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Since Ruth's garden was begun about 40 years ago, these are probably offsets from the original 1 gallon cans. Next time I'm down there, I'll see if I can get an idea of how old these particular offsets are.
Over the last few years several of the oldest ones at the center of this large group have bloomed and then died. It is really tricky using the chain saws/back hoe/dump truck to remove the carcasses. Very lethal and tough plants. Certainly not suitable for your average backyard garden.
I was looking up the Century Plant today because I went to an older woman's home to see her Agave Century Plant, it was awesome to behold. I was stunned. LOL my husband saw it first, he stopped and knocked at the ladies home and she told him the plant was from her mother's home at the border of mexico and Texas. Needless to say, My DH dug some up at her request lol...to surprise me!
She informed us it was 15 years old and came from the mother plant that was older than her mother which would make it around 60-80 years old. The leaves if you call it that were about 10 in. wide and 6 in. thick! Wow! She keeps the dead parts that bends over at the bottom cut back so the top stands straight up.
I will try to get a picture of it and post it :-)
Amazing Plant...says the mexican people that live around in Harlem come to ask for the leafs to wrap around a roast and cooked. Also, she said that was the most tender roast and best tasting roast she'd ever tasted.
They make tequila out of these leaves and also used for medicinal purpose...and they were also used back long ago as weapons!
Be looking for the picture of this Huge plant that stands 10-12 feet high...
Actually real tequila is made from Agave tequilana and to be sold as tequila in Mexico a brew must contain at least 51% of this blue Agave sugars. It the heart or "pineapple" core of the Agave that is used in tequila production and a plant needs somewhere between 8-12 years to mature before it can be harvested.
Jalisco is one of the centers of the growing industry and you can see blue fields that seem to go on forever with tens of thousands of plants in various growing stages.
Somewhere I have some great pictures from last summer of the Agave fields...just can't seem to find them. (Note to self: get organized!)
