After Agave Blooms It Will Die

Q. I bought this plant 4 years ago and was told it is an
Octopus agave. I was advised it might take 40 to 50 years to bloom and afterwards
the plant will die. The stalk coming from the center of the plant grew to about
12 feet in 2 weeks. I really do not know what I am looking at or what to do.

A. This is not Octopus agave. Compare it to pictures of
Octopus agave on the Internet. Yes, that is a bloom spike. The plant will die after it flowers.

The mother plant should have small
offsets or pups at the base of the plant prior to blooming. You may not see
them until after the mother plant dies and is removed. These pups can be replanted
in new locations or given away to friends.

When planting agaves and cacti,
amend the soil with compost at the time of planting and mixed with the backfill
around the roots. They will grow better.

Be careful how frequently the
plant is watered. Do not water them more often than every three weeks but give
them 5 to 10 gallons when you do.

Some information on Octopus agave from Master Gardeners at the University of Arizona

Agaves look better when they are
either planted in groupings of three or five with enough distance between them
so they can spread out or planted singularly as a focal point in the landscape.

When planting in groups, use odd
numbers of plants and plant them at different distances apart to make them more
appealing to the eye.