Agave VICTORIAE REGINAE 'COMPACT'

Agave VICTORIAE REGINAE 'COMPACT' - Compact Queen Victoria Agave, Agave victoriae-reginae 'Compact'.

Agave is a genus of evergreen perennial herbaceous plants in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae), comprising about 300 species distributed across Caribbean islands and arid regions of North, Central, and South America. In cultivation, no more than 50 species are widespread.

Members of the genus form rosettes of fleshy leaves, often with spiny margins and sharp tips. Leaves can be broad or narrow, colored in gray-green, bluish-glaucous, or green shades, sometimes with variegated coloration. The stem is, as a rule, shortened. The plants are adapted to prolonged droughts, spreading outward with powerful roots, absorbing moisture from surface layers of the soil, and storing it in their leaves.

Flowering occurs at 15-20 years of age, after which the plant dies. A tall flower spike emerges from the rosette of robust leaves, at the top of which an inflorescence is formed in the form of a panicle or raceme, usually yellow or cream-colored. The fruits are capsules with flat seeds. After seed ripening, the above-ground parts of the mother plant die off, and daughter suckers sprout from the rhizomes.

Compact Queen Victoria agave is the most aesthetically appealing variety. Leaves are rigid, elongated triangular in shape, with a brownish terminal spine, keeled on the lower side, and have white margin markings. At the tip of each leaf is one rather long spine of 1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 in) and usually another pair of shorter ones. Some plants can reach 60 cm (24 in) in diameter. Typically, however, the leaf rosette is about 40 cm (16 in) in diameter. The compact form grows no more than 30 cm (12 in) in height.

Seeds are soaked for 2-3 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or fungicide with the addition of stimulants (SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminosol, Epin, or Zircon), then sown to a depth of 0.5-1 cm (0.2-0.4 in) in a light loose substrate consisting of sand, peat, and perlite, and covered with a layer of soil. The sowing is moistened with a spray bottle, placed in a propagator or covered with plastic film, and germinated in the light, but not in direct sun, at a temperature of 22-26 °C (72-79 °F). Seedlings require ventilation. Overwatering and complete drying out of sowings must be avoided.

Seedlings emerge within 15-25 days. The maximum germination period can exceed 40 days. After the appearance of 2-3 true leaves, prick-potting is carried out into individual 6 cm (2.4 in) pots with light substrate and drainage, and after a year into 8-9 cm (3.1-3.5 in) pots. Mature specimens are repotted once every 2-3 years.

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The plant can be grown indoors under good lighting. Placement on south or southwest windows with maximum access to light is preferred. In summer, keeping it on a balcony or in the garden with protection from rain is possible. Large specimens in winter are kept in a cool, bright, dry room. The temperature is maintained at 20-28 °C (68-82 °F) in summer and not below 10 °C (50 °F) in winter.

Watering is carried out moderately, only after the soil has dried out. In winter, watering frequency is reduced. Waterlogging or stagnant water at the roots is not permitted. During the active growth period from March to August, specialized fertilizers for cacti and succulents with low nitrogen content are applied once every 4-6 weeks.

A loose, well-draining substrate with an admixture of sand, perlite, and fine gravel is used. Repotting is carried out once every 2-3 years or as needed. The root collar is not buried, and drainage is mandatory.

Shaping is not required. Propagation is carried out by seeds, offsets, and rhizome cuttings separated in spring or summer.