Thicker gloves, such as a good pair of leather gloves, offer the most protection and are worth using if you have them.
Lift the plant’s leaves carefully while wearing gloves to find any small pups hidden from sight. The pups are easiest to remove when they’re small, so searching the plant for them now can save you some hassle later.
If you have a flexible pot, you may need to squeeze or push on the sides to empty it. For ceramic and other hard pots, you can move a trowel along the inside edge of the pot to loosen the dirt.
You can dig underneath the plant’s root ball, then lift the plant out of the ground with a shovel. This can help you locate the connecting roots. For agave plants too extensive to dig up, loosen the dirt around the plants you wish to remove.
Cutting through the root is always an option. Slice about halfway along the root connecting the pup to the mother plant with a sharp knife, shears, or a shovel.
Set the agave in the center of the pot, then add a store-bought soil mix specifically for cacti and succulents. Cover the roots with the soil. Lightly water the soil to help it settle over the roots. Cacti and succulent soil is well-draining and contains a high percentage of sand and gravel.
The pups can be planted anywhere with loose, well-drained soil. If the mother plant grows in your yard, chances are the pups will too. Loosen the soil about 12 in (30 cm) deep. Plant the pups so the root ball is covered and the leaves are right above the soil’s surface. [7] X Research source Agave grows best when planted in the early fall or spring. The roots establish in about 2 months. When you touch it, the plant will feel firmly attached to the ground. Be patient, as agave plants are slow growing.
Water the agave once a week for no more than 6 weeks. Afterwards, the plant should need water about once a month, or once a week in the summer.
Spring and fall are the growing seasons for agave, so this is when the fertilizer is effective. Agave does not require fertilizer to grow into a healthy, mature plant.
