as they are different types, you can always group pots in a container and cover rims with stones for a group look! Whether they will pull round remains to be seen as they look pretty damaged at the moment. You won't be able to buy a soil off the shelf, sadly no one sems to sell anything that resembles a good fast draining mix, that's why we need the separate ingredients to mix together. Gill
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From the pictures, doesn't look like anything is really wrong. Old leaves are supposed to droop and die, then new ones replace them. The Pleiospilos with the flower bud is blooming out of season so it's all mixed up, plus it needs full sun to get the blooms to open, plus it likely is in root shock from the repotting so no surprise it isn't performing at its best. You really should put each plant into its own pot, they don't all share the same growing needs so you can't really take care of them properly that way. Second thing is try to ID what you have and learn about their growth needs. Reading and learning is the key. Don't be discouraged by the inevitable early failures. Read more about appropriate soil mixes, pots, sun and temperatures. If you have the ability to grow these outdoors they will be much healthier than indoors. Succulents are not good houseplants. They are good at tolerating poor conditions but that doesn't necessarily make them for a windowsill. x
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How do I transplant a succulent (agave, I think!)

Comments (2)

alisonoz_gw

moksha

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