Agave Montana

[Patrick]

Despite all the rave reviews when this was introduced about it being probably the best Agave for growing outside in the Uk mine, I have just discovered, has died after a winter in the cold polytunnel. It did get cold (-15c) and unlike the previous winter it sometimes stayed cold for days on end hence the loss of about 20 other supposedly hardy cacti but I wasn't expecting the montana to go the same way, especially when it was dry. Any body had different experiences with it?

[matchat]

Likewise Patrick, mine went down to -9 deg C if my max/ min thermometer was working correctly and it died .

[RICHAUD]

I don't know the size of the plants you have lost but It seems that this specy need to be bigger for supporting low temperatures
Is it true or not ????
Regards
Philippe Richaud
Le Cannet
France

[JoelR]

I left 2 year old seedlings of A. montana and A. parryi less than 15cm across in a cold frame and a min/mx thermometer next to the cold frame recorded -13.5C and we had a prolonged very cold spell. Some of the older leaves have withered but the plants are fine and are putting on growth. They got minimal water in Oct & Nov but condensation inside the frame was a problem until I raised the whole thing up on bricks to keep it above ground water. I lost a small A. americana and Mamilopsis senilis in the same cold frame. Opuntias and Echinocereus triglochidiatus undamaged though.
Could losses of the perceived hardier plants be due to plants not having been hardened off? If I wanted to grow these faster, I could give them heat and UV light for 15 hours a day but it might defeat the object.

[Patrick]

Well mine was in a 15 inch pot so it was no seedling, the gentryi next to it in a bigger pot also suffered but survived. Lots of small americana bit the dust although strangely the medio picta alba survived unscathed as did victoriae reginae and various utahensis eborispina although even the smallest one of those (3 inch pot) snufffed it too.

[Vic]

Well mine was in a 15 inch pot so it was no seedling, the gentryi next to it in a bigger pot also suffered but survived. Lots of small americana bit the dust although strangely the medio picta alba survived unscathed as did victoriae reginae and various utahensis eborispina although even the smallest one of those (3 inch pot) snufffed it too.

I lost a few Agaves Patrick, including a coupe of americanas but my medio picta alba also survived unscathed so they must be pretty tough. Did lose a v-r but my other survived and largely unscathed although they sat next to each other.

[Colin Walker]

Well this is all sad news I must say. I've not yet tried overwintering A. montana outdoors since my plants are still on the small side, but I was hoping that this sp. at least would be frost tolerant.
The few other agaves I did leave outdoors last winter are all deceased.

[Paul in Essex]

Feel free to blame me as it is largely my fault that this plant was 'bigged up' so majorly. On paper it was a complete winner - high altitude, relatively damp temperate woodland habitat from a northerly latitude. But agaves don't read the papers, obviously.

But one way or another last winter certainly sorted out the 'men from the boys' (can we still use this expression in our gender-equal society?) In a winter filled with wholesale succulenticide I would rate the performance of Agave montana at the biggest disappointment of all. Generally speaking 5 yr old plants and smaller across the land have died - I lost all my smaller ones at only around -7C/-8C when uncovered. I have a larger plant from an earlier seed collection that is marked but alive. I had (past tense) about 5 Agave gentryi - including a gorgeous 45cm diameter A.g. 'Jaws' - all dead.

By stark contrast a small Agave stricta - a species from lowland tropics in Oaxaca - has come though almost unmarked, albeit planted right at the base of a leaning Yucca thompsoniana.

Which proves to me that provenance is by no means the useful guide to cultivation over here that had been generally believed.

[JoelR]

I've been looking out for your reply Paul and was expecting you to say all your montanas were fine! Your 2007 article in the the RHS Plantsman publication is still every bit as good as it was then. Your comparison of Agave montana to a 1.5m sempervivum really captured my imagination and is the reason why I grow it today. An update on your surviving agaves (and other C & S) would be of great interest.

[Paul in Essex]

Depends how much time you have whether I write about successes or failures.... I'll gather my thoughts later today and maybe start a new thread on it.