Grow Furcraea in filtered light, in soil that drains, and water when it is dry. Mauritius hemp is the usual shop name. It is Furcraea foetida ‘Mediopicta’, a large rosette with a cream stripe down each leaf. It is not an agave, and it is not the aloe sold as green aloe gel.
Give it filtered light, soil that drains, and water when it is dry
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Morning sun or bright filtered light | Do not bake the cream stripe in hot afternoon sun |
| Water | Water when the soil is dry, then let it drain | Do not keep the crown wet in cold weather |
| Soil | Sandy or loam soil that drains; a raised mound in clay | Do not plant it in a low, wet pocket |
| Warmth | A frost-free bed, or a pot you can move inside | Do not leave a wet pot out in a freeze |
Mauritius hemp is Furcraea foetida ‘Mediopicta’, a usually trunkless rosette of long, wavy, sword leaves with a cream-yellow band down the middle. The leaf edges are typically unarmed, so it is safer near a path than a spiny century plant. It wants cool sun or light shade, and it wants little water once it is set. [1] Give it soil that dries between waterings. Water while it is making new leaves, then cut back when growth slows. Wet soil in cold weather is the usual reason the crown collapses. [2] The cream tissue can scorch in harsh afternoon sun, so filtered light is the safer placement in a hot garden. After many years it may send a tall stalk of fragrant greenish-white flowers, then the rosette dies. Collect the plantlets on How to Propagate Furcraea.
How much sun does Furcraea need?
Morning sun or bright filtered light. Hot afternoon sun can bleach or burn the cream stripe on the leaves.
How often should I water Furcraea?
Water when the soil is dry, then let it drain. A wet crown in cold weather rots faster than a missed watering.
Does drought bother it?
Once it is established, skip extra water except in a long dry spell. Do not water on a calendar while the soil is still wet.
Bring the pot inside before a freeze, and keep it drier in winter
This plant is not hardy through a hard freeze. If you grow it in a pot for summer, bring it into a bright, frost-free place before nights stay cold, and keep the mix almost dry until new growth starts again. A brief dry chill may not kill it. A wet pot in frost often does.
Does Furcraea come back after a freeze?
A brief dry chill may not kill it. A freeze on a wet pot often does. In a cold garden, keep a pot bright, cool, and almost dry until spring.
Give it room to spread, or grow it in a pot you can move
A mature rosette needs about six to eight feet of width. The leaves are long and arching, so leave a path around them even though they are usually spineless. [3]
- Choose a bed with morning sun or bright filtered light, or a heavy pot with a drainage hole if you will move it inside before a freeze.
- Use sandy or loam soil that drains. In clay, raise a mound. In a pot, use cactus mix plus extra grit.
- Set the crown even with the soil, not buried. Water once to settle, then wait until it is dry before you water again.
- Give it room to reach six to eight feet across, or step the pot up as it grows. Empty the saucer after you water.
Can I grow Furcraea in a pot?
Yes, while it is young, in a heavy pot with a hole in the bottom. Bring it inside before a freeze. It will outgrow a small container.
How much space does it need?
Plan on about six to eight feet of width for a mature rosette, or grow a young plant in a pot you can move.
Not an agave — and not a yucca or a true aloe
Agave is the spiny century plant with stiffer leaves and flowers that stand up on the stalk. Grow that plant on How to Grow Agave. Yucca is a different sword-leaf plant, often with a trunk and thread-edged leaves. Grow that plant on How to Grow Yucca. True aloe, including the gel plant sold as green aloe, has softer, gel-filled leaves. Grow that plant on How to Grow Aloe. If the tag says Furcraea, you have the large, usually spineless rosette with a cream stripe. Beschorneria is another unarmed relative with a coral flower stalk; grow that plant on How to Grow Beschorneria. [4]
Is Furcraea the same as an agave?
No. Agave leaves are usually stiffer and armed with a hard terminal spine. Furcraea leaves are more flexible, and this shop plant is typically unarmed.
Is green aloe this plant?
Some tags call this plant green aloe. The gel plant people mean by that name is a true aloe, not this rosette.
If leaves scorch or the crown turns soft, move it into filtered light, empty the saucer, and water only when the soil is dry.
FAQ
Do you list the plain green Mauritius hemp?
The shop plant is Furcraea foetida ‘Mediopicta’. The green species shares the same drain and watering. Read the tag, then keep the cream stripe out of harsh afternoon sun.
Do I need to prune it?
No regular prune is required. Pull off a brown or damaged leaf so rot does not sit against the crown.
Does the rosette die after it flowers?
Yes. After many years it may send a tall flower stalk, then that rosette dies. Start the next plant from bulbils on the stalk.
Can I harvest the fiber?
Grow it as an ornamental. Do not soak the leaves for rope. Mauritius hemp is an old fiber name, not a crop to process at home.
Is the sap irritating?
Wear gloves when you cut a leaf. The sap can irritate skin. Do not eat the leaves, and keep pets from chewing them.
Is this cannabis hemp?
No. Mauritius hemp is an old fiber name for this succulent. It is not cannabis.
Related guides
Recommended plants
References
- [1] San Marcos Growers -
https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=660 - [2] Succulentes -
https://succulentes.net/en/agavoids/furcraea/foetida/ - [3] Online Plant Guide -
https://www.onlineplantguide.com/Plant-Details/3861/ - [4] Succulentes -
https://succulentes.net/en/agavoids/furcraea/
This note is part of Furcraea Guides.
More first-season notes by plant are gathered in How to Grow Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors