Allthough Agave species are easy to grow from seed, problems arise when you want to propagate the variegated forms. These must be propagated from offsets or runners.
One of the most popular, is A.Americana Variegata, which in common with other forms of A.Americana usually puts out plenty of offsets.
Starting with the equipment needed, here's how to propagate them.
You need a very sharp knife, scalpel or a pair of secateurs.
Some fungicide such as sulpher dust and of course pots, compost and gravel.
I also use surgical spirit to sterilize the cutting tools.
Cleanliness is most important to prevent infections.
Make sure the area where you're working is clean and knock the plant out of the pot.
Carefully clean away as much of the soil as possible, to expose the roots.
If your plant has been in the pot for sometime, you may well find three types of offset. ( See photo. )
The oldest offsets, will usually have a complete root system of their own.
These are easy to tease out and remove from the parent plant.
The next type, are those with a partial root system and are still connected to the main plant.
These offsets should be carefully cut away, with as much root as possible and the cuts dusted with fungicide.
The final type ( the youngest ) usually have few, if any roots and should be treated as cuttings.
Dust all cuts with fungicide and place them in a tray.
Leave the tray in a warm, shady spot for a day or so to allow the cuts to callous over.
Replant the parent plant in very well drained compost and leave in a shady spot for a few days.
I don't water the offsets or the parent plant for a few days and when I do I only just moisten the soil.
When the cuts on the offsets have calloused over, I repot them into a very well drained mix of J.I. seed or No1 compost.
When repotting the offsets, use the smallest pots you can, you don't need acres of soggy soil around them.
If you repot into plastic pots, add extra drainage to be on the safe side.
You can also use soilless compost but watch the moisture level, Moist not Wet
I leave them in a light airy spot while the new roots are growing and I watch the watering!
Propagating from offsets is easy as long as you remember to keep things clean and use a bit of care.
Don't allow your plant to become too overgrown in its pot before you do this, once you see three or four offsets growing take them off, it makes life a lot easier.
If your plant grows in the ground, the procedure is just the same.
If the plant has its own root system. lift it as normal, with a good rootball if possible.
If it's still connected to the main plant, proceed as above. Posted by : Mike.
Note: Try to water your plant, a few hours, or even better the night before you propagate from it.
Try to take the offsets in the morning, before the heat of the day makes itself felt.
Just doing both these, will help to limit moisture loss.
Remember, your offsets have to form new roots before they can take up moisture and nutrients and until they do, they have to exist on their own reserve's.