Agave albopilosa

[Patrick]

Any updates on Agave albopilosa? I am about to sow my seeds

[Stuart]

I missed this last year whilst I was in the US, superb bit of growing there Tina, whilst the habitat photos are easily found - on the cover of John's Agave book etc - this is the first time I've seen photos of seed raised plants with the 'fluff'. I had the feeling they'd have to be a fair bit larger before it showed and there's not been any habitat photos of seedlings that I've seen. I was given a cluster of small seedlings at ELK but they're only half the sixe of those in the photo but at least I know that it's worth looking out for the fluff this year. How are the plants in the photo looking this year?
Stuart

[Alexander]

I have sown 12 seeds 5 days ago and today the first one germinated, so quite a bit quicker than expected, and strangely quicker than the Opuntia basilaris I've sown the same day and which still haven't germinated...

I have been keeping the seeds in a closed container at room temperature under artificial light. Now I hope that the rest of the seeds germinate as well.

[Tina]

Hi
I got better germination when I allowed the seed to have a cool night temperature( room temp), as advised by the seed seller .
I should take some photo's for an update but we have a lot of work to do still in the house & garden, I have a new camera ( I'm not that good with it yet)& the house & greenhouses aren't close so it's not as easy as it used to be.

[Ali Baba]

I had good germination just at room temperature on a windowsill (in January so not much of a daytime rise!)


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[Terry S.]

At what age can one expect the hair tufts on the ends of the leaves and how do they develop morphologically?

[Tina]

Hi Terry,
It seems quite variable when they devlope the tufts, it was one of my smaller plants that got first fluff, the one on the right in this photo,

the agaves have a sort of capsule on the tip and you eventually notice the underside starts to have the odd hair/fluff breaking from the capsule,

then very slowly more fluff is visible, maybe the capsule slowly disintegrates allowing the hairs to break free.

The fluff will develope on the oldest limbs so starting from base and V E R Y slowly increasing.
From my batch of plants grown XX here is a group photo, even the shape is different for all of them , a lot of natural variation,

one looks like the wrong seed in the packet or a hybrid ! ( bottom right), i can't remember what it reminds me of at the moment but when I checked it did grow in the same habitat.
I also had trouble with western flower thrip liking to overwinter in the crowns and one had a caterpillar cause crown damage.

[Patrick]

When did you sow yours Tina? I sowed mine in 2014 and they are still tiny, only about six leaves each

[Tina]

Hi
Jan 2011, my seed was form Koehres.

[Paul in Essex]

What an interesting batch of plants, Tina, and what a great pictorial explanation of the hairs developing!

The odd-man-out looks rather like Agave striata, which is found nearby although not on the actual rock faces - those it shares with A. victoriae-reginae and A. bracteosa.

I have one - smaller than those - that I planted out in my own 'rock face' this spring and as soon as I did that the capsules weathered away and the tips freyed! I am convinced it should be a tough hardy plant, especially given that I grow its neighbours outside.