WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Agave victoriae-reginae, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Queen Victoria agave in California

In July in the Central Valley, established Queen Victoria agave needs about 0.2 gallons a week for a plant 2 feet across. Queen Victoria agave is a slow-growing, compact agave from the Chihuahuan Desert, about a foot tall and a foot and a half wide. Its tight, tapered, deep green leaves are traced in white along smooth edges and end in a small spine. It needs little to no irrigation in coastal gardens and is cold hardy to at least 10 degrees F.

SucculentRated for 6 of 6 zones

How often to water Queen Victoria 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 Queen Victoria 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 4 inches down around the rosette in a long hot spell signals Queen Victoria agave can take a soak
  • Leaves losing their firm, plump look can indicate a very long dry period
  • Soft, darkened leaves at the base over wet soil point to rot from overwatering
  • A tall flower spike rising from an old plant means the rosette will die after blooming

How to water it

  • Water at the base with a slow hose, never into the rosette
  • Soak deeply, then let the soil dry completely
  • Plant in full sun or light shade in fast-draining, gritty soil
  • Keep it apart from regularly watered beds
  • Leave space around it so the white leaf markings show

Through the seasons

Water a new plant lightly until roots grow into the soil, then give little or nothing in coastal gardens. It is evergreen and grows slowly for many years. When very old it may flower once on a tall spike, and the rosette usually dies afterward without offsets. WUCOLS rates Queen Victoria agave very low water on the north-central coast, in the Central Valley and in South Inland. The south coast, the high desert and the low desert carry a low water rating.

In pots

Queen Victoria agave is a superb pot plant, small and slow enough to stay in the same container for years. Use a gritty cactus mix in a pot with large drainage holes. Water only when the mix is dry well down, then let it drain fully. In summer heat, check every week or two. Never let it sit in water. In winter, water rarely and keep the pot where rain drains away.

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
0.300.610.921.20.04JAN0.07FEB0.11MAR0.15APR0.21MAY0.25JUN0.27JUL0.24AUG0.18SEP0.12OCT0.06NOV0.03DEC0.300.610.921.20.04JFM0.15AMJ0.27JAS0.12OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 0.27 in Jul, 1.71 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Queen Victoria Agave: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.040.040.310.080.30.31
Feb0.050.070.320.090.370.37
Mar0.090.110.460.130.580.61
Apr0.120.150.560.160.760.78
May0.150.210.640.20.950.98
Jun0.160.250.690.231.141.12
Jul0.160.270.790.251.221.14
Aug0.150.240.740.231.121.04
Sep0.120.180.60.190.860.83
Oct0.090.120.460.130.580.6
Nov0.050.060.330.090.370.38
Dec0.030.030.260.070.260.27
Year1.21.716.21.848.518.43

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 Queen Victoria 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 JulyBeaked YuccaYucca rostrata ssp. & cvs.very low water, Central Valley0.27 gal/sq ft in JulyParry's AgaveAgave parryivery 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 Queen Victoria 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 Queen Victoria agave in summer?

In July, established Queen Victoria 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 Queen Victoria agave need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established Queen Victoria 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 Queen Victoria agave change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Queen Victoria 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, low water in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, 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.

How long until Queen Victoria agave flowers?

It flowers only with considerable age, on a spike that can reach about 15 feet. The rosette usually dies afterward. It rarely offsets, so plan to replace it.

Is Queen Victoria agave cold hardy?

It is hardy to at least 10 degrees F. Wet cold is more dangerous than dry cold. Plant it in fast-draining soil.

Can Queen Victoria agave grow in a pot?

Yes, its small size and slow growth make it ideal for pots. Use gritty mix and water rarely. Repot only every few years.

Is Queen Victoria agave spiny?

Its leaf edges are smooth, but each leaf ends in a small spine. Place it away from where people brush past. Handle it with gloves.

Is Queen Victoria agave poisonous?

It is listed as potentially poisonous. Keep pets and children from chewing it. Wear gloves when handling it.

More plant watering guides

Utah AgaveCreosote BushPurple SageBlack SageBeaked YuccaCalifornia BuckeyeItalian ArumToyon

Sources