Agave plants are popular succulents grown for their sculptural shape and architectural form. With their rosette shape composed of thick, fleshy leaves bearing terminal spines, agaves make striking statement plants in xeric gardens
But one aspect of agaves that gives gardeners pause is their monocarpic life cycle. This simply means that agave plants die after flowering just once. Unlike other plants that bloom yearly, agaves invest all their energy into a single, magnificent floral display as their grand finale.
This inevitable demise after flowering often makes us hesitate before planting that prized new agave specimen. Will we lose our cherished plant after it blooms? Let’s examine the details of the agave lifecycle to understand what happens after that iconic flower spike emerges.
The Agave Lifecycle: From Maturation to Flowering to Death
Agaves are programmed for an ingenious lifecycle that unfolds steadily over many years:
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Maturation Phase: The agave spends its early years, often a decade or longer depending on variety, simply growing and storing up energy in its leaves, roots, and heart. The plant gradually forms its tight rosette shape.
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Flowering Phase When mature, the agave funnels its reserved energy into creating a towering, imposing flower spike. This imposing structure can unfurl to heights over 30 feet tall for some varieties!
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Decline Phase: This massive energy expenditure into flowering depletes the mother plant. As the spectacular floral show finishes, the main agave rosette fades, withers, and eventually dies away over a period of weeks or months.
In a way, the agave is just going through its normal lifecycle: it stores energy for years, releases it all in one last flower show, and then dies after serving its plant purpose.
Why Does Blooming Deplete the Agave?
Creating that monumental flower spike taxes the agave significantly by diverting all its resources into this final act of reproduction. Here’s a closer look at why flowering saps the agave’s life force:
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The bloom stalk can reach imposing heights up to 40 feet tall or even 80 feet for giant specimens like Agave americana. Constructing this towering structure demands extensive energy reserves the agave has banked.
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The bloom spike becomes studded with hundreds of individual flowers that progressively open over weeks moving up and down the stalk. Producing such bountiful blooms levies a heavy toll on the plant.
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The nectar-rich flowers entice pollinators like bats, birds, and insects, ensuring the agave successfully reproduces. But manufacturing ample nectar to attract those pollinators extracts a weighty cost.
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After pollination, seed production further drains the plant. There are many seeds in each flower, which are the next generation of agave plants.
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Even the agave’s root system and vascular transport tissues start deteriorating as resources get re-routed to the urgent requirements of flowering. This impedes water and nutrient uptake.
With its life force channeled into this final act of reproduction, the mother agave simply cannot sustain itself any longer. Its resources utterly spent, demise naturally ensues.
Preserving Agave Legacy Through Offsets and Pups
While the original agave plant will inevitably die after flowering, these plants have evolved ingenious ways to preserve their legacy. Agaves produce new young before they expire through two methods:
Offsets or “Pups”—Agaves that are fully grown often make copies around their base that are called “offsets” or “pups.” These baby agaves form miniature versions of the mother plant.
Aerial Bulbils – Some agave varieties also produce tiny plantlets called aerial bulbils along the flower spike. These bulbils form in place of spent blooms, dropping to the ground to take root.
By producing these new plants prior to the end of their own lifecycle, agaves essentially reproduce the next generation to carry forward their genetic line. So while we do bid farewell to the original plant, its offsets and bulbils live on as the agave’s progeny.
Caring For Your Agave After Flowering
When your treasured agave starts sending up that tell-tale flower spike, it requires some specialized care through its final days:
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Set up new bloom spikes with sticks to keep them from falling over in the wind or rain.
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Situate potted blooming agaves carefully to avoid tipping under the heavy bloom stalk’s weight.
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Water more frequently to supply the plant’s increased demands from intense flowering metabolism.
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Applying some liquid plant food can help counter nutrient depletion from extravagant blooming.
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Monitor for secondary rots that can invade as the plant weakens. Remove decaying leaves promptly.
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Prune deteriorating outer foliage but leave the younger inner leaves intact.
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Shelter from harsh sun or weather that can accelerate decline of the fading mother plant.
While we cannot prevent the agave’s inevitable demise after flowering, we can provide attentive care to honor its final glory.
Propagating Agave Offsets and Bulbils
As your original agave starts to decline after bloom time, you can propagate new plants through its offsets and bulbils:
For Offsets or Pups:
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Leave new pups attached initially after flowering starts to let them bulk up. Watch for them to detach naturally as they mature.
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Cut off larger, firmly rooted offsets using sterilized pruners and re-plant into well-draining soil. Water sparingly after transplanting.
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Carefully separate and move the biggest most established pups first if crowded. Transplant smaller pups later.
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Support unstable offsets with bamboo stakes until new roots take hold. Mist occasionally until new growth appears.
For Aerial Bulbils:
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Allow the bloom stalk to fall over naturally, then harvest mature bulbils by twisting or cutting them off the dried stalk.
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Lay bulbils in a dry spot 2-3 days before planting so cut ends callous over.
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Insert bulbils into a potting mix just below the surface. Start with conservative watering to prevent rot.
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Partial shade encourages initial root growth. Gradually transition to full sun as bulbils establish.
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Remove spent bloom stalks carefully to avoid spreading sharp fiberglass-like threads when they detach.
By collecting and propagating pups and aerial bulbils, you can reinvent your favored agave varieties, preserving their unique shapes, forms, and features through future generations of new plants.
Key Takeaways on The Agave Lifecycle
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Appreciate the ephemeral beauty of the soaring flower spike before it finishes.
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Understand that the mother plant will perish after expending its energy reserves into this final flowering.
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Harvest offsets and pups while the parent plant declines to propagate the next generation.
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Collect aerial bulbils once they form along the fading flower spike for more new agaves.
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Care for the original plant respectfully through its final days after flowering.
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Transplant and nurture agave progeny in optimal conditions to perpetuate their lifecycle.
While bidding farewell to a treasured mature agave can feel bittersweet, we find solace in planting its heirs. By propagating new starts, the agave’s distinctive legacy can grace our landscapes for years to come.
What Happens When an Agave Blooms?
Agave plants take a long time to bloom, so don’t worry—you won’t have to part with them immediately after planting. Some varieties take eight years to flower, and some take eighty years; this is why they’ve earned the nickname “Century Plant”—they have a pretty impressive life span!.
Agave flowers are full of sugary sweet nectar, commonly used as a vegan substitute for honey. From the middle of the plant will come out a big, spike-like stem. Some types have flowers all over the stalk, while others have flowers at the ends of “branches” that grow from the sides of the stem. The blooming period generally lasts about 3–4 months. Each flower on the stalk will last for about a month. After that, they’ll start to fade and fall to the ground.
You’ll be shocked by how quickly your flower stalk grows—some can reach as high as 35 feet tall! It’s no surprise that your plant uses all its remaining stored energy during this final growth stage. Generating all those flowers and baby plants takes up a lot of energy, and your plant won’t be able to continue once its bloom time is over.
Removing the flower stalk early in its development won’t stop the agave plant from completing the first cycle of its life. Flowering is the sign that your plant is reaching the end, but allowing it to flower will help encourage a new generation of agaves to form!.
Restarting the Agave Life Cycle
Agave will reproduce in one of two ways. The first way is by producing “pups” similar to a bromeliad or many other succulents. Do not immediately cut off or remove the pups that might be forming around the base, or remove the drying main mother plant too quickly. These pups need a little more time to keep growing before they detach from the parent and live a new life on their own.
Another way that many agaves will reproduce is by producing little baby plants called “bulbils” along the stalk where their flowers once grew. These bulbils are easy to plant, so there’s no need to fret when your mother plant is dying—you’ve got plenty of new plants to take her place! In nature, the flower stalk would eventually fall over on its own, landing a few feet from mama. In the wild, the bulbils would root into the soil at that point. However, gardeners can simply twist off the bulbils from the fallen stem and replant them in their preferred location. No need to use shears—just a simple twist should do it.
An agave usually uses only one of these two processes to replicate itself after flowering, either through pups at the base or bulbils along the flower stalk. Different types can reproduce in different ways, but in general, bulbil types don’t have pups and pups don’t have bulbils. Watching your plant and then re-starting a new generation is a lot of fun.
Did you know that agave plants can actually die after flowering?
FAQ
What to do with agave after it blooms?
The agave dies after it blooms because it has dedicated all of its energy to producing the blooms, and then the seeds. Yes, after it is thoroughly dead, you will want to dig it up and dispose of it.
Will my agave die after it blooms?
“Agave are monocarpic, meaning they flower and produce seeds only once, and then die. Hence the name. ”Jul 24, 2024.
How many times does agave bloom?
Contrary to its name, the plant doesn’t actually bloom every 100 years. Instead, the century plant flowers around every 10 to 30 years in desert climates. Though it is native to the deserts of Mexico and Texas, Agave Americana thrives all over Southern California, even Santa Monica’s coastal Palisades Park.
What is the lifespan of an agave plant?
Agave americana is known as century plant but it typically only lives between 10 and 30 years. It can grow 1-2 m high and 2-4 m across. Older individuals may sometimes develop a short woody stem at the base of the plant and commonly produces numerous suckers (adventitious roots) which form a large clump or colony.
Do agave plants die after blooming?
Once the agave plant blooms, it dies because it has used all of its energy to make flowers and seeds. While the exact time varies, it can take an agave plant years, or even decades, to bloom. Once it does, the plant will slowly die, and its towering stalk will eventually topple over.
What happens if agave dies out?
Because so much energy was used to help the flowering branch grow to its full height, the flowering agave will eventually die after this time. The new seeds will fall to the ground and help create a new clone of the existing plant.
What does agave flowering mean?
The flowering stalk of agave is indeed long and you can actually wonder what to do with it. Like hens and chicks, flowering signals the end of the plant’s life cycle. Agaves flower only once and they die. This happens when the plant has produced numerous suckers that grow into new plants. Various types of agave plants have different growth rates.
How long do agave plants last?
Some plants can live up to 80 years, while others can last up to 8 years. You can also extend the life of your agave plant by taking care of it and maintaining it properly. After the growth of the agave stalk, the agave plant will probably last for a few more months. Then, the seeds will be able to grow new clones of the same plant.
What happens if you remove a bloom stalk from an agave plant?
As a matter of fact, the agave plant starts to produce a bloom stalk as a mark that its life is about to end. The flower can’t happen without the bloom stalk. Without the flower, there are no seeds to grow a new plant. In other words, whether you remove the bloom stalk or not, your agave plant will eventually die.
Do agave plants flower if cut off early?
The agave plant will still be able to finish the first cycle of its life even if the flower stalk is cut off early. When your plant flowers, it means it’s almost dead, but letting it flower will help get new agave plants to grow!