My 2 agaves are going to death bloom shortly…is this really as rare an event as the internet says? Is there something in my environment (water, temp, etc) that could be causing them both to bloom at the same time? They are approx 30 feet apart. Not sure how old they are, they came with the house but I did transplant them both 4 years ago.
I am really looking forward to seeing this IRL!
by sixteenyears
11 Comments
It’s not rare at all. I planted some about 10 years ago and they bloomed after 7 years.
Most common trigger – other than time – is availability of lots of water. It seems to encourage flowering.
What do you plan on doing the the flower/seeds?
Forbidden asparagus
Forbidden asparagus
are you in Houston?
landscaping is so cool. and i am sure very water efficient. my gawd!! why can’t people use gravel instead of lawn which then they douse in roundup. it look so clean!
It really varies depends on the species and growing conditions, but even the “century plant” generally blooms in less than 100 years. It’s not unusual to see multiple flower at the same time. Just based on how many people landscape/garden, it’s fairly common for multiple plants to get planted at the same time, so the plants are roughly the same age and usually grown under similar conditions. Not that it applies here, but I have read of cases where pups (for varieties that grow in clumps) flower the same time as the parent. It seems like people suspect there may be some sort of shared hormonal aspect in those cases.
In any regard, it should be a good show, and you’ll soon have the hottest pollinator buffet in the neighborhood. You should be able to get plenty of pups to replace the mother plants if you wanted.
Not rare but does take some years before they’re ready to flower. Yours were probably planted at the same time and were from the same nursery. I always stop and acknowledge those plants and their epic journey when I see them in my neighborhood.
Cut the flower off one of them and make pulque 🤌
Keep an eye on the base. They usually offset a few pups for you before they go.
Is it really a DEATH BLOOM? Will they die after blooming? No agave’s in MT…… TIA.
That’s a penis