How to Propagate Agave From Leaf Cuttings
Agaves, sometimes referred to as century plants, command respect in the garden. Their substantial size paired with their impressive, spiky, and unique leaves make them standout from the crowd. As it turns out, you can propagate this plant with one of those leaves, but there is an important factor in the success of this type of propagation.
Their general size and form might imply that you can take a leaf and simply place it in some potting media. Other similar succulents, like echeverias, will produce a tiny new clone easily in this manner. Agaves are a bit more complicated in that you must have a portion of the bud tissue attached to have your cutting take root.
While offsets are the easiest and most efficient propagation method, this article includes everything you need to know about propagating this popular succulent by cuttings if your plant isn’t producing offsets.
About Agaves
Agave plants are succulents that are native to the Americas. Mexico, the Caribbean, and Southwest United States are home to the majority of species. They prefer semi-arid climates and grow well in poor and rocky soils, so they are great for xeriscaping and rock gardens.
The most famous species is the blue agave or Agave tequilana. The main cultivation purpose of this species is for the production of tequila. Agave americana is another popular species that is commonly referred to as a century plant because of its long lifespan. They don’t live for a century, but they can live up to 80 years or sometimes longer.
Most species are monocarpic, which means that they only boom once in their lifetime, and then they die. The blooms are very large and showy, and they produce pups from pollinated flowers. The most common pollinator of agaves is bats.
There are several ways to encourage offsets or propagate agave. If you wait until the plant flowers, you will have all the pups you will know what to do with. However, it takes such a long time for this to happen that you may not want to wait.
Leaf cuttings can be faster, but require proper preparation. Let’s take a look at what steps you can take to carry this out at home.
Step 1: Prepare Your Materials
Before you set about your task, it’s a great idea to gather the tools and materials you’ll need to make this a smooth process. Always make sure to clean any tools you’re going to use when cutting into a plant. Unsanitized tools can introduce bacteria and fungus from other plants which will drastically reduce your chances for success.
- Plastic nursery pots – Choose containers that are large enough to house your new plant for a significant time. Four to five inch pots should be about right.
- Succulent potting mix – Your medium should drain freely, and retain some moisture.
- Rooting hormone – This is optional, but I highly recommend it, as it will expedite the rooting process. Others have reported more success with liquid rooting hormone rather than powder.
- Sharp knife – You can remove the leaves by hand, but using a sharp tool will make a more exact cutting, and a clean cut heals faster.
Step 2: Choose Young Leaves
Agave plants do not regenerate from any portion of the leaf in the way that some succulents do. There must be a section of the bud attached for the plantlet to form roots. They are more like vining plants; you need to have a bud to propagate them. This is the juncture from which the leaves grow.
For this reason, it is most effective to use young, newly produced leaves. It’s easier to remove a portion of the stem with a young leaf because it is still tender and regenerates quickly. Older leaves will be attached to the stem in a spot that is old and hardened.
I recommend choosing at least three leaves to increase your odds of success. If all three take root, that’s fabulous! If not, you have a better chance with three than one.
Step 3: Include Stem Tissue When Cutting
The most important factor in this process is the presence of bud or stem tissue. The central stem is what produces new growth. You can gently remove your leaves by hand, or use a sharp knife to cut them loose. Make sure you cut all the way into the stem and include that portion of tissue that the leaf grows from.
Step 4: Cure Your Cuttings
Any time you take a cutting from a succulent to propagate the plant, you should cure the wound. With many plants it would seem counterintuitive to do this. More tender plants that don’t store water the way succulents do would dry up quickly if you leave them sitting out.
Succulents are different. You want to allow the cut to heal over slightly. This prevents contamination, and the roots will grow from this hardened-off tissue. Allow your cutting to sit out in a warm place, out of direct sunlight. A day or two should be sufficient as long as you’re not curing it outdoors in a humid climate.
Step 5: Use The Right Medium
Agaves are, essentially, desert plants. They are surprisingly resilient, and some types are shockingly cold-tolerant. I associate many succulents with warm weather, but some species of agave are hardy down to -20 °F (-29°C)! But I digress. The type of soil you use is the issue at hand.
These plants prefer slightly acidic, very well-draining soil. They have fine, delicate roots that are susceptible to root rot, so they don’t tolerate soggy soil. Nutrient density is not of great importance, but composition is. I’ve found that agaves in the ground are very flexible about soil. In containers, they are less so.
Succulent potting mixes are typically a good place to start for this process. They are easy to find, and are already composed of the right materials. If you prefer to mix your own potting media, I recommend starting with standard soil or seed starting mix. Add in some coarse sand or gravel, and some perlite or pumice to improve drainage.
Step 6: Prepare Your Containers
Use containers that are large enough for your plant to grow into. Those delicate roots don’t like transplanting, so you don’t want to have to re-pot until you’re ready to move your agave to its permanent location. I recommend a four to five inch pot at least.
Fill your containers with moist potting mix. I find it can be difficult to get the soil evenly moist once it’s in the container. I prefer to moisten it before I feel my containers, and this activates any microbes that may be lying dormant in the soil.
Step 7: Plant Your Cutting
Gather your cured cuttings and your prepared pots, along with the optional rooting hormone. Dip the end of the cutting with bud tissue into the rooting hormone and press it gently into the surface of the soil. Only the portion of bud tissue needs to make contact with the soil, as this is where the roots will grow.
Step 8: Continued Care
It can take quite some time for leaf cuttings to root and produce new growth. You may have to wait months before you see any perceptible growth, so be patient. Place your cuttings in a warm space that gets bright, indirect light.
Direct sunlight will be too harsh for any new growth. So, avoid placing your cuttings in direct sun, especially afternoon exposure. Keep your cuttings warm and moist during the rooting process. Don’t overwater, though, as you will end up rotting the tender, young root tissue.
Step 9: Transplant
Once your plant has some substantial growth, it will be much more resilient to transplant. In general, these plants will root easily once mature, so give your cuttings a little longer than you think.
The best time to transplant is in early fall or spring. This gives it time to set down roots before it has to endure the heat of summer or winter frost.
Dig a hole that is twice as wide but only as deep as the container that houses your new plant. This loosens the soil to allow for maximum root development. The base of the plant should sit right at ground level and not below. Gently fill in around the base, and water.
Other Effective Methods
As I mentioned earlier, I don’t find leaf cuttings to be the most effective method. There are easier ways to grow new agave plants, including offsets, and a process called crosscut propagation.
Offsets
This is the easiest propagation method, because the parent carries it out without any assistance. All you have to do is be patient and wait for the pups to form. The pups will form around the base of the mother plant. Sometimes, they will grow underneath the mother, and sometimes, they are more accessible on the sides.
When the pups are about four inches tall, and with some of their own root tissue, it’s time to harvest. Use a knife to cut them away, or simply use your hands to gently pull them away. They typically come away easily and with a sufficient amount of root attached.
Plant the pups in pots in the same way you would with leaf cuttings. No need to let them cure unless you’ve sliced into the tissue. Allow them to grow in their containers until you’re ready to transplant.
I find these pups can live on their own for quite some time, several weeks, without planting them. They are quite sturdy, as long as you place them out of direct sun and sprinkle with water every few days.
Crosscut Propagation or Coring
This next method requires cutting the parent plant. If you want to give it a try, you might want to wait until you have a pup to work with. Allow the pup to develop for about a year, so it has substantial stem tissue.
Coring involves killing the core of the plant so that the roots produce pups. Cut the top leaves off, exposing the core. Use a drill or a knife to cut down into the center of the stem.
Use a sharp knife to slice the rosette right down the middle, lengthwise. Cut all the way through the plant and its roots. Place it back in a container with some well-draining media. Plant it with the cut side exposed and the other side against the inside of the container. This gives space for the pups to grow.
It’s a good idea to dust the wound with some sulfur powder to heal it and prevent fungus. Otherwise, just set it in a warm place with bright, indirect light, and allow it to rest. This process stops the upward growth of the plant, and causes it to produce pups.
Key Takeaways
Agaves are fairly easy to propagate. While I prefer to wait for my plants to reproduce pups naturally, you can also propagate using leaves with bud tissue or crosscut propagation. It’s fun to try different methods to see which works best for you, as long as you have the plants to spare.
