Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Utah Agave
Utah Agave is a small Arizona native agave from the Mojave Desert and the canyon country of northwest Arizona. It forms a compact rosette of stiff gray-green to blue-gray leaves, each tipped with a long, pale spine. It stays about 1 to 1 1/2 feet tall and wide. It takes full sun and very little water once rooted, and it handles hard cold. Use it in native beds, rock plantings and patio pots.
Best for: native and desert beds, dry rocky slopes, and a small agave for patio pots.
It grows wild on dry slopes and mesas in northwest Arizona. At about 1 to 1 1/2 feet tall and wide, it fits a native bed beside other low-water desert plants.
It wants lean, sandy soil that drains fast, so a rocky slope or a raised bed suits it. Keep it out of spots where rain water collects.
Its compact rosette fits a patio pot. Use a pot with a drainage hole and a fast-draining mix, and let the mix dry out between waterings.
Heavy winter moisture can rot it, so keep it dry from fall into early spring. The long tip spine is sharp, so keep it back from walks, seating and pools.
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. Light shade cloth for the first few weeks helps it settle in.
Once rooted, water deeply only when the soil is completely dry. That is about every 2 weeks in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in spring and fall.
It is rated to about -10°F. Heavy winter moisture can rot it, so give little or no water from fall into early spring.
Some plants make a few pups and form small clusters. Cut pups off with a clean, sharp knife, let the cut dry for several days, then plant them.
Most agaves need no fertilizer, and this one prefers lean soil. If you feed it, use a light balanced fertilizer in spring or early summer, never on a new transplant. It does not need any pruning.
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 Utah Agave get?
It usually stays about 1 to 1 1/2 feet tall and wide, though some plants in the wild reach about 2 feet. It is one of the smaller agaves, so it fits beds and pots.
Is Utah Agave native to Arizona?
Yes. It grows wild in northwest Arizona and into southern Utah, southern Nevada and eastern California. It lives on dry slopes and mesas in the Mojave Desert and the canyon country.
Does it need full sun?
Yes, give it full sun. Plant it in lean, sandy soil that drains well.
How often should I water it?
Once rooted, water deeply only when the soil is completely dry, about every 2 weeks in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in spring and fall. Keep it dry in winter, since heavy winter moisture can rot it.
How cold hardy is Utah Agave?
It is rated to about -10°F. Heavy winter moisture can rot it, so keep it dry from fall into early spring.
Does Utah Agave bloom?
Yes, each rosette blooms once on a slender stalk about 5 to 12 feet tall. Deep yellow flowers open from late spring into summer. That rosette then dies, and any pups carry on.
Does it make pups?
Some plants stay single and others form small clusters of rosettes. To start new plants, cut a pup free with a clean, sharp knife, let the cut dry for several days, then plant it.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes, its small size suits a patio container. Use a pot with a drainage hole and a fast-draining mix, and water only when the mix is dry.
Are the spines sharp?
Yes. Each leaf ends in a long, pale gray to ivory spine, and the edges carry teeth. Keep it back from walks, seating and pools, and wear heavy gloves when you handle it.
Is it poisonous to pets?
Agave sap can irritate a pet's mouth and skin and upset the stomach if chewed, though it is rarely serious. The long tip spine can also poke. Keep pets from chewing on it.
Utah Agave for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Utah Agave is one of the smallest agaves native to Arizona. It grows wild on dry slopes and mesas in the northwest part of the state and into Utah, Nevada and California. Below is what to expect from it in a Valley yard, from sun, water and size to cold, pups 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.
How big does Utah Agave get?
Utah Agave usually stays about 1 to 1 1/2 feet tall and wide. Some wild plants reach about 2 feet. It is one of the smaller agaves you can plant.
Is Utah Agave native to Arizona?
Yes. It grows wild on dry slopes and mesas in northwest Arizona, and into southern Utah, southern Nevada and eastern California. It is a plant of the Mojave Desert and the canyon country.
How cold hardy is Utah Agave?
It is rated to about -10°F. Heavy winter moisture can rot it, so keep it dry from fall into early spring.
Watering Utah Agave in Phoenix
Once rooted, water deeply only when the soil is completely dry. That is about every 2 weeks in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in spring and fall. Give it little or no water in winter.
When does Utah Agave bloom?
Each rosette blooms once, on a slender stalk about 5 to 12 feet tall. Deep yellow flowers open from late spring into summer. The rosette then dies, and any pups carry on.
Utah Agave in pots
Its small size suits a patio container. Use a pot with a drainage hole and a fast-draining mix. Water only when the mix is dry, and keep it dry in winter.
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