Century Plant

Water established plants only once or twice a month in the hottest months and rarely in winter. It stores water in its leaves and rots easily in soggy or poorly drained soil.

Little pruning needed — simply cut off any browned or damaged lower leaves at the base. Remove offset pups around the crown to control spread and keep the rosette tidy.

Rarely needs fertilizer; if desired, apply a light dose of low-nitrogen cactus food once in spring. Over-fertilizing produces soft, floppy growth.

Watch for the agave snout weevil, which bores into the core and can collapse a mature plant; remove and destroy affected plants promptly. Also monitor for agave mites and scale.

Lean, gravelly, or rocky soils; thrives in fast-draining desert ground and resents rich, moisture-retentive soil.

Needs sharp, fast-draining soil.

None — thrives in lean desert soil without fertilizer.

Propagated from the offset pups around the base; also from seed or bulbils produced after the terminal bloom.

6-8 ft