Hi Tim, I would not encourage using that plastic cloche for your agave, it may just further trap moisture. Better to just let that agave get callused, put in a dry media for now, and keep warm.

Good luck, Tim!

tarev said:Hi Tim, I would not encourage using that plastic cloche for your agave, it may just further trap moisture. Better to just let that agave get callused, put in a dry media for now, and keep warm.

You're right... it does get very humid inside those cloches. Lots of condensation.
We've had a couple days of dry, east winds yesterday and today. I hate these high winds but they have been very useful in drying out my poor Truncata. The timing was excellent and has really dried out all of the surgical cuts. It may be too little and too late. But maybe not.


My Ovatifolia is of course a complete goner. The sooner I dig it out and dispose of it, the better. I hate seeing it every day.

On the other hand... I do enjoy every day seeing my fearless, mighty 'JC Raulston'. I think he too is helped by the drying winds and sunshine today.

Wow, I just found this thread. Painful to see what is happening, but so interesting to see how the JC Raulston is doing.

My Agave parryi subsp. parryi that Tim posted in an earlier post did beautifully until this last round of very heavy rains. It is starting to wrinkle and feel like it might be getting soft. I am hoping the break in rain and some sunshine will save it.

Both my Ovatifolia and Truncata are nothing but holes in the ground now. The Truncata seemed alive and maybe it was before, but it was clearly dead all the way through as I examined it this morning, even the pups. I plan to try an Agave Montana this spring. I will however give it some protection come Winter. A plastic tent of some sort. The Truncata pup that I had in my cold frame is completely undamaged. I know it gets cold in there but it is protected from rain, snow, sleet and ice storms. Too bad for my two dead Agaves that I was too lazy to give them any protection. Although in actuality I was wondering if they could survive or not. There's one way to find out... lessons learned.

Maybe it is the angle of the pictures, but it almost looks like your Agaves are at or below your grass level. If they are, I would recommend raising your agave bed(s) at least several inches above the level of the grass/rest of your yard with super fast draining soil. While Agaves like Montana are hardy and can definitely take quite a bit of water, the adage of not liking cold wet feet for long still applies, and this is something that is definitely true for most of the Parryi's and most other hardy Agaves.

Tim, last year my tender succulents survived the winter with cloth coverings and closer proximity to the house. This year, with same protection, they did not survive. I knew they were endangered but I did not want to keep succulents indoors so I let them tuff it out and they did not survive. Next year it's going to be Hardy or Bust from here on out

That's discouraging, Bev. I was thinking of trying some E. Imbricata in a pot this year and keep it in my cold frame over the winter. But I think it's cold enough in there to kill a non-hardy. I could move it to my garage where it won't freeze but it's pretty dark.
Does anyone know if potted Agaves can spend the winter in a barely-non-freezing garage that has only a little bit of daylight? Perhaps an Agave Americana. Can they sort of go dormant?

This guy below (Agave Montana) has had no problem with freezing temps in my coldframe but is protected from rain and snow. This Spring he's coming out into the garden. I will provide winter protection and see how that goes. More lessons to be learned.


Thijs, those Agaves are all in raised beds, about 8-10 inches up. The soil is good-draining silty loam, but 30 inches of rain in 3 cold months is going to keep it quite moist no matter how well it drains. I think keeping the winter rain off of the root zone will be extremely helpful.

Tim, Cynda mentioned something that I forgot about until now.
She suggested planting in fairly deep gravel and tipping the plant to one side so the water can drain from the base of the leaves.

Here is a photo from today of my Agave parryi subsp. parryi.


It is going really mushy feeling now.

Sorry to say it looks almost as bad as mine. I can even see where internal juices are leaking out here and there. I think we can conclude that this variety is not PNW winter tolerant. Although I still wonder how it might have done if kept dry.

I think it would have been fine if I had protected it from all the rain.

There are just some succulents that will not take anymore of the cold and rain. Some can endure well like Crassulas, but some Agaves and Aloes will just suffer big time. So best to just plant in containers and move to a dry spot with light to help them endure winter conditions.

Hmmmm, maybe the title of this thread could read a little differently...

Agave torture (kinda like waterboarding succulents in a way--eek) and demise in the PNW
Let's see what we learn
Warning: graphic and disturbing images


Sorry for your losses Tim--I feel your pain! Killed a few myself
They are such magnificent plants when they're happy

I still want to try a few more Agaves in the garden but given a plastic tent to protect from rain, ice and snow. Tarev, any idea how much that would help? Assuming temperatures no less that 10F.

And I will grow some more Agave Parryi 'JC Raulston' which so far seems impervious to anything our winters can dish out. If that's the only one I can grow... well... I'll take it!

Tim, typically, it will be a matter of acclimating the plants ahead of time, before the temps change drastically, so next time, try to move them in your protected covered area when temps start to dip to 50F.

I know I have seen some desert type succulents in a botanical garden, they are in an enclosed area, really kept dry and heaters running and good airflow too. Still lots of light coming through the transparent plastic covers, so the plants ably endure the winter cold and rains.

I usually use 50F, as my initial temps to start hiding the more cold sensitive succulents, then 30F as the lowest I can allow some cold growing succulents to endure, lower than that will be survival of the fittest, provided kept really dry, and will just accept the fact, I may lose some especially if we get more rains here like we are having this winter season.

Tim, with most Agaves (excluding those from tropical to subtropical and/or lowland areas) it is not so much the temperature as it is the wetness that is the huge problem. As long as they are dry and have been hardened off properly many Agaves (like the Parry truncata and the Ovatifolia you lost) should be able to take the cold, but they need to have been dry for quite a while, like Tarev writes - you'd be putting your tent up to keep them dry well before it gets really cold.
Also aside from keeping the plants dry you need to keep the soil dry, which is much harder to do, given the amount of precipitation you get, even if the plants are in a raised bed. It would probably also help if the plants are well established, so if you are going to plant them do it as early in the year as you can, to give them plenty of time to get over their transplantation shock and root well into their new location.

mcvansoest said:Tim, with most Agaves (excluding those from tropical to subtropical and/or lowland areas) it is not so much the temperature as it is the wetness that is the huge problem. As long as they are dry and have been hardened off properly many Agaves (like the Parry truncata and the Ovatifolia you lost) should be able to take the cold, but they need to have been dry for quite a while, like Tarev writes - you'd be putting your tent up to keep them dry well before it gets really cold.

I think you guys make a good point here. I'm with you on this. Either potted or in a garden bed... get the soil dry before the cold and rain comes. And then keep it dry. Easy enough to do since almost no rain comes in the warm Summer or early Fall weather. In October things are cooling down and the rains may be threatening to begin. Often not until November. It should be simple to withhold water in the early Fall and get the soil dried out before things get too wet and cold. My Agave Montana will be moved from a pot to the garden this May and I think it stands a good chance of a long life if I follow this plan.

My fearless 'JC Raulston' is showing a few chinks in its armor. Although if seems excellent outside of these three spots. These pictures give a pretty good representation of the soft spots. I recall people with Agaves in this climate will sometimes have a black spot or two from the winter abuse. Or a dead leaf or two.
I think the first picture will be a permanent dead, black spot. I think leaving it alone will be fine.
The second two pictures reveal some localized damage, softening where you see darkening. The lighter portions of the leaves are still solid. The last picture of course is the most severe and I would definitely remove this leaf entirely since it is at the bottom of the plant anyway.

I think waiting until Spring would be the time to do any minor surgery. This February is very likely to bust our February rainfall record, not to mention being consistently colder than average as well.