El Agave attenuata It is one of the most common but most beautiful species – if I may say so  – of the whole genus. Its leaves are a very striking yellow-green colour, and if we add to that the fact that it has no thorns, we have an ideal plant for all types of gardens, even if there are children or pets.
Its maintenance is very simpleIn fact, there are those who even grow it indoors, such as in an interior patio or at the entrance of the same.
Origin and characteristics
Image - Wikimedia / H.Zell
Our protagonist is a succulent plant that belongs to the genus Agave, and that grows wild in Jalisco (Mexico) at an altitude between 1900 and 2500 meters above sea level, although today it is considered a very rare species in its natural habitat. . It was described by Joseph de Salm-Reifferscheidt-Dyck and published in Hortus Dyckensis ou Catalog des Plantes 1834 the year.
It is popularly known as dragon maguey, attenuated agave or swan neck, it develops a single stem between 50 and 150cm in length. Its leaves are ovate and acuminate, about 70cm long by 12-16cm wide, of a magnificent gray to greenish-yellow and pale color.. The flowers are grouped in very dense racemes 2,5 to 3 meters high.
It is considered a hapaxanthic plant. This means that after flowering it dies, leaving a large quantity of seeds and suckers.
When does it bloom?
At this point, you may be wondering when it will bloom, right? Well then. It depends a lot on the climate and your care, but if you receive everything you need, its cluster of flowers will appear at 30 years after sowing.
How to take care of the Agave attenuata?
If you want to have a copy or are planning to acquire one, it is time for you to know what its needs are to take care of it in the best possible way:
Location
Exterior
It is a plant that should preferably be outside, in full sun. In semi-shaded situations, its leaves soften and lose color, and also their development is very weak.
But be careful, it is important that, if you acquire it from a nursery where it was protected, for example in a greenhouse with light, you gradually accustom it to direct sun. Start with leaving it for about 2 hours a day for one or several weeks, and gradually increase the exposure time.
Interior
If you have a interior patio with light (that is, with windows connected to the outside and / or with the glass roof), you can grow it there without problems. Even without having a patio, if any of the rooms in your home is very bright (natural light), it could also grow well.
Earth
Image - Wikimedia / Zeynel Cebeci
It depends where you are going to plant it:
- Flower pot: with universal culture substrate mixed with perlite in equal parts.
- Garden: It's very tough. It grows well even in poor, dry, well-drained soils.
Irrigation
Irrigation should be moderate to low. The Agave attenuata it is a succulent that it resists drought well, but does not tolerate waterlogging. For this reason, if you have it in a pot it is very important that you do not put a plate under it (unless you know that you will ALWAYS remember to remove any excess water 30 minutes after watering); and if you are going to plant it in the ground, you must make sure that the soil has very good drainage.
For this reason, it is also highly advisable to check the humidity of the substrate or soil before watering, for example with a thin wooden stick or with a digital humidity meter. Thus, little by little you will see that with about 2 irrigations a week on average in summer and with 1 every ten or fifteen days the rest of the year, it will be able to grow.
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Throughout the growing season, that is, in spring and summerIt is advisable to fertilize it with a specific fertilizer for cacti and other succulents following the instructions specified on the package. You can use liquids if it will be in a pot, or granules if it will be in the ground.
Here you have more information about the succulent fertilizer.
Pruning
Don't need it. All you have to do is remove the leaves that are drying.
Multiplication
Image - Wikimedia / Eug
The attenuated agave multiplies by seeds and suckers in spring or summer. Let's see how to proceed in each case:
Seeds
- The first thing you have to do is fill a tray with vermiculite previously moistened with water.
- Then, place the seeds on the surface of the substrate, and cover them with a very thin layer of volcanic sand (pomx or river sand for example).
- Then water with the help of a sprayer / atomizer.
- Finally, place the seedbed outside, in semi-shade.
They will germinate soon if they are fresh, in about 2 weeks.
Young
To multiply it by suckers, you just have to wait for them to reach an easily manipulable size, then separate them from the mother plant with a serrated knife that you will have disinfected with pharmacy alcohol, and then plant them in individual pots with universal substrate or in other parts of the yard.
They will root without problems in about 2-3 weeks; however, you can infuse the base with rooting hormones before planting them for a higher chance of success.
Plagues and diseases
None, or almost none if it is well cared for  . That's right, be careful with the snails and with the risks. The former cause significant damage to the leaves, and excess moisture in the roots causes them to rot quickly.
Planting or transplanting time of the maguey del dra
In spring, when the risk of frost has passed. If potted, transplant every two years.
Rusticity
It resists frosts of up to -2ºC, but I will tell you from experience that frost usually affects it if it is young and / or if it comes from a greenhouse.
What uses does the Agave attenuata?
Ornamental
It is a beautiful plant, which it is planted in gardens or in pots from places with mild to mild climate. Either as an isolated specimen or, more commonly seen, in lineups or groups, it makes the area look spectacular.
Medicinal
The medicinal properties of Agave attenuata antioxidants, hemolytic and antimicrobial. For more information, I recommend you read This studio conducted by scientists from the National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
Image - Wikimedia / Ahmiguel
And with this we are done. What did you think of this species of agave?