Species library › Agave › Agave sisalana
Succulents Well documented

Agave sisalana

Sisal, the fibre agave, is probably native to Chiapas in southern Mexico, but it has been planted and naturalised across the tropics. It is a large, frost-tender, full-sun rosette that wants heat, a distinct dry season, and sharply drained soil.

Agave sisalana
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Wild-looking records come mostly from the dry limestone scrub of the Yucatán lowlands, where it was long cultivated for fibre, plus a few from Chiapas, its presumed home.

Recorded elevations 11–91 m (median 24 m); one Chiapas site is at about 1,150 m.

MexicoChiapasYucatán

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 3.0 licence, unmodified.