Agave dasylirioides

Stiff, solitary rosettes have thin leaves with raspy, fine teeth. Enjoys some summer water and tolerates cool weather. Reminiscent of California’s native hesperoyucca whipplei, until it blooms with a distinctively agave flower that is pale yellow.
height 1–2ft
width 2–3ft
tolerates Cool Summers, Drought, Fog, Pots
water
needs		 Low – Moderate
water
info		 While fairly drought tolerant on coastal California, this agave does best with summer irrigation once it has dried out.
hardy
to		 25F
exposure Full Sun – Part Sun
indoor
outdoor		 Outdoor
drainage In Ground: Cactus Mix, In Pots: Cactus Mix, Tolerates Sandy Soil
fertilizing All Purpose, Low Needs
origin Mexico
california
native		 No
sunset
zones		 13, 15–24

Sunset Zones Map

Outdoor Exposure Guide

Growing Notes

Most agave, including this one, are monocarpic, meaning that a head will grow larger and larger over time, building up energy, then send off a spectacular flower and afterward decline and die.
Take care when pruning or removing agave, as many have a toxic sap that causes inflammation and rashing. Removing spent agave heads can also be tricky as they are often ringed with other armed agave. If you like the look of agave, but are threatened by the terminal spikes they can be removed. It’s easiest to cut these off when they are coming out of the rosette as you’ll be able to prune the thorns off many layers of leaves at one time.
You can ‘pineapple’ your agave, by removing the lowest leaves. This is best started while it is out of the nursery can, but before planting, when you can access leaves from the bottom. This gives the plant a short trunk, textured similar to many palms, and allows you to get under the plant for weeding or removing pups.
Most agave do well in pots, but this one is particularly well suited, being that it naturally grows on cliff faces.
This agave likely won’t perform as well in areas with hot inland heat, and will want more shade in those ares, as it is from a high elevation cool climate.