How To Trim An Agave Plant
In their natural course, agaves look beautiful. However, I love my agaves even more later I give them a mild pruning. The process goes fast, and then here is how to clip an agave.
Removing the lower leaves of your agave plant will expose the stem. Pruning volition make your agave wait more dynamic, and accentuate its uniquely symmetrical or asymmetrical form.
In my experience, pruning agaves too makes the plant healthier and less susceptible to pests and diseases (read my 5 reasons to clip your agave below).
Here's how to prune an agave to make it look fifty-fifty more cute.
How to clip an agave
Start, gather the proper tools. And, don't forget to protect your eyes and skin with protective gear.
Tools to clip your agave
—pruning saw, or
—plumbing hacksaw
Whichever cutting device you use, information technology will demand to fit betwixt the tight spaces of the different levels of agave stems or leaves.
So for protection, use:
—safe glasses or goggles
—heavy-duty garden gloves
Do Non prune excessively
Exercise not prune excessively. In other words, don't cutting off likewise many leaves at one time, because excessive pruning could impairment or fifty-fifty kill your agaves.
In addition, excessive pruning might make your agaves look unnatural, which will interpret into an unsightly landscape.
3 steps to clip an agave constitute
As your prune your agave, utilize farthermost caution. The long, sharp needle on the tip of each agave foliage tin cause serious injury. Be alert, cautious, and meticulous during this process.
so use extreme circumspection and
article of clothing protective gear
photograph by Doug Martin
i. Position pruning saw blade on top of the leaf you lot want to clip.
For the best-looking results, position the blade every bit close to the area where the stalk meets the leaf (penca). If you demand to get closer to the stem, use your other paw to push the leaf on top out of the style.
Or, if it is more than convenient, place the blade underneath the leaf you want to cut. Sometimes, that's the better style to get shut enough to the stem. Whichever way works best for you is the manner you lot should employ!
two. Hold other leaves out of the way.
As I noted above, you might demand to concur a leaf or two out of the way to become your blade shut plenty to the stalk. Another reason to hold agave leaves out of the way as you cutting is to protect your eyes and skin from existence poked by the needles.
If you accidentally poke your center with one of the agave needles that are on the tip of its leaves, it could crusade a serious injury. You also desire to use extreme intendance non to accidentally allow a needle to poke your carotid artery.
equally shut to the stem as possible
photo by Doug Martin
Fifty-fifty though I'one thousand vaccinated, I wearable these to the doctor's function (now that'south ironic!)
will cut rapidly
photo by Doug Martin
three. Move saw bract dorsum-and-along across the leaf.
Only like you would when cutting a wooden branch on a bush, move the saw blade along the surface of the leaf. If your blades are sharp, the juicy, fibrous leafage will cut chop-chop.
In my case, it only took about iii dorsum-and-forth strokes of my pruning saw to cutting through each foliage.
will form over the cut
photograph past Doug Martin
Pruning your agave plant is an easy, quick process, and one that will make your found wait more than manicured. I love the expect, just I also believe it makes my agave plants less susceptible to pests and diseases.
5 reasons to prune an agave plant
1. Pruning makes your landscape look more manicured
Some people adopt to never prune their agaves. However, one reason I clip my agaves (when I have the time) is that it makes my xeriscape look more manicured and nifty.
I believe that by pruning my landscape plants, it adds more than value (both aesthetically and financially) to my holding. In add-on, pruned agaves, especially in common areas of a community, enhance the overall value of all real estate in that vicinity.
If you're lucky enough to accept many acres of state, it might be practiced to non prune the agaves on the outer edges of your property, and simply clip those agave plants closer to your firm. The unpruned outer perimeter might then brand your pruned plants surrounding your business firm look more like an inviting oasis.
2. Pruning accentuates the agave stem
Pruning your agave plants will accentuate the stem of the plant, which is also beautiful. In addition, the pruned stem will so show off the bold expect of the leaves as they stretch and twist outward.
a few upper leaves off
and so work on the lower leaves
photo past Doug Martin
This stuff works miracles on my dry skin!
3. Pruning helps eliminate pests
Based on my feel, removing the lower leaves of your agave volition eliminate hiding places for pests. In my case, the dreaded agave snout weevil had attacked a couple of my favorite agaves.
Ironically, I had not pruned any of those agaves that the agave snout weevil had killed. In my experience, pruning agaves makes it less susceptible to being attacked past weevils.
And, pruning agaves volition also brand it less inviting for snakes and rodents to hang out and nest.
4. Pruning agave plants makes them healthier
Removing the dead or damaged lower leaves on most of your mural plants will proceed them healthier. That's too true of your agave plants.
Dead lower leaves tin can forbid rain or other wet from evaporating, and wet can attract pests, fungi and leaner.
agaves, such as this Parry's agave,
but in the future I might merely to remove
the expressionless lower leaves
photo by Doug Martin
TAKEAWAYS
How to clip an agave
Moderate pruning of your agave plants can keep them healthier, make them wait more bonny, and assist them repel pests.
Pruning agaves is easy, but it can likewise be unsafe. Utilize protective equipment for your eyes, hands and arms.
Cut as close to stem as possible using a pruning saw or other compact saw.
By Doug Martin, Opportunity Muse.
Photos, graphics, and writing are all copyright © protected
by Doug Martin and Opportunity Muse.
All rights reserved.
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Source: https://opportunitymuse.com/how-to-prune-an-agave/
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