Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Garcia Mendoza's Agave
Garcia Mendoza's Agave is a compact rosette of green, sword-shaped leaves edged with small, sharp reddish teeth. It grows about 1 to 2 feet tall and about 2 feet wide, mostly as a single rosette. It suits a rock garden, a desert bed or a pot. It comes from central Mexico and needs little water.
Best for: rock gardens, desert beds and pots where a compact agave needs little water.
It grows in gritty, rocky soil that drains well. The compact green rosette and reddish teeth show well among boulders and gravel.
At about 3 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide, it needs a large pot on a patio. Use a gritty mix and keep it dry in winter.
It grows mostly as one rosette, so it holds its spot in a desert or rock garden. It needs little water once rooted.
Frost damages the leaves, so cover it on cold nights or keep a pot under a patio cover. Wet winter soil can rot it. Keep the sharp teeth back from paths.
Plant into dry soil and wait about 1 to 2 weeks before the first watering, or up to a month in cool weather. Then water about every other week while nights stay above 60°F.
Water deeply about every 10 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in spring and fall. Cut back by October and let winter rain do the rest. Let the soil dry between waterings.
It gets mild damage with frost. On frost nights, cover it with frost cloth that reaches the ground and take it off in the morning. Move potted plants under a patio cover.
It grows mostly as a single rosette with few or no pups. It blooms once, then the rosette dies.
Most agaves need no fertilizer. If you feed, use a light balanced fertilizer in spring or early summer, never on a new transplant and never in fall or winter. No pruning is needed.
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 Garcia Mendoza's Agave get?
It grows about 3 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide.
Does it make pups?
It grows mostly as a single rosette, so expect few or no pups to dig out.
How cold can it take?
It is frost tender and gets mild damage with frost. Cover it with frost cloth to the ground on frost nights, or move a potted plant under a patio cover.
How much sun does it need?
It grows best in sun, so plant it where it gets sun most of the day, in soil that drains well.
How often should I water it?
It needs little water once rooted. Water deeply, let the soil dry out, and keep it dry in winter.
Does it have spines?
Yes. The leaf edges carry small, sharp reddish teeth and each leaf ends in a sharp tip spine. Keep it back from paths and wear gloves.
Does it bloom?
Yes, once, at maturity, on a tall spike of yellow flowers. The rosette then dies, so plan to replace it.
What agave is it similar to?
It is close to Agave horrida ssp. perotensis, and some growers expect the two to be treated as the same plant someday. Care is the same for both.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes. Its compact size suits a pot. Use a gritty mix that drains well and water less in winter.
Is it poisonous to dogs or cats?
Agave is mildly poisonous if chewed. The sap can irritate a pet's mouth and skin and upset the stomach. Keep pets from chewing on it.
Garcia Mendoza's Agave for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Garcia Mendoza's Agave, Agave garciae-mendozae, is a compact agave from central Mexico with green leaves and small reddish teeth. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard, from size, sun and water to frost, pups, teeth and blooming.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
What is Garcia Mendoza's Agave?
It is Agave garciae-mendozae, a compact agave from central Mexico. It has green, sword-shaped leaves with small, sharp reddish teeth.
How big does Agave garciae-mendozae get?
It grows about 3 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide. It grows mostly as one rosette.
Is Garcia Mendoza's Agave cold hardy?
It is frost tender and gets mild damage with frost. Cover it on frost nights or keep a potted plant under a patio cover.
How often do you water Garcia Mendoza's Agave?
It needs very little water once rooted. Water deeply, let the soil dry, and keep it dry in winter. Soil that stays wet can rot it.
Can Garcia Mendoza's Agave grow in a pot?
Yes. Its compact size suits a pot on a patio. Use a gritty mix that drains well.
Garcia Mendoza's Agave vs Agave horrida perotensis
The two are very similar, and some growers expect them to be treated as one plant someday. They grow and are cared for the same way.
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