Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Mangave Spotty Dotty
Mangave 'Spotty Dotty' is a low, wide rosette of broad, blue-green leaves covered in dark burgundy dots. The leaves are about 3 inches wide and lightly wavy, with soft, reddish orange teeth along the edges. It stays about 10 to 12 inches tall but spreads 2 to 3 feet. It works in a large pot or as a specimen in a bed. The dots show best in full sun.
Best for: large patio pots and specimen spots in a bed where a wide, low rosette has room.
It spreads 2 to 3 feet but stays about a foot tall, so pick a wide pot. Choose one slightly wider than the rosette, with a drainage hole.
Planted in a bed, it makes a low specimen 2 to 3 feet across. Give it well-drained soil and full sun to half-day sun.
The leaves are about 3 inches wide and lightly wavy, covered in burgundy dots. The dots are strongest in full sun.
It can be hurt below about 25°F, so cover it on frosty 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 25°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 blooms only now and then. When a rosette blooms, that rosette dies and pups at the base carry the plant on. Twist or cut pups free and let them dry a few days before planting.
It grows fine without feeding. If you do 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 'Spotty Dotty' get?
It stays about 10 to 12 inches tall and spreads 2 to 3 feet wide, much wider than it is tall. Pick a wide pot or leave room in the bed.
Does Spotty Dotty have sharp teeth?
No. The leaf edges have small, soft, reddish orange teeth, so it is far easier to handle than an agave.
What is it a cross of?
Its background includes two agaves, Agave gypsophila and Agave bovicornuta, and a spotted manfreda, Manfreda maculosa. The manfreda brings the dots.
Why are the dots fading?
The dots show best in full sun. In low light or indoors they fade, and they come back after a couple of weeks of direct sun.
Does it need afternoon shade in Phoenix?
It grows in full sun to half-day sun. In the Valley, some shade from the hot afternoon sun in summer helps keep the leaves from burning.
How often should I water it?
It is low water once rooted. Water deeply when the soil is dry. It handles more water than most succulents, but it needs excellent drainage.
How cold hardy is Spotty Dotty?
It handles cold down to about 25°F. Cover it with frost cloth down to the ground on frosty nights, or move a potted plant next to the house.
Does it bloom?
It blooms only now and then. When a rosette blooms, that rosette dies, but pups at the base carry the plant on, so leave them in place.
How fast does it grow?
It is a vigorous grower and faster than most agaves. More water in the warm months speeds it up.
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, and plant it in soil that drains without overwatering.
Mangave Spotty Dotty for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Mangave 'Spotty Dotty' is a low, wide mangave with broad blue-green leaves heavily dotted in burgundy. Its background includes two agaves and a spotted manfreda. Here is what to expect in the Valley, from size, sun and water to cold, blooming and pups.
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How big does Mangave 'Spotty Dotty' get?
It stays about 10 to 12 inches tall and spreads 2 to 3 feet wide. Give it a big pot or room in a bed.
Are Spotty Dotty mangave teeth sharp?
No. The edges carry small, soft, reddish orange teeth. That makes it much easier to handle than an agave.
Does Mangave 'Spotty Dotty' need shade in Arizona?
It grows in full sun to half-day sun and shows the best dots in full sun. In the Valley, some shade from the hot afternoon sun in summer helps keep the leaves from burning.
Watering Spotty Dotty in the Valley
Once rooted, it is low water. Water deeply when the soil is dry, then let it dry again. It needs excellent drainage, since soggy soil can rot it.
Is Mangave 'Spotty Dotty' cold hardy?
It handles cold down to about 25°F, and wet soil in winter hurts more than the cold, so keep it dry. Cover it on frosty nights and uncover it in the morning.
Growing Spotty Dotty in a pot
Use a wide pot slightly bigger across than the rosette, with a drainage hole and fast-draining cactus mix. Water deeply when the mix is dry.
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, since water that sits on caliche can rot the roots.
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