How do you get rid of an Agave Century plant on the side of the house

Danny D.

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Jan 29, 2013, 9:16:27 PM1/29/13

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My friend has an old Agave Century plant in a relatively inaccessible
location on the side of his house

It's a "century" plant, about 3 feet tall and five feet wide with the
spiky thorns (I don't have a picture, else I would have posted it). Sorry.

He knows I'm now an expert in poison oak, so he had asked me how to get
rid of it. Apparently, today he tried to cut it with a sawsall (leaf by
leaf), and the gooey green stuff made his forearms itch like hell within
minutes.

Looking it up, apparently it has calcium oxalate crystals and some kind
of chemical called a "steroidal glycocide saponin" (whatever that means),
the first of which punctures holes in your cell membranes to allow the
second access to the juicy part of your cells.

(I wonder who is the predator here.)

Anyway, he asked me HOW best to get rid of such plants without getting
splashed with the green itchy gooey stuff.

Any suggestions?

Oren

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Jan 29, 2013, 9:29:58 PM1/29/13

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Agave plants are used to make Tequila. Harvest and remove the plant
roots like the Mexicans do. By harvest, I mean cut the "spiky thorns"
down near the base.

Does it look like this:

<http://wailuarivernursery.com/plants/agave-americana/agave-americana_landscape.jpg>

Dig it out. Roots resemble a "ball" (like a palm tree). Dig down and
around with a qualified shovel.

DanG

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Jan 29, 2013, 10:02:51 PM1/29/13

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Go to google and type "agave harvest"

Pick out a couple of youtube movies and watch them do the job,
especially this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCsdrW-agL0

If this looks like a bit too much work, how about a chain and a 4 wheel
drive?

--

___________________________________

Keep the whole world singing . . .
Dan G
remove the seven

Oren

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Jan 29, 2013, 10:21:09 PM1/29/13

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On Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:02:51 -0600, DanG <dgri...@cox.net> wrote:

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCsdrW-agL0
>
>If this looks like a bit too much work, how about a chain and a 4 wheel
>drive?

... wrap the base a couple of times with the chain and latch on. A 3"
nylon strap (snatch 'em strap) would be good choice instead of a
chain. I tightens nicely as you pull.

tra...@optonline.net

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Jan 30, 2013, 9:39:37 AM1/30/13

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On Jan 29, 10:21 pm, Oren <O...@127.0.0.1> wrote:

> On Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:02:51 -0600, DanG <dgrif...@cox.net> wrote:
> >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCsdrW-agL0
>
> >If this looks like a bit too much work, how about a chain and a 4 wheel
> >drive?
>
> ... wrap the base a couple of times with the chain and latch on. A 3"
> nylon strap (snatch 'em strap) would be good choice instead of a
> chain. I tightens nicely as you pull.

Or if you don't mind waiting, spray it with a Roundup type product
and wait a month or two until it dies and dries up. Then you can
remove it.

Danny D.

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Jan 30, 2013, 2:27:32 PM1/30/13

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On Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:02:51 -0600, DanG wrote:

> especially this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCsdrW-agL0

I like the part about the tongue of the mother in law!

Danny D.

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Jan 30, 2013, 2:28:43 PM1/30/13

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On Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:21:09 -0800, Oren wrote:

> ... wrap the base a couple of times with the chain and latch on. A 3"
> nylon strap (snatch 'em strap) would be good choice instead of a chain.
> I tightens nicely as you pull.

The problem is that this side of the house is inaccessible, in that it
has no (clear) access to a vehicle. So, pulling it out one option that's
probably not in the cards.

Watching the video prior, they STARTED with the plant out of the ground,
but I'll look for a video where they dug it out.

Norminn

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Jan 30, 2013, 3:00:56 PM1/30/13

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How about trimming the leaves off with a long-handled pruning saw?
Could probably then douse the base with some brush killer or just dig
out the root ball.

hrho...@sbcglobal.net

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Jan 30, 2013, 3:03:41 PM1/30/13

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> out the root ball.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Is the adjacent house fireproof? If so you could throw some gasoline
on it and burn it, just stay away from the smoke/fumes while it is
burning.

Oren

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Jan 30, 2013, 4:11:34 PM1/30/13

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On Wed, 30 Jan 2013 19:28:43 +0000 (UTC), "Danny D."
<dan...@notyahoo.com> wrote:

>On Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:21:09 -0800, Oren wrote:
>
>> ... wrap the base a couple of times with the chain and latch on. A 3"
>> nylon strap (snatch 'em strap) would be good choice instead of a chain.
>> I tightens nicely as you pull.
>
>The problem is that this side of the house is inaccessible, in that it
>has no (clear) access to a vehicle. So, pulling it out one option that's
>probably not in the cards.
>

Have a good sized tree nearby? One option might be to use a come
along winch.

<http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MN9a4dqXkaw/TDgXZLgUhxI/AAAAAAAAAiE/VPn99_Crb3I/s1600/come+along+winch.jpg>

>Watching the video prior, they STARTED with the plant out of the ground,
>but I'll look for a video where they dug it out.

I did notice the plants were not dug out, but cut off at the ground.
Can't say for certain in all cases, but I have seen new shoots grow
when cut at the ground.

Trim the "bayonets" (what we called them as a kid) with a machete.
Once you have them off and out of your way, then dig the root ball
out. Most I've seen have a shallow root ball ~ 18 inches or about for
large plants.

Don Phillipson

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Jan 30, 2013, 5:07:19 PM1/30/13

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"Danny D." <dan...@notyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ke9vpr$mfj$1...@speranza.aioe.org...

> My friend has an old Agave Century plant in a relatively inaccessible
> location on the side of his house
>

> Anyway, he asked me HOW best to get rid of such plants without getting
> splashed with the green itchy gooey stuff.

If an American, the friend's taxes already pay for an Agricultural
Extension Department expressly to answer questions like this.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Danny D.

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Jan 30, 2013, 7:34:55 PM1/30/13

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On Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:07:19 -0500, Don Phillipson wrote:

> If an American, the friend's taxes already pay for an Agricultural
> Extension Department expressly to answer questions like this.

Good point. It's even worse than American. It's California!

NotMe

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Jan 31, 2013, 12:41:42 AM1/31/13

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"Danny D." <dan...@notyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ke9vpr$mfj$1...@speranza.aioe.org...

Boiling water or steam (industrial steam cleaner is what a friend uses
behind his auto shop)

Goats do a good job with poison ivy and kudzu.

NotMe

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Jan 31, 2013, 12:44:08 AM1/31/13

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"Danny D." <dan...@notyahoo.com> wrote in message

news:kebs9b$qf5$2...@speranza.aioe.org...

"A" frame and a come along.