Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Mr. Ripple's Agave
This big agave, sold as Mr. Ripple's Agave, is grown for its broad, wavy leaves. The bluish olive-green leaves ripple along their length and have a soft, satiny look. It grows about 3 to 5 feet tall and 4 to 8 feet wide, mostly as one large rosette. Give it a sunny spot with room to spread, as a focal point in a desert or rock garden.
Best for: a single focal point in a desert or rock garden and large open beds in full sun. One wide rosette with wavy leaves that holds the eye on its own.
The broad leaves ripple along their length and have a soft, satiny look. One plant carries a bed on its own as a focal point.
It takes full sun on little water once rooted. The bluish olive-green color stands out against gravel, boulders and smaller desert plants.
It can reach 4 to 8 feet wide, so it suits an open bed in full sun more than a narrow strip. Give it that full width to spread.
It gets big, so it crowds small beds and narrow side yards. The leaf edges have jagged teeth, so keep it back from walks. Soil that stays wet can rot it.
Set it in dry soil and skip water for about a week or two in warm weather, longer when it is cool. Then give it water about every other week while nights stay warm.
Once rooted, water deeply about every 2 weeks in summer, every 3 to 4 weeks in spring and fall, and little or none in winter. Let the soil dry out between soakings.
It grows as one large rosette and makes only a few pups, mostly while young. Give it room to spread, about 4 to 8 feet across.
It rarely needs any fertilizer. If you feed it, use a light balanced fertilizer in spring or early summer, never on a new plant and never in fall or winter.
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.
What is Mr. Ripple's Agave?
It is a large agave found in the wild in 2001 near Ciudad del Maíz in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. It is thought to be a natural cross of Agave salmiana and Agave americana.
How big does Mr. Ripple's Agave get?
It grows about 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide, and older plants can reach about 5 feet tall and 8 feet wide. Give it plenty of room.
Does it need full sun?
Yes. It is grown in full sun, in soil that drains well.
How often should I water it?
It needs little water once rooted. Water deeply about every 2 weeks in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in spring and fall. It needs little or no water in winter.
How cold can Mr. Ripple's Agave take?
It handles cold down to about 12 to 15°F without much damage. On hard freeze nights, cover it with frost cloth that reaches the ground, and take it off in the morning.
Does Mr. Ripple's Agave make pups?
No, not many. It grows as a single large rosette and makes only a few pups, usually when it is young.
Does it have sharp teeth?
Yes. The wavy leaf edges carry jagged teeth. Plant it back from walks, patios and play areas, and wear heavy gloves when you handle it.
Does it bloom?
Like most agaves, it blooms once after many years on a tall stalk, and then that rosette dies. Blooming is set off by age, not care. The flowers draw bats, birds and insects.
Why is my agave soft or mushy?
Too much water or soil that stays wet is the common cause, and it leads to rot. Let the soil dry out between waterings and plant it where water drains away.
Is Mr. Ripple's Agave 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, and the teeth can scratch. Keep pets from chewing on it.
Mr. Ripple's Agave for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
The agave sold as Mr. Ripple's Agave is a large plant with broad, wavy, bluish olive-green leaves. It was found in the wild in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard: size, sun, water, cold, pups, teeth, blooming and how much room it needs.
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 kind of plant is Mr. Ripple's Agave, and where is it from?
It is a large agave with broad, wavy, bluish olive-green leaves. It was found in the wild in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, in 2001 and is thought to be a natural cross of two big agaves.
How big does Mr. Ripple's Agave get in Phoenix?
Plan on about 3 to 5 feet tall and 4 to 8 feet wide. It stays mostly as one large rosette, so give it an open spot in full sun.
Is Mr. Ripple's Agave cold hardy in Arizona?
It handles cold down to about 12 to 15°F without much damage. On a hard freeze night, cover it with frost cloth that reaches the ground and take it off in the morning.
How often do you water Mr. Ripple's Agave in a Phoenix yard?
Once rooted, a deep soak about every 2 weeks in summer is plenty, and every 3 to 4 weeks in spring and fall. It needs little or no water in winter. Wet soil can rot it.
Does Mr. Ripple's Agave make pups around its base?
Only a few, and mostly when it is young. It is grown as a single, wide rosette rather than a spreading clump.
How much room does Mr. Ripple's Agave need in a yard?
Leave about 4 to 8 feet across for one plant. Its leaf edges have jagged teeth, so set it back from walks and patios too.
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