How to prune agave attenuata

Spring for pup removal; dead leaves any time. Snap or cut dead outer leaves at the base with clean pruners. To remove pups, use a sharp knife to cut them from the parent at the connecting rhizome, ensuring each has a few roots. Let pup cuts callous for a day before potting.

As needed — light and infrequent. Agave attenuata (Soft Agave or Fox Tail Agave) is one of the safest agaves to handle — it lacks sharp terminal spines. Remove older dead leaves from the base as they yellow and dry. It can produce offsets (pups) around the base; remove these in spring if you want to keep a single-stemmed specimen.

Snap or cut dead outer leaves at the base with clean pruners. To remove pups, use a sharp knife to cut them from the parent at the connecting rhizome, ensuring each has a few roots. Let pup cuts callous for a day before potting.