Gardening expert JJ gives advice about a scorched agave

Mari Loftie-Eaton of Windhoek writes: This agave in my garden brings me so much joy but its outer leaves are turning brown. Any idea what could be causing this? The pot is in full sun and I water the plant once a week.

JJ replies: The heat radiated by the gravel and bricks under the pot could be scorching the plant. The drainage holes in the bottom of the pot could also be blocked, causing water to accumulate which can result in root rot. Remove your agave from its pot, trim off the dead leaves, repot it and treat with the fungicide Mycoguard.