Agave ‘Blue Glow’

GENUS	Agave
FAMILY	Asparagaceae
OTHER NAMES	Century plant
SUNLIGHT	Full sun Partial Sun
TEMPERATURE	Minimum 20°F
CLIMATE	Tropical Dry Arid Semi-Arid
PROPAGATION	Coring
HEIGHT	1-3 feet
PARENTS	Agave attenuata x Agave ocahui
OTHERS	Toxic, deer resistant, hybrid, monocarpic

The Blue Glow is an instantly noticeable hybrid succulent with its elegant, symmetrical, solitary rosette of green-blue leaves, each sporting a delicate gold and red margin.

The Agave genus of succulents is generally native to hot and arid regions of Mexico, Southern USA, and  South Americas.

Fun Fact: The term ‘Agave‘ comes from the Greek word ‘agauos,’ meaning admirable.

What is a Hybrid Succulent?

Hybridization is the process of cross-breeding two plants of different species to produce another new species.

The Agave Blue Glow is a hybrid succulent. The result of cross-breeding the Agave attenuata and the Agave ocahui.  As a cultivar, the Agave Blue Glow gets some of its most outstanding features from its parent succulents, as shown below.     

PARENT PLANT	QUALITIES INHERITED
Agave attenuata	Broad leaves. Beautiful color.
Agave ocahui	Terminal spine. Smaller size. Solitary rosettes.

Most popular Agave species

• Agave victorae (Queen Victoria Agave)
• Agave attenuate (Foxtail Agave)
• Americana (Century Plant)
• Agave Vilmoriniana (Octopus Agave)

Features of the Agave ‘Blue Glow’

Reaching a height of 2 feet ( 3 feet in some cases ), the Blue Glow has 18inch long, 1½ inch wide leaves sprouting out of a stout, terminal spine.

A slow-growing kinda gal, the Agave Blue Glow is a monocarpic succulent.

Its flower, a beautiful yellow, will bloom only once – when the succulent reaches full maturity after 7 to 15 years. In wistful, poetic prose, the Agave Blue Glow will die soon after flowering, many times without forming even a single offset.  

People usually confuse the Agave ‘Blue Glow’ with the Agave ‘Blue Flame’ due to their similarities from an aesthetic perspective.

However, look carefully, and you will realize the ‘Blue Glow’ is smaller than its peer, the ‘Blue Flame.’

It is easy to identify the Blue Glow from its other cultivar siblings.

The leaves on the Blue Glow have a golden yellow edge with a red margin running the entire length of the plant culminating in a single spine/thorn at the tip of each leaf.

The leaf’s golden yellow edge comes alive at night, especially when illuminated from the back appearing to give off a unique kind of glow.

The dramatic color of its foliage and overall appearance – each leaf looks like a silvery-blue sword slicing up out of the ground – makes the Agave Blue Glow a perfect statement succulent for bordering and succulent landscaping.

Uses

Agave ‘Blue Glow’ is used for many things besides just a beautiful addition to any interior room or garden. However, in gardens, they pair nicely with other succulents or even just some rocks lying around. Now, like many other Agaves, this hybrid can also be used for various health and medicinal reasons. For instance, parts of the plants like the roots, the juices, and the sap can be used as a critical ingredient in some medicines, while other parts can be used as an oral medicine to encourage labor and urinary production. These oral medicines also help counteract jaundice, diarrhea, indigestion, and even cancers.

‘Blue Glow’ Agave Care

#1. Soil

The Blue Glow will appreciate slightly acidic soil with extensive drainage properties. Plant this bad-boy in a fresh batch of quick-drain cactus soil mix and watch it thrive.

Like all other succulents, the Blue Glow needs a growing medium with adequate aeration and drainage capabilities. A pre-mixed bag of cactus soil fits the bill – cactus soil is porous with excellent drainage, making it perfect for our needs.

Ask the supervisor at your local gardening store for their best batch of succulent or cactus soil mix.

If you can’t get to a physical brick-and-mortar store, you can shop online from sites like Amazon or opt to make your soil mix from home.

Learn how to DIY your planting soil at home: How To Make Your Succulent Soil At Home.

#2. Watering

While most succulents can survive a couple of weeks without water, the Agave Blue Glow is undoubtedly the king of the roost when it comes to surviving without water. A mature Blue Glow succulent is highly drought resistant.

This bad boy will proliferate without much ado in some of the harshest environments. Follow the watering schedule illustrated below, and your Agave Blue Glow should turn out just OK.

SUMMER	Water your succulent thoroughly when the soil feels dry to the touch.
SPRING
FALL
WINTER	Water sparingly – once a month.

Excess watering during the summer-fall cycle will put your succulent at risk of developing the dreaded root-rot disease.

Learn more about root-rot: What is root-rot? How to fix it.

Over-watering is a common mistake made by eager-beaver beginners who didn’t bother to read the manual first. Had they spared a few minutes to read the manual, they would know that succulents do not appreciate excess or stagnant water.

Do not drown the plant in buckets full of water.

Too much water will cause the roots and stem to start rotting. A case of root-rot is a succulent enthusiast’s worst nightmare.

Instead, give the soil a proper moistening, enough to run through the earth, but not to stagnate in the planting pot.

More on watering your succulents: Complete Guide to Watering Succulents

#3. Planters

This section offers you a significant amount of freedom. You can grow your Agave Blue Glow in any planting pot that blends in with your space and fits your style.

Choose from a wide array of steel, plastic, ceramic, and, of course, our favorite terracotta planters.

No matter what material you decide to get for your planter, there is one universal rule that applies: always ensure your planter has a drainage hole(s) at the bottom.

As we mentioned above, succulents do not appreciate too much water or stagnant water and will often form an adverse reaction if in such conditions.

By drilling a drainage hole(s) through the bottom of your planter, you give any excess water an outlet to escape and run off instead of sitting in the planting pot and rotting your succulent.

How to select the best planter for your succulents: Best planting pots for succulents – A guide by Succulent City

#4. Light

Succulents love light, and this one is no exception.

Grow the Agave ‘Blue Glow’ in well-drained soil outdoors, in the full sun, to get the most out of your succulent.

When temperatures get too hot, the Blue Glow will appreciate a partial shade to prevent overheating the leaves and the plant system as a whole.

If your succulent is growing outdoors during hot summer days, you can choose to stretch a net above it to deflect and filter the direct hot sun’s rays and give your succulent a hint of shade.

If you grow your Blue Glow in a planters pot, then you can place it out on the patio during summer and move it to the shade or bring it indoors after 6 hours of direct sunlight.

#5. Temperature

The recommended temperature range for the Agave Blue Glow’s optimum growth is anywhere between 20°C (68°F) and 35°C(95°F).

This succulent is winter hardy and can survive punishing outdoor temperature drops of up to -3°C (25° F).

Any lower may be life-threatening, and you should bring your succulent indoors.

Keep the Blue Glow in a frost-free area during the winter chill.

#6. Fertilizer

The Agave Blue Glow is a hardy plant capable of growing in some of the harshest environments available.

Its hardiness means it doesn’t need any fertilizer, but nothing stops you from adding some compost if you wish to give your succulents more nutrients.

We recommend using homemade compost – fish emulsion, earthworm humus, and the like.

Fish emulsion compost is organic compost made from fish with a nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium ratio of 4:1:1.

If you can stand the distinct fishy smell, your succulents will love this fertilizer.

Apply it once per month during the Blue Glow’s growing years.

#7. Repotting

Repotting an Agave ‘Blue Glow’ is easy as it only involves a few steps. To repot your hybrid succulent, ensure you’ve purchased a gardening pot that will work well with the plant’s growth. Then, you’ll need to fill the said pot a little more than half the way up – be sure you’re using the correct soil needed for the Agave ‘Blue Glow’. Gently place the succulent into the soil and layer some extra soil around the root until it’s covered. Water the Agave and establish the necessary care routine needed.

#8. Pests & Diseases

The Agave ‘Blue Glow’ hybrid succulent is known to attract various pests. Some of these pests, like weevils, slugs, and snails, are more likely to appear if the plant is located outdoors, while pests like mealybugs and aphids are more likely to be found on indoor Agave ‘Blue Glow’. With that being said, if a pest infestation is left untreated, it makes for a higher chance of the plant developing diseases due to the pest’s attacks and the leaves and stems. As for other potential diseases, root rot is commonly seen in these hybrid succulents if and when the plant is overwatered or poorly taken care of.

ALSO READ:

• How To Care For Agave Parryi (Artichoke Agave)

Propagation

The Blue Glow grows exceptionally slowly, and even if it flowers, it is monocarpic and dies soon after without producing seeds or offsets.

These factors make the Agave Blue Glow almost impossible to propagate via the traditional methods we use on other succulents. Propagation via cuttings, seeds, and offsets – these methods will not work on the Agave Blue Glow.

You can propagate your Blue Glow Agave via a method known as coring.

Toxicity

Like all various Agave plants, the Agave ‘Blue Glow’ contains a sap within the leaves known to be poisonous. Possible symptoms people may experience after contacting this plant with bare hands are irritation, redness, rashes, burning sensations, swelling, blisters, and further pain. Due to this possibility, it’s highly recommended that owners wear protective gloves (and maybe even glasses or goggles) when handling the plant. In addition to that, after handling Agave ‘Blue Glow’, be sure to thoroughly wash your hands and any other surface that may have been in contact with the plant.

What Is Coring?

Coring is a process that makes the plant create pups for its survival.

Warning: This can get messy.

Grab a sterile sharp knife and slice off the top part of your Agave rosette, exposing the stout stem at the center.

Now use a 1/4” drill bit to drill straight down the core of the Agave stem.

This method forces the succulent to pup.

Flowering

The Agave Blue Glow is a monocarpic succulent.

It blooms only once in its entire lifetime, and it dies soon after.

If you plant your Blue Glow outdoors, you can expect it to mature anywhere between 7 to 15 years. If grown indoors, your Agave Blue Glow may never flower at all. Not even once.

It is a slow-growing succulent – there’s no way around it – and planting it in a pot will only make it grow even slower.

Upon reaching maturity, the Agave Blue Glow will shoot out a straight, thick, 10-foot tall flower stalk from the center of its basal rosette.  At the tip of its flower stalk, a 2″ to 3″ inch long yellow flower peeks out in beautiful, striking panicles.

Pruning

To keep your Agave looking prim and proper, we recommend removing any dead or dry leaves.

You can achieve this with the help of a sharp knife or pruning shears.

Check out our Succulent City Facebook Page to share tips, tricks, and inspiration from fellow succulent lovers from across the globe!

Conclusion

Overall, this Agave ‘Blue Glow” hybrid succulent is quite the plant to own. Aside from it containing a poisonous sap, it’s easy to care for and adds something extra and lively to any location needed – although the sap is pretty simple to handle as well. If you’re looking for a unique, evergreen succulent, this Blue Glow could be the perfect fit.