Agave are tough. Do you think you could soak the roots to wash off the soil, then try to cut with shears with the plant upside down so you can see each pup's base? That would be my first approach to that. Also, I hope you don't get poked!

So jealous! Of having the agave, not having to separate it... Separating big ones is a pain, as the roots are very tough and you are more then likely going to have to cut or saw through something. Sometimes you can soften them up with a soak in water and wiggle the pups free but imo you will be there for a while-I'm sure those roots are all wrapped around each other, and I've been there trying to separate that mess.

I'd have never thought to try a crowbar, but when they are this crowded and big I think it could work. As long as you aren't too aggressive so as to tear something off, and let the Agaves dry a little before re-potting(to let wounds callous over), I think you should be fine.

Slow and steady! Don't want to get yourself poked, or rip off a large portion of the plant. If all else fails, you can cut the pups out.

Haven't the faintest idea on how to approach this, but I do recommend watching a video of farmers harvesting Agaves for tequilla. It's crazy how they have to cut them out!

Funny you brought that up eww. I just saw this yesterday and found it interesting. Also a bit sad, poor plant.

Agave harvest http://youtu.be/YfNxo2vkdUU ... apparently can't make links while on a phone

I think the first one was like the first slice of pie. It always breaks into pieces. Great job!

You might be able to salvage the first one if you let it dry and try to root itself. Glad you managed to separate them!

That little rootless one will root if given some dirt. Mist it, don't water it until you feel resistance when you tug on the rosette.

I really only need two plants to go into my rock garden. I'm undecided as to if I should use the large one. It will look out of balance with a small pup, and it will bloom years earlier, thinking optimistically. But I doubt I will be able to resist the size and beauty of that large plant.

These are Agave Parryi 'JC Raulston' which have a good reputation of coming through or cool, wet PNW winters. Still, I plan to build a plastic tent over these guys for November-April. Good drainage and winter rain protection should go a long way to keeping these guys going. Hey... this ain't Tuscon.

Very nice Agave! Great job separating the pups, too.

Soooo - how many wounds did you get? LOL

It occurs to me I don't really know where the soil line should be on these pups. I first thought all the white portion should be buried. But I'm not really sure of that. So... where should the soil line be on this pup? Just above the basal plate maybe? Or all the way up to the the colored zone?

Consulting the original picture, I'm not sure where the old soil line was. What's the best thing to do?

PNW you say? Hehehe,sure wouldn't mind providing a home for any spares you may have here in Washington ;)

But more importantly, great post. Makes me feel better about the big mass of yucca I get to go wrangle out of a lilac bush this weekend. Brilliant idea on using the pry bar, will be my weapon of choice with operation yucca. I will have to keep an eye out for these locally, I didn't realize there were agave that grew in our conditions.

Kim, although your drier climate would be to your advantage I think zone 6a is stretching things a bit too far. You could certainly have potted Agaves that were brought into a greenhouse or garage or somewhere protected from freezing. The Agaves I have are rated zone 7 minimum and I'm in zone 8. And even in zone 8 the heavy winter moisture is sometimes fatal, which is why I'm considering some rain protection. The one Agava Parryi 'Truncata' that I did keep over this past winter was kept in a cold frame and it came through perfectly. In that cold frame next to my house, it may never have seen temps below 30F. This coming winter... it will.

About the prybar, it was fantastic for use as a hammer-powered knife. When I did use it to pry, I mashed some leaf tissue in a few places so I wouldn't do that again. Instead I would just work my way around using the prybar simply to cut through here and there until the piece broke free.

All the same, no worries. Thanks for the pry bar tips, and wish me luck with my yucca whacking adventures.

I guess separating an agave is like cutting a pie.... The first one always comes out rough..... Oh well. Good job!