Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

First, Mr. Smarty Plants would like to state this caveat—our focus and expertise here at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is with plants native to North America so we can't give you specific details about care of an Ecuadorian century plant. However, we can give you some general advice about caring for Agaves. First of all, you need to be sure that the potting medium the plant is in gives sufficient drainage. There are cactus/succulent mixes available (with a higher ratio of sand and/or pearlite to potting soil) that keep the mixture from being soggy. You can read a discussion of various formulas and kinds of mixes from the YouGrowGirl.com forum. Next, infrequent water and low fertilizer are keys. Chances are once a week is still too often to water. The plant should be kept on the dry side in well-drained soil. A great soil-moisture tester is a freshly sharpened pencil. Trim a wooden pencil to reveal fresh wood, plunge the pencil into the soil about six inches, hold for a second and remove. If the trimmed wood is still light-colored upon removal of the pencil, the soil is dry enough to water. If it comes out darkened, wait a few days and try again.

There is another possibility. If your century plant has just bloomed, then I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. It is going to die no matter what you do. Please see the answer to a previous question about a dying century plant. Also, if you enter "century plant" in the Keyword Search slot on the Ask Mr. Smarty Plants page, you will find some other "answers" about century plant care.