Few non-cacti succulent plants attract as much attention as our protagonist: the Agave victoriae-reginae. Its compact shape, those small, hard-looking leaves, even the black thorn that protrudes from each of its ends makes it very, very decorative.
Do you want to know all its secrets? 🙂
How is it?
Agave victoriae-reginae It is a non-cactus succulent plant native to the Chihuahuan Desert and the Lagunera region of Coahuila, in Mexico. It was described by Thomas Moore and published in The Gardeners' Chronicle in 1875. It is popularly known as Queen Victoria's Agave, Noah or Pintillo.
Its leaves grow forming small, compact, hard, rigid and thick rosettes up to 30 centimeters high.. Each of them measures 15-20cm long by 4-6cm wide, and they have some white lines in the margins. At each tip there may be 1 to 3 black spines 1-3cm long.
The flowers are grouped in inflorescences called quiotes, that is, it is a stem from which branched flowers sprout at the top that fructify and mature. These come to measure 3-4 meters. Blooms only once in your lifeAfter that, it dies leaving a lot of seeds and suckers, which is why it is said to be a Hapaxanthic species.
What are their cares?
It is very easy to care for and maintain. You just have to keep in mind that It must be outside, in full sun, and that it should be planted in soil or soil that has good drainage. It does not tolerate puddling at all; on the contrary, it does endure the drought quite well.
Now to keep it healthy it is advisable to water at least once a week, twice in summer, and fertilize it with a fertilizer for cacti and other succulents following the indications specified on the product packaging. And, of course, we cannot forget that, if we have it in a container, transplant it every two springs.
For the rest, you have to know that resists cold and frost down to -2ºC as long as they are punctual and of short duration.