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Are these Agave flowers?

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

I have several agave plants (I think they are agave) - one variegated two non. Two of these plants there is a thick "stalk" coming out from the middle about 4' tall and the diameter of a soda can. Is this a blooming flower? The sprouting happened very quickly in a matter of days then it stopped growing for over a week now.

I understand the plant will die after flowering. There are a few much smaller plants coming out around the base. Will this entire plant in the middle die off?

Featured Answer

hc mcdole

3 years ago

I don't know if all agave plants can be fermented for tequila as the blue agave is the one used for that purpose.

When we were in Cancun the last time, we went to Chichen Itza as we had done 10 years before. This time I got a couple of pictures as we passed by a tequila factory and agave field.

It appears that pulque can be made with different types of agave though.

https://www.agavehartford.com/promotions/tequila-101/tequila-terminology

A lot of agaves when they do bloom make babies at the flower. Kind of cool. I got two handfuls of a soft agave while visiting someone in Tampa. About the size of a walnut. So many that I couldn't keep them all.

11 years later they are big enough to bloom - I put four in this big pot

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Comments (8)

carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
4 years ago
Yep - that's a flower stalk.

Cannot advise you about the die-off though...
sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
The mother plant will usually die after flowering. You can't prevent the mom plant from dying once it starts flowering by removing the stalk. Enjoy your flowers and after the mother plant dies back you can dig it out and let the babies grow. Hummingbirds and bees often love the agave flowers.
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Thanks, Mingtea and Germanstar. The stalk is way too tall for me to pluck them off by hand or even see them all that well to see if they are still thriving :). I had assumed that leaving them on for as long as possible was the best option. What I'm not clear on is where the line is before it becomes leaving them on too long. The dust storm last night knocked the stalk down (but I think that was more because it tilted the terracotta pot it is in). I straightened it up but had to tie it to keep the pot up right. Should I not have bothered and just harvest them now? The plant itself does not appear to have uprooted - although it is almost completely yellow now.
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Avante garde nurseries featuring drought-adapted plants like Colvos Creek nursery on Vashon Island (Seattle area) and Cistus nursery on Sauvie Island (Portland area) often have hardy agaves and similar items in stock. I do not see any agave listed in the Spring 2006 forestfarm (near Grants Pass, Oregon but visitors by appointment only) catalog but I am pretty sure they have stocked them in the past--and their enormous offering always includes items of similar character and interest. Up-to-date in 2003-2004, with over 50,000 kinds listed THE PLANT LOCATOR - WESTERN REGION (Black-Eyed Susans/Timber) still serves to provide leads on suppliers that tend to offer the type of plants one is looking for, even if exact inventories will be different now.
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gardengems
4 years ago
Yes, do as sultry advice. Enjoy the flowers. If there are other agave bloom near-by you might be able to get some seeds.
HU-680901077
3 years ago
It is not necessary that the plant will die. I have an agave that has bloomed at least 3 times in its life. This year is has bloomed twice.

This is the beginning of the first blooming.
JP in North Florida
3 years ago
Can one make homemade tequila with that? asking for a friend ;)
JP in North Florida
3 years ago
Great reference link & pics @hcMcdole.
Kukane Wyndell
3 years ago
Thanks for sharing @hc mcdole

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