Agave attack

12 years ago

I really never intended to get an agave, but they seemed to be the right plant for the spot that I needed filling. So I was tending to them and saw that some cute little weeds were starting to sprout around the base of the plants. I decided to reach in there and pull them out. That was my mistake. As it was such a close area I thought I'd be able to just grab them with my fingers. Wrong. What I got was jabbed, poked, impaled, scratched, and gave up. Wicked plants they are. So how do you get the weeds out from around those plants with sharp teeth? How do you get in between leaves or around the base to grab those weeds without getting mutilated?

Penny

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Comments (6)

rosemariero6
12 years ago
Long handled tong tweezers!!!!
TT, zone 5b MA
12 years ago
"How do you get in between leaves or around the base to grab those weeds without getting mutilated?"

Very carefully...;-).

Gloves?
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wantonamara Z8 CenTex
12 years ago
Gloves , long sleeved shirts, GOGGLES, long handled hemostats are the best. Go well armed, and armored
pennyhal
Original Author
12 years ago
Hmmmm. I see some of you have some experience with this beast. I didn't wear gloves because they were too bulky to get in those tiny spaces. I'll suit up for battle and carry tweezers.

Penny
Stush2049 Pitts. PA, zone 6
12 years ago
I have a long handle pruner. It works great for rose bushes and also hard to get places. It is 5 ft. long and I don't have to bend over to weed. Hard to find. I found them at Harbor Freight. I wish I had a picture of it. Hard to explain.
paracelsus
12 years ago
It's not only the terminal spines and marginal thorns that Agave use to deter molestation, simple contact with a leaf will cause contact dermatitis from ejection of calcium oxalate spicules (about a half mm long SPIKES). That's why a long sleeved shirt is essential. Goggles will save your eyes from terminal spines. Be careful!

Brad