WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Agave attenuata (and thin-leaved relatives), WUCOLS IV

How often to water fox tail agave in California

In July in the Central Valley, established fox tail agave in loam needs a deep soak only about once a month or less: about 8.8 gallons each time for a plant 4 feet across. Fox tail agave is a soft, spineless agave with wide, pale green, pliable leaves that arch back like a giant open flower. Rosettes sit on curving gray stems and clump up to 4 or 5 feet tall. After many years a long flower stalk arches over like a fox's tail. It needs very little water and looks best with an occasional drink.

PerennialShrubRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water fox tail agave, month by month

Your city
Plant width
4 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for fox tail agave and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1.5 feet of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area the plant covers, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure plant width

A shrub with its width marked from one side to the other and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the plant, from the tips of the leaves on one side to the tips on the other.

Water the whole area the plant covers, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that area.

A wider plant means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While it is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil dry 4 inches down around the clump in a long, hot spell signals fox tail agave can take a soak
  • Leaves thinning, curling inward and losing their plump look can indicate a long dry period
  • Soft, translucent or collapsing lower leaves over wet soil point to overwatering and rot
  • Ragged holes chewed in leaf edges point to snails rather than a water problem

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the clump with a slow hose, not into the rosettes
  • Soak several inches down, then let the soil dry completely before watering again
  • Plant in fast-draining soil in coastal sun or inland shade
  • Keep it apart from lawns and beds that stay wet
  • Leave room for the clump to spread as offsets form around it

Through the seasons

Water a new fox tail agave lightly until roots grow into the surrounding soil, then let it rely mostly on rain. Established clumps look best with an occasional summer soak but tolerate dry soil. It is evergreen. Frost is the main risk, with damage below about 28 degrees F and heavy damage near 25 degrees F. WUCOLS rates fox tail agave very low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and on the south coast. South Inland, the high desert and the low desert share that very low water rating.

In pots

Fox tail agave makes a soft, safe container specimen near walkways since it has no spines. Use a heavy pot of fast-draining cactus mix. Water only when the mix is dry several inches down, which in hot summer sun may be every week or two. Let water flow out the holes and empty the saucer. In winter, water rarely and move the pot under cover before frost.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
0.27gal per sq ft in JulyVery low water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
1.71 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.070.150.220.300.04JAN0.07FEB0.11MAR0.15APR0.21MAY0.25JUN0.27JUL0.24AUG0.18SEP0.12OCT0.06NOV0.03DEC0.070.150.220.300.04JFM0.15AMJ0.27JAS0.12OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 0.27 in Jul, 1.71 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Fox Tail Agave: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.040.040.080.080.070.08
Feb0.050.070.080.090.090.09
Mar0.090.110.110.130.150.15
Apr0.120.150.140.160.190.2
May0.150.210.160.20.240.24
Jun0.160.250.170.230.290.28
Jul0.160.270.20.250.30.29
Aug0.150.240.190.230.280.26
Sep0.120.180.150.190.210.21
Oct0.090.120.110.130.150.15
Nov0.050.060.080.090.090.1
Dec0.030.030.070.070.070.07
Year1.21.711.551.842.132.11

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated very low water in the Central Valley, like fox tail agave. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

OleanderNerium oleander ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyAgaveAgave americana (and thick-leaved relatives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCactusOpuntia spp. & cvs. (CA natives and non-natives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulySpanish BroomSpartium junceumvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyPearl AcaciaAcacia podalyriifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBig SagebrushArtemisia tridentatavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyVoodoo LilyDracunculus vulgarisvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia PoppyEschscholzia californicavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCypress SpurgeEuphorbia cyparissiasvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Scrub OakQuercus berberidifoliavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia ButtercupRanunculus californicusvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyNuttall's Scrub OakQuercus dumosavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCreosote BushLarrea tridentata ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyPurple SageSalvia leucophylla ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBlack SageSalvia mellifera ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBeaked YuccaYucca rostrata ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in July
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes fox tail agave, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How often should I water fox tail agave in summer?

In July, established fox tail agave in loam needs a deep watering about once a month or less in the Central Valley, about once a month or less on the south coast and about once a month or less in the South Inland zone. Sandy soil holds less water, so waterings come closer together. Clay stretches them. Check the soil before each watering and skip one after a soaking rain.

How much water does fox tail agave need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established fox tail agave needs about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across and about 0.4 gallons a day for a plant 8 feet across. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for fox tail agave change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates fox tail agave separately for each of the six California climate zones: very low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, very low water in the Central Valley zone, very low water in the South Coastal zone, very low water in the South Inland zone, very low water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, very low water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Does fox tail agave have spines?

No, its leaves lack the teeth and sharp spines of most agaves. That makes it safe beside paths and patios. Some soft-leaved relatives do have a sharp leaf tip.

Why is my fox tail agave dying after flowering?

Each rosette dies after it flowers. New plantlets form on the flower stalk, and offsets often grow at the base. Replant plantlets to keep the planting going.

Can fox tail agave take frost?

It is usually damaged much below 28 degrees F. Plants that survived 25 degrees F were badly disfigured. Cover plants or move pots on cold nights.

Can fox tail agave grow in shade?

Yes, it grows in full coastal sun to shade. Near the coast it takes full sun. Shade slows drying, so water even less there.

What is chewing my agave leaves?

Snails can disfigure the soft leaves. Look for them at night and remove them. Leaf damage does not mean the plant needs water.

More plant watering guides

Naked LadyBig SagebrushVoodoo LilyCalifornia PoppyCypress SpurgeDaffodilMexican Palo VerdeFoothill Pine

Sources