Looking sad

This was my first year growing Agaves, as I got them this spring and kept them in pots. They've all done quite well (even the one I thought was in bad shape), until recently.


This one (Agave havardiana) is the exception. A month or so ago it started showing signs of rotting on some of the leaves and I brought it inside to keep it away from additional rainfall -- not that we've had very much of it lately.


***


Even after indoors the dying continued:



It was looking grim, but there were positive signs. I pulled on the central leaf a little to see if the rot extended into the crown of the plant, and it came free:


Revealing...


A healthy new leaf!


Looking more closely, there was more good news:


A pup! An offset that will turn into a separate plant -- exciting!


So the plant is not a goner yet. I'll keep it indoors all winter under my lights just to be safe.

I wonder why this was the only one of my Agaves that had problems? That's one of the things I love about gardening: the constant challenge. Even when you feel like you may have a handle on all that you're growing, you try some new family of plants and it's like you haven't grown anything ever before.

I'm up to the challenge I hope!

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danger garden  – (November 5, 2012 at 9:35 AM)  

Yikes that is not a happy looking agave, how odd for it to take a turn that fast. Glad you found some green! Doing some garden clean up this weekend I found a small pup in the soil where I removed the mother agave early last spring. Pretty amazing plants with a will to live.

Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)  – (November 5, 2012 at 9:39 AM)  

I've had similar experiences, not just with agaves but with other plants. There's always one or two who seem to be sickly when others thrive in the same conditions. At least your A. havardiana is still alive. Do keep it on the dry side. And keep your fingers crossed. I will.

barbie  – (November 6, 2012 at 4:29 AM)  

It looks like a dry crocodile, but glad to see the new life. Nature is a wonder!

Christine @ The Gardening Blog  – (November 7, 2012 at 4:56 AM)  

Love seeing new growth on plants I thought were dead!

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