Hey westes. So what did you wind up doing with dividing the pups? Have any of your Puyas ever flowered?

@SocalStewart This is still remaining to be done. They are growing very healthy but still attached. My puyas have not flowered yet. To be honest I was killing them and not treating them correctly for the first year. This last year the ones in the photo are the first that have started to thrive for me.

P alpestris takes some time to bloom, like at least 5 years from seeds when grown under ideal conditions. Other Puyas like mirabilis are faster, like 2 years but not as awesome.

These plants finally established and are growing like weeds. This photo makes them look small, but from tip to tip they are about 2.5 feet wide.

WOW! Huge! That was less than a year later from your original post above. They look awesome! Great growing!

@SoCal_Stewart My Puya Berteroniana unfortunately all fail to thrive. Planting them in gritty mix makes them look like prisoners of war that have not been fed in a month. They never establish, and they never grow. In fact they slowly die back. Planting them in a desert soil made from peat instead of bark makes them look better, but they never take off.

What is an optimal soil for Puya Berteroniana?

Hi there I have a mature Puya that has flowers and i want to tens plant it to another part of the Garden do you thin this is possible

I would LOVE to see pictures if you have any.

I’m sorry I can’t answer your question as mine have never flowered. In general, though, I hesitate to disturb anything while its flowering. Transplanting is a heck of a shock. I would think that any flowering would abort. I think its better to wait until all flowering is done, but wait for others with more experience to reply.

I have a very large clump of puya venusta that has ten blossoms this year. I'd like to divide it, as it's outgrowing the bed, but the barbs are so fierce I don't know how to approach it. Any suggesions?

Gloves. Thick gloves. Long ones. And long sleeves. Maybe a heavy old long sleeved jacket.

Good luck!

The best gloves for cactus are the gloves they sell for barbed wire fencing contractors, often sold as military surplus. These have thick staples embedded on the holding surface.

Snake handling gloves also work decently:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A0SEYT0

I had no idea these existed. You have been very helpful. Thank you so much.

Here is what a military barbed wire glove looks like.

Regarding handling Puya, I give mine a haircut at least once a year. Hold all the tips together and snip them off like a barber cutting hair. The remaining leaves fall into a neat order and it looks better as well as being easier to handle what remains.

westes, I’d like to see a picture of that if you have one. They are so attractive with the gracefully narrowing leaves. I can’t quite envision what you mean.

We might have different kinds of puyas. There's no way I could gather the tips of mine together. Mine are puya venusta.

@SoCal Stewart (San Diego, Ca Zone 10A/10B) This Puya has grown out a bit, but the cuts at the ends of the leaves should make clear what I am describing.

@HU-769549027 I think you could do this with Puya venusta.

I see. Interesting. Thank you for the pic.

For me, I prefer the natural, gracefully arcing tapered leaves.

I repotted this one into a larger home about a year or so ago. A few lacerations here & there but nothing horrendous. I healed just fine and my seed grown Puya alpestris seems happy & has grown quite a bit. Now just waiting for that flower…

@SoCal Stewart (San Diego, Ca Zone 10A/10B) Mine is flowering for the first time since I posted this question four years ago. I will start another thread when the flowers are out. It promises to be a good show.

@SoCal Stewart (San Diego, Ca Zone 10A/10B) I compare an uncut Puya to a rock star with a shaggy hairstyle. And if you cut that down it becomes like a crew cut on the sides with spiky stylish layering on top. In a human (or a plant) neither style is better than the other. They both can look good.