Agave deserti

A very small, but hearty agave!  Assuming a grower stays with ll ft. centers, these plants could be grown as little as 2 feet apart down the row, or ~ 1,950 per acre!  When mature, the pina’s will weigh approximately 10-12 pounds each.  Relatively speaking, they are both more frost and drought tolerant than Weber Azul.  Typically, they only receive ~ 3-5 inches of water in their native environment.  Deserti does not produce pups/clones, flowers in 8-10 years and is known for its sweetness. 

 

Agave Salmiana

Salmiana will take a few years longer to flower than Weber or Lemeno, we believe 9-12 years as opposed to 5-7 years.  The sugar content tends to be about half of Weber Azul, but the plant can produce pinas between 4-600 pounds, if not more!  Consequently, we would space these plants a bit further apart down the row, perhaps 8-10 ft apart (~ 430 plants/ac.).  Water requirement is only ~ a half foot/ac/yr…and they appear to be more frost tolerant than the Weber.  We’ve seen little to no tip burn after frosts in the mid to low twenties.