Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Cream Spike Agave
Cream Spike Agave is a small, slow agave with blue-gray leaves edged in cream and set off by reddish spines. Young plants grow flat and wide, then form a tighter, upright rosette as they age, staying around a foot tall. It makes pups as it matures, filling in a small cluster. It is a classic collector's pot plant and does well on low water in soil that drains.
Best for: patio pots and small containers, small beds and rock gardens with some afternoon shade, and a compact accent set back from walks.
It is slow and small, so it stays in scale in a patio pot for years. Use fast-draining soil in a pot with a drainage hole and water when it is dry.
In hot climates it benefits from some shade, so an east-facing bed or a spot with afternoon shade suits it. The cream edges show well against gravel.
As it matures it makes many pups, which fill in a tight cluster. Pull or replant them if you want a single rosette.
The tip spine and reddish side spines are sharp, so keep it back from paths. Protect it from hard frosts, and do not let the soil stay wet or the leaves can rot.
Grow it in full to part sun. In the Valley, afternoon shade in summer helps, since some shade benefits it in hot climates.
Water thoroughly when the soil is dry to the touch. In winter, water only about once every month or two, since extra moisture can rot the leaves.
Cover it with frost cloth that reaches the ground on hard freeze nights, or move a pot to a sheltered spot. Remove the cover in the morning.
It makes many pups as it ages. Cut them free with a clean knife, let the cut dry for several days, then plant them in dry soil.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does Cream Spike Agave get?
It usually stays about 4 to 10 inches tall and 6 to 12 inches wide. Young plants are flat and wide, and mature rosettes stand more upright as it slowly grows.
Does Cream Spike need shade in Arizona?
It grows in full to part sun, and some shade helps in hot climates. In the Valley, give it afternoon shade in summer.
How often should I water Cream Spike?
Water thoroughly when the soil is dry to the touch. In winter, water only about once every month or two.
How cold hardy is Cream Spike Agave?
Growers list it from about 15°F to 25°F. Protect it from hard frosts with frost cloth that reaches the ground, or move a pot against the house.
Does Cream Spike make pups?
Yes, it makes many pups as it matures. Cut them free with a clean knife, let the cut dry for several days, then plant them.
Does it have spines?
Yes. Each leaf has a dark tip spine and sharp reddish spines along the edges. Wear gloves when handling it and keep it back from walks.
Can I grow Cream Spike in a pot?
Yes, it is a common pot plant. Use well-draining soil and a pot with a drainage hole, and water when the soil dries.
Does Cream Spike bloom?
Only after about 20 years or more, on a tall stalk. Like most agaves, that rosette then dies, and its pups carry on.
Why are the leaves rotting?
Too much water is the usual cause. Let the soil dry between waterings, and cut way back in winter.
Cream Spike Agave for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Cream Spike (Agave applanata 'Cream Spike') is a small, slow variegated agave with blue-gray leaves edged in cream and tipped with red spines. It starts flat and wide and turns upright with age. Below: size, sun, water, cold, pups and growing it in a pot.
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What is Cream Spike Agave?
Cream Spike is a variegated form of Agave applanata, also sold under Agave patonii names. It has blue-gray leaves with cream edges and sharp reddish spines.
How big does Cream Spike Agave get?
It stays small, usually about 4 to 10 inches tall and 6 to 12 inches wide. It starts flat and turns upright with age, and it grows slowly.
Cream Spike Agave sun and shade
It takes full to part sun. In hot climates some shade helps, so give it afternoon shade in a Valley summer.
Watering Cream Spike Agave
Water thoroughly when the soil is dry to the touch. In winter, water only about once every month or two.
Cream Spike Agave in a pot
It is slow and small, which makes it a common pot plant. Use well-draining soil and a pot with a drainage hole.
Is Cream Spike Agave cold hardy?
It is listed hardy from about 15°F to 25°F. Protect it from hard frosts with frost cloth, or move a pot to shelter.
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