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There are fade marks everywhere and the leaves have started to curl inwards. Not only that, it looks like a completely different plant to what it was when i first got it which had this grey silvery colour to it and now, it's all green. I only got this just a couple of months back. What's happening? I have it in a sunny location and water it only when the soil drys out. Also, It's placed next to a different agave and that one is doing fine. What could possibly be stressing this plant out? Is it the sun? Rain? Or perhaps the cold temperatures at night?enter image description hereenter image description here

GardenGems
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Hamid Sabir
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    Is this Agave desmettiana? – GardenGems Dec 27 '19 at 02:08
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    Where are you located? What is the current season? What has the weather been like? – GardenGems Dec 27 '19 at 02:29
  • Yes it is. "Quick silver" to be more precise. Im situated In the south western region of Pakistan. Close to the desert. We have a semi arid climate. It's winters here at the moment and we've been getting alot of rain this season. The average Temperature around this time is somewhat around -2C• but we do get nights when it dips to around -12C•. So far, the lowest it's gotten is -4C•. – Hamid Sabir Dec 28 '19 at 02:17

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If it is winter where you are you can expect a change in colour. This is due to the change in light levels. The other damage is probably frost damage. I believe this is Agave desmettiana, Smooth Agave, the only Agave I know that this smooth in texture with none to very small spines along the edges. This Agave is not frost tolerant. It come from a warm region in south east Mexico. The plant is often listed as USDA Zone 8 or Zone 9, but that only means it will probably survive those conditions. It does not mean that the plant will not be damaged under those conditions.

I would recommend protecting it from frost, it might even get damage prior to frost conditions. If you decided to put it in a greenhouse, beware of dew sitting on the leaves. This will cause additional leaf damage and fungal problems. This plants would be best is kept in conditions no less than 5°C (40°F). You can bring it inside. Only water it when it is bone dry. Give it the brightest window you can offer. This would be the easiest solution. Agave are easy to keep inside for winter, if you mind those two things.

My final recommendation is to remove those damaged leaves.

Agave desmettiana

GardenGems
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  • Thanks alot for the info and the article. This is my first time growing and caring for agaves. This one is called "quick silver". For all i knew, i thought these were low maintenance. "Just plant and forget" as how most people make them out to be. I could have never guessed that they'd be damaged by a little cold weather or even direct sun. Kinda in disbelief at the moment. – Hamid Sabir Dec 28 '19 at 02:01
  • So when you advise on removing the leaves, are you implying that those leaves wont return back to normal? Most of the damage was on the lower leaves which I had already cut off and taking the rest of the leaves off would result in a very ugly looking plant. Should i just discard it and get a new one? – Hamid Sabir Dec 28 '19 at 02:02
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    Sorry, I did not mean take off those leaves. Just the ones you mentioned you already removed. The plant should change colours with the seasons. That is part of the beauty. Many succulents get more colourful in bright light. Spring is always fun. But, I love the colour of mine in winter as well. I have two A. dessementiana that are looking really bad at the moment, I did not protect them from the few dips we got, nothing yet close to -4°C. But, we've had enough cold to make them look pretty bad. My are called 'Desert Sunset' they get beautiful in bright sunlight. – GardenGems Dec 28 '19 at 07:20
  • I just googled it. Very pretty indeed. The yellow margins are quite striking. What colour are they now during winters? Do you have them in containers or are they in the ground? Also, do they get full sun or filtered sunlight? – Hamid Sabir Dec 29 '19 at 21:07
  • You mentioned that they're in bad shape at the moment. Do you think they'll bounce back? How long will that take? I ask cause mine has some good amount of damage to the upper leaves as seen in the photo. – Hamid Sabir Dec 29 '19 at 21:09
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    They will start growing again when the weather warms up. In summer you can water them a lot and they will grow a lot. In winter you don't water them at all. It will take a year for it to grow back to the size it was prior to getting damaged. If you bring it inside and give it a bright window. You can water it when it gets bone dry. It will grow a little. Give it a grow light and a window and you can water it even more and it will grow even more. See my point. There growth depends on how much warmth, light and water they can be given. – GardenGems Dec 29 '19 at 22:39