WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Agave parryi, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Parry's agave in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Parry's agave needs about 0.2 gallons a week for a plant 2 feet across. Parry's agave is a compact rosette of thick blue-gray to gray-green leaves, each tipped with a dark spine. A rosette reaches about 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide, and offsets at its base slowly build a colony. It is very drought tolerant and wants the soil to dry completely between waterings. Wet, poorly drained soil is the real danger, since it leads to root rot.

SucculentRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water Parry's agave, month by month

Your city
Plant width
2 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 Parry's agave and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: the plant’s WUCOLS rating times your city’s climate for the month, over the area the plant covers. 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 all the way through the root zone after a long hot spell is the point to give a young plant a deep soak
  • Soil still damp a few inches down means hold off, since this agave wants the ground to dry out completely first
  • A rosette that declines while the soil stays damp points to root rot, the main risk in poorly drained or overly moist ground
  • A tall stalk rising from the center means that rosette will die after it blooms, which is normal and not a watering fault

How to water it

  • Water the soil around the rosette with a slow hose or a drip emitter, letting it soak in deeply
  • Soak the root zone thoroughly, then let the soil dry completely before watering again
  • Plant in sandy, gritty or rocky soil with sharp drainage, and mound heavy soil so water never stands at the base
  • Use gravel or rock around the rosette rather than a thick layer of organic mulch
  • Leave room for offsets, and extend water to the new rosettes as the colony spreads

Through the seasons

Give a new Parry's agave a few deep soaks through its first summer while its roots spread, letting the soil dry completely between them. Once established it needs very little. A rosette flowers only once, usually after 10 to 15 years, with a summer stalk up to 20 feet tall. That rosette then dies while its offsets carry on. Winter watering is rarely needed, since cold, wet soil is the bigger threat. WUCOLS rates Parry's agave very low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley, in South Inland, in the high desert and in the low desert. It rates low water on the south coast.

In pots

Parry's agave grows well in a large container, and its compact size suits one. Use a gritty, fast-draining mix in a pot with open drainage holes. In summer heat, check the mix several inches down every few days and water only when it is dry throughout. Water until it runs from the holes, then empty the saucer at once. Keep the pot on the dry side in winter, and move it under an eave if winter rain keeps the mix wet. Set it where the spines will not catch anyone passing by.

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
0.200.400.590.790.04JAN0.07FEB0.11MAR0.15APR0.21MAY0.25JUN0.27JUL0.24AUG0.18SEP0.12OCT0.06NOV0.03DEC0.200.400.590.790.04JFM0.15AMJ0.27JAS0.12OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 0.27 in Jul, 1.71 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Parry's Agave: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.040.040.310.080.070.08
Feb0.050.070.320.090.090.09
Mar0.090.110.460.130.150.15
Apr0.120.150.560.160.190.2
May0.150.210.640.20.240.24
Jun0.160.250.690.230.290.28
Jul0.160.270.790.250.30.29
Aug0.150.240.740.230.280.26
Sep0.120.180.60.190.210.21
Oct0.090.120.460.130.150.15
Nov0.050.060.330.090.090.1
Dec0.030.030.260.070.070.07
Year1.21.716.21.842.132.11

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 13

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

CactusOpuntia spp. & cvs. (CA natives and non-natives)very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCypress SpurgeEuphorbia cyparissiasvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyVariegated Century PlantAgave americana var. marginatavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyDesert AgaveAgave desertivery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyThread Leaf AgaveAgave filiferavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyPalmer AgaveAgave palmerivery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyButterfly AgaveAgave potatorumvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulySisalAgave sisalanavery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyCentury PlantAgave spp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyBlue AgaveAgave tequilana & ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyUtah AgaveAgave utahensisvery low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyQueen Victoria AgaveAgave victoriae-reginaevery 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 Parry's 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 much should I water Parry's agave in summer?

In July, established Parry's agave needs about 0.2 gallons in the Central Valley, 0.6 gallons on the south coast and 0.2 gallons in the South Inland zone each week, for a plant 2 feet across. Water deeply and let the top of the soil dry before the next watering. Skip a watering after a soaking rain.

How much water does Parry's agave need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Parry's agave needs about 0.0 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 0.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 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 Parry's agave change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Parry's 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, 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 Parry's agave die after it blooms?

Yes, each rosette flowers only once and then dies. Flowering usually comes after 10 to 15 years, sometimes not for 20 to 30. The offsets around its base live on and fill the gap.

How cold can Parry's agave get?

It has surprisingly good cold hardiness for a succulent, with reports of plants surviving well below freezing. The cold needs to be dry cold, not wet cold. Good drainage matters more than shelter in winter.

Can Parry's agave grow in shade?

Full sun suits it best, though it tolerates some light shade. Soil in shade dries more slowly, so water even less there.

Is Parry's agave safe near paths and play areas?

Each leaf ends in a stiff dark spine about an inch long, and the margins are spiny too. It is also listed as possibly poisonous. Plant it well back from walkways and places where children play.

What do I do with Parry's agave pups?

Offsets root at the base of the rosette and form a colony over time. Dig and replant them to start new plants or to keep the clump in bounds. Water a newly moved pup once to settle it, then let the soil dry out completely.

Does Parry's agave tolerate salt and deer?

Yes. It is listed as salt tolerant and suited to coastal gardens. Deer tend to leave it alone as well.

More plant watering guides

Desert AgaveThread Leaf AgavePalmer AgaveButterfly AgaveSisalCentury PlantBlue AgaveUtah Agave

Sources