Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
White Ice Agave
White Ice Agave is a chalky white form of Agave titanota, with broad, pale gray-white leaves edged in curved teeth and tipped in dark spines. Each leaf carries sharp imprints from its neighbors, so the rosette looks carved. It grows slowly to about 1 to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. It makes a bold accent in a pot or a lightly shaded bed and needs little water.
Best for: a bold accent in a large pot, lightly shaded beds and rock gardens, and a focal plant set back from walks where its teeth will not catch anyone.
It grows slowly and is well suited to pots, where the white leaves stand out against the container. Use a pot with a drainage hole and fast-draining mix.
In the low desert it does best in light shade, such as the east side of the house or under a thin tree canopy. The pale leaves glow in that softer light.
The broad leaves carry sharp imprints and dark teeth, so one plant reads as a sculpture among boulders and gravel.
The teeth and inch-long tip spines are sharp, so keep it back from walks and play areas. Nights below 25°F can damage it, and soil that stays wet can rot it.
- Tight group12 in apart, center to center
- Looser group18 in apart, center to center
Give it light shade in the Valley, especially from hot afternoon sun. An east-facing bed or a spot under a thin tree canopy suits it.
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 2 weeks in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in spring and fall. Keep it dry in winter, when wet soil can rot it.
Cover it with frost cloth that reaches the ground on nights below about 25°F, or move a pot to shelter. Take the cover off in the morning.
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 White Ice Agave get?
It grows about 1 to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide, and some growers list up to 30 inches. It is slow, so it stays in scale in a pot for years.
Does White Ice Agave need shade in Phoenix?
It takes full sun to part shade, but in the low desert it does best with light shade. Give it shelter from the hot afternoon sun.
How is White Ice different from regular Agave titanota?
White Ice is a selection with paler, whiter leaves and dark tips. Size, spines and care match the species.
How sharp are the spines?
Each leaf ends in a spine about an inch long, with curved teeth along the edges. Plant it back from paths, wear gloves, and snip the tips if it sits near a walk.
How cold hardy is White Ice Agave?
It is hardy to about 25°F. On colder nights, cover it with frost cloth that reaches the ground or move a pot against the house, and uncover it in the morning.
How often should I water it?
Water deeply about every 2 weeks in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in spring and fall once it is rooted. Keep it dry in winter.
Does it make pups?
The species is usually a single rosette and makes only a few pups, if any. If one appears, cut it free, let the cut dry for several days, then plant it.
Does White Ice Agave die after it blooms?
Yes, like most agaves it blooms once after many years on a tall stalk of yellow flowers, and then that rosette dies. Remove the spent plant once it dries.
Is it poisonous to pets?
Agaves are mildly poisonous if chewed. The sap can irritate a pet's mouth and skin and upset the stomach, so keep pets away from it.
White Ice Agave for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
White Ice is a pale, chalky selection of Agave titanota, the Rancho Tambor agave from Oaxaca. It forms an open rosette of broad white-gray leaves with bold teeth. Below: size, sun and shade, water, cold, spines and pots, and how it compares with the plain species.
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 White Ice Agave?
White Ice is a selection of Agave titanota, the Rancho Tambor agave from Oaxaca, Mexico. Its broad leaves are pale gray-white with dark tips, curved teeth and deep imprints.
How big does White Ice Agave get in Arizona?
Expect about 1 to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide over time. It grows slowly, which makes it a good long-term pot plant.
Does White Ice Agave need shade?
It takes full sun to part shade, but in the low desert it does best with light shade. Protect it from the hottest afternoon sun.
White Ice Agave cold hardiness
It is hardy to about 25°F. Cover it with frost cloth on the coldest Valley nights, or move a pot to a sheltered spot by the house.
Growing White Ice Agave in a pot
It is slow and well suited to containers. Use fast-draining mix in a pot with a drainage hole, and water only when the mix is dry.
White Ice Agave spines
Each leaf ends in a spine about an inch long, with curved teeth along the edges. Keep it back from walks and wear gloves when you handle it.
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