Agave, Century Plant, Mangave, Maguey 'Macho Mocha'

I just purchased a beautiful plant from the Houston Master Gardner. It is huge and I need to re-pot it. Does anyone have an instructional...Read More video? It is overgrown and I want to do it properly.

Central Phoenix -- Like with many Manfredas, when you have one of these, you have many. I annually discard numerous pups of Macho Mocha....Read More My "parent" plant is 4 years old and doing well. It is in pot in full sun with reflected light off the pool and is sometimes splashed by chlorinated water. It gets daily water in summer from a drip. It is unprotected in the winter and has weathered freeze down to 24F. It does well. Two of its pups are in a pot in partial shade, with bi-weekly water in summer and a cover in winter. They also do well. The only difference between these plants in substantially different environments is the ones in shade have longer leaves and the leaves of the one in sun are more purple.

Does well in El Paso; freezes back and comes back beautifully in late winter to bloom.

I have not grown this plant. Manfreda 'Macho Mocha' is thought to be a naturally occurring bigeneric hybrid between Manfreda variegata a...Read Morend Agave celsii. Some believe it may be a tetraploid mutation of Manfreda variegata. While on a plant exploration trip into Mexico, the well-known plant explorer Carl Schoenfeld of Yucca Do Nursery collected seed from a Manfreda variegata plant at a location where there was also Agave ceslsii. The resulting seedling was raised and named by him. He called it a Mangave. and until the botanists finally decide on its classification, this is what many growers now call it also. Grown in high light conditions, 'Macha Mocha' has thick, rubbery green leaves (softer leaves than an agave with bristles that are not sharp) that are washed in lavender and are covered in brownish-red or brownish-purple spots. The leaves grow in a stemless rosette.

In late spring, an 8 foot tall, thick, reddish flower stalk emerges as an agave does. The bloom buds are white with the light green blooms not resembling an agave's blooms. The plant is solitary until it flowers. At this time, several new plants will emerge from below the older rosette. It doesn't die after bloom like agaves do. Although it will grow in light shade, leaf coloration is more pronounced when grown in full sun. It needs well-drained soils to prosper. Do not give supplemental water in the winter. 'Macho Mocha' is very hardy with some sources stating that it has survived temperatures down to 9 degress F in areas with dry winters. In cold regions that have wet winters, it should be grown in a container. Be aware that slugs seem to love this plant and can severely damage it.