Century Plant Woes

We have had a huge Century Plant (Agave Americana) in our yard. The spikes were well over my head. Sadly, our plant was damage by the severe cold that we experienced. But of course, I never thought to take a picture of it, either before the freeze or afterwards. I found this picture of another frost damaged Agave on the Internet.

Checking the "encyclopedia at my fingertips" (Google), I was told to use sharp scissors to trim the damaged portions off of the leaves. Yeah, right! That's a joke. The spine of each leaf is over an inch thick. The spikes are like leather. Scissors didn't even knick the leaves/spikes.

Yesterday I grabbed the Mister's small, battery-powered chain saw and went to town, removing the brown ends from each spike. It looks rather lopsided, and still could use a little more trimming on the very tips, but at least it looks more alive than crumpled and dead. 

With the satisfaction of a job finished (perhaps not well done) I trundled my cart and tools around to the back, and went inside. Then it hit me. OMG! My arms were on fire. They itched. They burned. It almost made me cry. I realized that there must be something in the Agave plant that causes skin irritation. I stripped off my shirt and pants and ran, with my arms burning even worse, to the kitchen. I poured dish soap on my arms and began washing. I picked up a small scrub brush, and scrubbed. The burning did not abate. If anything it intensified. I looked online and discovered that Agave has calcium oxalate crystals and oils that cause severe irritation and painful rashes. Yes, indeed! One article said to flush the skin for fifteen minutes to ensure that all crystals are washed away. Oh, and it also said not to scrub - oh well, too late for that! I jumped into the shower and slowly the painful burning subsided. All that remains of my escapade is a bit of a spotty rash, and the memory imprinted on my brain. If my plant needs more attention, it will be done in full length sleeves, pants, and gloves, leaving no gap at the wrists! And trust me, I have no burning desire to touch that plant again!