As an exotic species, the agave is of course dependent on certain location and care conditions in order to be able to thrive well in Central Europe. In reality, it is often not diseases and pests that are to blame for certain types of damage to the agaves, but rather certain care errors.

Agaves very rarely get sick, but they are attacked by pests from time to time

Distinguish correct illnesses from nursing mistakes

Agaves have an enemy in this country that is not noticeable either through damage caused by feeding or certain discolorations: waterlogging. Since agaves are usually cultivated in pots anyway, a special substrate can be used as a first preventive measure. In addition, even in hot summer temperatures, agaves should only be watered when the top layer of soil around the plant already feels dry and crumbly. If individual leaves die off after an initial yellowing, this is usually due to an oversupply of water. Sometimes the plants whose health is already impaired can be saved by a quick repotting.

The imminent danger of the palm weevil

While agaves are sometimes associated with cacti for their appearance and site needs, tragically they have more in common with palm trees: the threat of a pest for which no effective antidote has yet been found. The so-called palm weevil has been threatening not only a large number of palm trees on various coasts for about two decades. The larvae of this dreaded pest have already been discovered in the trunks of the Agave americana. However, the density of palm trees and agaves in Central European private gardens has so far been so thin that this pest has not yet spread to a dangerous extent.

These pests also affect agave species

Certain types of pests also occasionally attack agaves and can severely damage plant specimens that are not very healthy. So-called scale insects and mealybugs can sometimes cause problems and an unpleasant impairment of the appearance of agaves. With regular checks, colonies of these lice are noticed relatively quickly and can therefore be fought effectively:

  • with special pesticides
  • with biological means
  • by washing off the colonies with a sharp jet of water

tips

In the vast majority of cases, it is not pests and really infectious diseases that are responsible for damaged areas on the agaves, but rather care errors such as permanent wetness that leads to signs of rot.

Category:

Vegetable garden