I bought this Agave at Gardenworks three months ago and it lost three leaves. The leaves always look okay and then one day the spines aren’t very spiky anymore if that makes sense. Then the leaves start shrivelling and turning orange and brown until they’re dead. I have this planted in cactus and succulent medium and it’s under a grow light. It has been doing so well since I got the light but I noticed one of the leaves is starting to shrivel. What am I doing wrong?
It could be that the hormonal trigger for senescing the leaf was tripped before you purchased the grow light... and that is a one-way street, so to speak.
That has been my concern. I really want to keep a small agave but I live in BC so the struggle is real.
Yeah, a 13 watt cfl is hardly a drop in the bucket compared to what Agave need. Any average 26 watt home CFL or or 16 watt home LED bulb (both would be 100 watt equivalent under the old incandescents) would do much better, but still light years away from what is needed. Do you also have it near a window that can provide additional light? One alternative is the cheap 4' LED hanging shoplights placed only inches away from the plant. Two of those close to the plant will overwinter it well enough. Another alternative is to start right now acclimating it to outdoor light, bringing it in for frosty nights and heavy rains. It's almost warm enough to put them out for the year. That's how you'll get the huge, healthy, traditional Agave look is only thru outdoor light for the summer.
