Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Mangave Silver Fox
Mangave 'Silver Fox' has thick, arching, silvery-blue leaves with a heavy waxy coating that makes the plant look like it glows white. Purple spots show through the coating, and they get stronger with more sun. It grows about 1 foot tall and 1.5 to 3 feet wide, and it works as a specimen in a pot or in a desert bed. Over time it makes pups and forms a cluster of rosettes.
Best for: specimen pots and desert beds and borders. A silvery mangave with purple spots under a waxy coating that fills in with pups over time.
At about 1 foot tall and up to 3 feet wide, it makes a strong single plant in a large pot. Use a drainage hole and fast-draining cactus mix.
It does well planted in desert beds and borders as well as in pots. Give it soil that drains and full sun to half-day sun.
It starts as a single rosette and makes pups over time, forming a cluster. After a rosette blooms, several new rosettes come up from the base.
It can be hurt below about 20°F, so cover it on hard freeze nights. Soggy soil can rot it. Hot afternoon sun in summer can burn the leaves.
- Plant to plant2-3 ft apart, center to center
Plant into dry soil and wait about 1 to 2 weeks before the first water, then water about every other week while nights stay above 60°F. Once rooted, soak it and let the soil dry. It takes more water than agaves and grows faster with it, but soggy soil rots it. Give little or no water in winter.
In the Valley, give it some shade from the hot afternoon sun in summer. Put light shade cloth over a new plant for its first few weeks, longer if planted in early summer.
It can be hurt below about 20°F. On freeze nights, cover it with frost cloth or a sheet down to the ground, not plastic, and uncover it in the morning. Move potted plants under a patio cover or next to the house.
It starts as one rosette and pups into a cluster over time. A rosette that blooms dies, and several new ones come up from the base. Twist or cut pups free and let them dry before planting.
Feeding is optional, and if you feed, use a light succulent fertilizer in spring or early summer, never on a new plant and never in fall or winter. No pruning is needed, just remove dead leaves at the base.
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 Mangave 'Silver Fox' get?
It grows about 1 foot tall and 1.5 to 3 feet wide. With pups it can fill in as a cluster of rosettes.
Why does Silver Fox look white?
The leaves are light green under a thick, waxy coating. The coating makes the plant look silvery blue to nearly white. Purple spots show through it.
Why are the spots faint?
The purple spots sit under the waxy coating. They show more with more sun, and they fade in low light.
Does it need afternoon shade in Phoenix?
It grows in full sun to at least half-day sun. In the Valley, shade from the hot afternoon sun in summer helps keep the leaves from burning.
How often should I water Silver Fox?
It needs little water once it is rooted. Water deeply, then let the soil dry between waterings. Plant it in well-drained soil, since soggy soil can rot it.
Does it have spines?
The leaf edges have a row of tiny, hard, rubbery teeth. Mangave teeth are much softer than an agave's, so it is far easier to handle.
How cold hardy is Silver Fox?
It handles cold down to about 20°F. On colder nights, cover it with frost cloth or a sheet down to the ground, not plastic. Move potted plants next to the house.
What is Silver Fox a cross of?
It is a cross of Mangave 'Bloodspot' and Agave gypsophila. That puts Agave gypsophila, Agave macroacantha and a manfreda in its background.
Does it die after it blooms?
It blooms after several years on a tall spike. The rosette that blooms dies, but it makes pups at the same time, so the plant keeps growing.
Can snout weevils get mangaves?
Yes. The agave snout weevil can attack mangaves too. Watch for wilting or wrinkled leaves and a plant that rocks loose. Good drainage and not overwatering help most.
Mangave Silver Fox for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Mangave 'Silver Fox' is a mangave with thick, arching leaves under a waxy coating that looks silvery white, with purple spots underneath. It is sold for containers and desert landscapes in Arizona. This page covers its size, sun, water, cold, blooming and pups in the Valley.
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.
How big does Mangave 'Silver Fox' get in Arizona?
It grows about 1 foot tall and 1.5 to 3 feet wide. It starts as one rosette and makes pups over time, forming a cluster.
Does Mangave 'Silver Fox' need shade in Phoenix?
It grows in full sun to at least half-day sun. In the Valley, shade from the hot afternoon sun in summer helps prevent leaf burn. More sun brings out the purple spots.
How often do you water Mangave 'Silver Fox'?
Once it is rooted, it needs little water. Water deeply, then let the soil dry out between waterings. Give it well-drained soil, since soggy soil can rot it.
Is Mangave 'Silver Fox' cold hardy?
It handles cold down to about 20°F. Wet soil in winter hurts more than the cold, so keep it on the dry side. Cover it on hard freeze nights and uncover it in the morning.
Mangave 'Silver Fox' vs Bloodspot
'Bloodspot' is one of its parents. 'Bloodspot' is a compact gray-green rosette with red spots. 'Silver Fox' is wider, with a waxy coating that looks silvery white and purple spots under it.
Does Mangave 'Silver Fox' make pups?
Yes. It pups out over time to form a cluster, and more pups come up after a rosette blooms. Twist or cut them free with a clean knife and let them dry a few days before planting.
Planting a mangave in caliche soil
Mangaves need soil that drains. If you hit caliche, dig all the way through it so water can drain out of the hole. Water that sits on caliche can rot the roots.
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