Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Friday - May 07, 2010
From: Yuma, AZ
Region: Southwest
Topic: Propagation
Title: Should a bloom stalk be cut down in Yuma AZ?
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I have a plant in my front yard that looks like an aloe vera. It doesn't have any thorns or needles but does have a tall stalk like stem coming from the middle of it. The "stalk" is now approx. 5' tall and growing. My neighbors have told me that I need to cut it off or it will die but I have no idea what kind of plant it is or how to care for it. Please help.ANSWER:
Sounds like you have either a yucca or an agave, and that is a bloom stalk emerging. Either way, don't cut it off, you'll miss a show. If your neighbors think it will die if you don't cut it off, and it's an agave, they are half right. An agave, also known as "century plants," can take up to 60 years to gather enough energy to bloom. The bloom is spectacular, and then the agave dies, because of all the energy it has used to reproduce itself. If you cut the bloom stalk off before it blooms, you will miss the blooms and the agave will die anyway. If it's a yucca, leave it until it has bloomed, cut off the dead stalk because it's unsightly, and it will probably bloom next year, and every year for some time. An exception to this is the Hesperoyucca whipplei (chaparral yucca), which does die after blooming.
Yuccas that bloom but do not die native to Arizona:
Yucca angustissima (narrowleaf yucca)
Yucca baileyi var. navajoa (Navajo yucca)
Yucca schidigera (Mojave yucca)
Agaves that bloom once and die native to Arizona:
Agave americana (American century plant)
Agave parryi ssp. parryi (Parry's agave)
From our Native Plant Image Gallery:
More Propagation Questions
How does Graptopetalum filiferum produce seeds?
June 22, 2009 - Hi
I have a Graptopetalum filiferum. I found a seed on top of one of the plants and it resembles something like a cantelope melon seed-about 1/3" long, orange. Do these succulents produce seeds i...
view the full question and answer
native plants for landscaping in Honolulu
January 08, 2012 - Hi, wildflower.org has been a great help for me in learning about different plants, their Latin names and characteristics. I was looking for a list of plants (trees, shrubs, ground covers, perennials...
view the full question and answer
Propagation of possumhaw from Austin
May 22, 2014 - I planted a possumhaw holly plant about 3 months ago and am really excited to watch it grow from its current 3-foot height. It is starting to berry right now. My question is about those berries: (Cle...
view the full question and answer
Propagation of woody plants by cuttings in Cairo, NY
May 12, 2009 - I have a tree in my yard and I am not sure what it is, it has these gorgeous pink cluster like flowers on it, my friend loves the tree and wants to know the steps to take a piece of my tree so she can...
view the full question and answer
Scarifying seeds of evergreen sumacs from Lockhart TX
May 19, 2013 - Dear Smarty Plants,
We would like to grow our own evergreen sumacs. Consulting Nokes book, How to Grow Native Plants on page 310, it says to scarify fresh uncleaned seeds for 30-45 minutes.
On page...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |