I am new here so I can't offer much, but a picture of the plant may help.

On a side note you may want to take this opportunity to start some plants of your own. I know you most likely don't want this plant for yourself but you may be able to trade the babies for something you do want. Just a thought. These days anything for free is appreciated by most people. I am sure if you post a picture someone here will be able to give better advice then myself. Good luck.

Glenn

Do you have access to dynamite? Just kidding , sounds like you don't like cactus but then your on this site and not just for the sake of posting this so let me see what we can do for you here.

Do you live in Santa Cruz Ca. ? If you do I'm more than sure you could put an ad on craig's list and someone would be more than happy to remove them for FREE!!!

Do you know what type they are ? Spieces type?

I stopped at 'kill'. Offer this to your neighbor to remove and repair fence. I second Greg. Someone will want it. Heck I would like to see this monster fence eater. Paula

Min,

We're all C&S enthusiasts here, and while my first reaction to 'kill a succulent' is complete disgust followed by wanting to listen to some Frank Zappa, that's just me...

Anyway, we all know well of plants growing too well and culling is necessary. Yes, the most environmentally-friendly way (and the way to maintain friendly relations with your neighbor) is to sever all the pups on your side of the property or lifting your fence. In the meantime, discuss with your neighbor a general reduction of the plant. The plant does sound like an Agave, which can grow to Grand Canyon-sizes on the West Coast. I'll bet there are some species adapted to your area quite well.

A photo would help tremendously, but if you can't get one uploaded, maybe you could describe it in more detail. It sounds like it might be a Yucca...perhaps Yucca aloifolia. Compare with some online pix & tell us what you think.

Disclaimer - I LOVE succulents, but I like the smaller ones that are less destructive to life and limb... I have a bunch. I had more, but the winter here killed about half of them, and I can't keep them inside due to a cat that eats houseplants. We moved into a new house in the Santa Cruz mountains in July, and things that have followed me from about 4 houses ago died in the nice cold winter nights (12 or so nights were in the high 20's) even though I had them wrapped in straw, covered in a sheet, and tucked up under a big old oak tree. Haworthias, Gollum jade plant, and several others are now slime in the pots. I have hopes of rigging up a green house, or at least a good shelter against next winters chill, but that's not the topic of this post.

I'll go out in a bit when it gets lighter and/or stops raining, and take some pictures. I have no idea what the monster is, agave sounds probable. It's large and blue, with no variegations I've ever noticed, at least on my side. Now that the ground is all soft and at its most diggable, I get the shovel out and see if I can just uproot the pups. If I can dig them up easily, I'll put them aside for pick up by interested folk.

I find this interesting! I don't know of an agave that can stand 12 degree night temps. I have heard of lows in the 20's. What planting zone are you in? Shows 9b. If it is a blue agave, I am learning something new here. Greg my friend, can you help me out here. Do you know what the lowest temps agaves can take?
Stush

Stush'
I think minflick said: "12 (meaning #of nights) or so nights were in the high 20's"

At least that's how I understood...I could be wrong
Rina

Not 12 degree nights. A dozen or more nights were in the high 20's.........

Every succulent I OWN would, I think, be dead if it had gotten THAT COLD... At least, that's my best guess on it. I'm at about 500 feet altitude, and all we had some seriously frosty nights (made the wood deck slippery as heck!), nothing worse than that.

Stush my friend, I only have experience in my zone right now, I havent had a chance or opportunity to get out to much in the cold area's, However I have seen pictures with Agave's covered with snow.
I don't know what they looked like after the snow melted but those dudes looked like they were wearing white wool jackets. It didnt seem to faze them one bit, There animals! I guess.

Minflick, Awww... But Santa Cruz beach I have had the opportunity to visit and I loved it. Beautiful area to live, and that I envy you for.

Greg

Gosh, if it is ruining the fence, it has to go. If you know your neighbor well enough, you might have a conversation about the plant with him/her. It could be that they know what the plant is and how to best handle it. If they don't know this plant, the people on this forum will surely tell you!! It would probably be cheaper for them to move or prune the plant than to pay for replacement of the fence that it is breaking apart.

Penny

Now it sounds more like Agave americana (or subspecies), which can tolerate down to 15 degrees (maybe lower). Still, a photo would help with its ID. :)

And, voila! Pictures:

https://plus.google.com/photos/114266582036896526681/albums/5721406133179021137

None of these are from far enough away to really show size, because I'm not standing out in the middle of the highway to get that distance and angle... Nor do they really show the fence issue that one can see when standing there. My photography skills just aren't that great. And it was raining still/again/forever! But 4 pics, the one with the wee bit of house showing on the right is taken on the neighbor's side of the fence line, all others are on our own side of the fence. Large non-fence wood in back ground is a 15 ft stump of Very Large & Dead eucalyptus that will eventually have to come down/out.

There is also the giant ice plant growing there, but it's not hard to rip out (and it's invasive along the coast here, so not really welcome, as it's a danger on steeper hillsides) although it spreads like nobody's business!

It seems to be Agave Americana indeed.
Did you ever try using Round Up?

Jordi

Here's your picture...

{{gwi:522470}}

Roundup!

Why do all of you want to use Roundup for what essentially is removable by a little work with shovel and leather gloves?

Geez, the suggestion of chemical use (and one made by Monsanto, that spawn of the devil) is unusual for gardeners, but I guess we can't all be green all of the time.

Rant off.

Not 'all' of you, just two of you, including the Justly Famous Cactus Jordi.

This species is a pest in a small garden area and one can't stop it from permanently re-invading without killing the whole plant (even on the other side of the fence).
Jordi

Yes, that's Agave americana, and it is a serious thug. And I say that as an Agave lover with 30+ species, none of them A. americana.

I would get someone skilled with a machete to slice everything on your side of the fence out completely. Keep in mind that Agave sap can cause severe dermatitis, so do NOT use a chainsaw, which will cause dermatitis-inducing material to go flying everywhere. Make sure the machete-er wears long sleeves, gloves, goggles, etc. You might dig along the border first because there are undoubtedly roots going everywhere on your side, soon to produce offsets like crazy.

Can you offer your neighbor removal of the whole monster?

Agaves that offset too much are to be avoided, IMO.

How deep do the Agave roots go? I was thinking that to prevent the problem in the future, perhaps he could put a root barrier in the ground on his side of the fence to keep the roots from coming over in the furture.

Penny