Stush, trust me on this one, It's an Agave Joe hoax. Looks exactly like hoovb and Denise's , I'll tell you a secret too stush on how I got them , I actually had to do a little detective work to catch this guy, I had to make a few phone calls and finally got permission to remove the pups which were all removed with roots, ( that's a big plus,). I tried to give them something in Exchange but they insisted they don't want to add anything to their collection right now cause they don't have the time, (bummer.) And if I see any other plants growing feel free to help myself. Wow!!! Kinda like a blank check. I was very thankful and cleaned up the area also I was so appreciative. He actually rents that house out and doesn't even live in it that's why I had to make phone calls but my persistence paid off. Stush, those are very expensive agave's on the streets, and in the stores I've seen them in and their not aS common as most others, just happy to be able to help with the clean up around the hens and snatch up the chicks in the process. Plus they are simply gorgeous. Greg

This looks like frost damage to me. If it is in a cold exposure situation I would withold water, they can go a very long time without a drink, especially in winter. The damaged leaves will continue to dry up and could be removed without hurting the plants health. Can you move it to a warmer area or cover it when the temps dip below 40F? This is not a cold hardy Agave. It is a zone 9 to 11 plant. This could help it from happening again. These guys are generally hard to kill but sometimes easy to beat up. Hope this helps, Gil

That is a great example of microclimates JoJo! The time spent at the minimum temperature (minutes, hours, days) plays a big role in what temperatures a plant can survive. So does the amount of water in the plant, and in the soil. Dry plants are much more tolerant of cold compared to wet plants. Plants in the ground can survive colder temperatures than plants in pots. I have found most of my plants can tolerate much lower temperatures than typically listed. These lows are brief, just a few hours at most, and it's at least 20 degrees warmer during the day. So plants that are supposed to not go below the mid-thirties F can tolerate minimum temperatures in the high twenties. Agave ferdinand-regis is listed at both +5, and -12 in the list above. The difference between a minimum average temperature, absolute minimum temperature, and Fahrenheit and Celsius scales is often confused. Minimum temperature listings should be regarded with great suspicion, even when coming from a more or less credible source like Desert-Tropicals. It is better to research the plants natural environmental conditions. I would not give much credence to this, or any other so called 'minimum temperature' list. There are too many variables for these to be accurate to any degree. ;) Brad

One would want to find out which way the floor/ceiling joists under the floor ran and made sure the wood beams Spanned some of the joists to either side of the container to insure the weight would be distributed to other weight bearing structures.I do not think that the added weight of the wood would be much and the added benefit of the weight spread would be good. I would consult an engineer and find out the weight in these containers. I don't know what your floor plan of the the area usage is and if this would work in your situation. I also do not know how much money is available for your project. I would think an engineering STUDENT could answer these questions and would love a little cash to be pressed in their hands. I got an architect to help with my house by a note on a bulletin board at the university. If one did not like the look of the Void underneath the raised containers, An artisan could grind /cut slots that the beams could slice into keeping the heiht the same as placed on the floor. This would have to be done by a GOOD metal worker with proper tools or one would have a mess of raw jagged ill fitting metal. Then one could use the top of the beams to place the rubber fountain /swimming pool structure. OR, One could add and rivet on a metal fill pieces on the bottom edge to carry the metal cylinder to the floor but this would make the metal cylinders look taller and increase their appearance of vertical mass. Anyway you do this, I would have it drawn out so you know what one is getting into. God, I need to shut my designer mind off.It has a tendency to raise away. I will probably talk you out of it by discussing difficulties and possibilities. It could be a very fun project but it could also be a hair puller if approached wrong. Styrofoam will not break down but some very knowledgeable professionals on another site said that Styrofoam does leach chemicals that plants don't find beneficial. I forget what chemicals they said or the effects on plants. I am just repeating a remembered conversation.If they are placed on the bottom and one has provided a fast draining soil, that leaching should be going out the container and not ip wards. Roots do find their way into every corner though.