Agave Vilmoriniana, aka Amolé

In Mexico this plant is known by indigenous as Amolé and in the USA its nickname is the Octopus Agave. Fresh unrooted bulbs from recently cut stalks can be rooted and planted; I provide photo examples of how I grow them for my farm. I have farmed these for almost a decade and they can be dryfarmed in much of California, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Florida, where farmer clients have them thriving. Octopus agave is strong and cold hardy—on my land it has withstood 2" of snow, 118°F heat, 65 mph winds, 14°F cold, and multiple frosts. It gives many bulbs at the end of its life, sometimes up to 7–10k bulbils (average ~2k), and usually takes 4–9 years to bloom. Their cold hardiness ranges 5–10°F depending on climate, soil, and management. Young plants should not face prolonged exposure below 20°F; I often shadehouse them until they reach 1–2 gallon size. Piña sizes can range 25–100 lbs, and mother plant genetics are very important—mine have produced 60 lb piñas.

This plant has countless uses: food, fiber, medicine, saponin-based products, spirits, wine, paper, packaging, biofuels, and more. Agave has probably a thousand uses, but some species are better suited for specific ones; Agave vilmoriniana (Amolé) is especially high in saponins. Leaves can be ground and fermented for a natural insect spray. It is very drought tolerant—I dry farm them in the Mojave Desert, but once established they survive on rain. Planting them at 2–5 gallons during the rainy season ensures most establish by summer. They make great specimen plants for farms or gardens, developing a funky, wavy appearance as they mature; some remain just a few feet wide while others spread 8–10 feet across.