Hardy Tropicals UK

Its exciting, my baby is alive and well..

Well done, but how do you know and what are you pointing at? I have two put don't really know alot about them

This was a gift and I don't seem to be able to keep the Cycas from defoliating, they pulled again last year.

I have an experts opinon its carrying younguns Dorothy, click the Image the green bit is a little more clearer.

Cycads will 'flush' almost yearly, that is get new leaves but don't move the plants once the process begins or they curl. They usually need some protection in frosty weather.

We usually flush them with water to mimic what they would normally do in the wild in a monsoon... I usually throw at least four buckets everyday for a week about June time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycas_revoluta

Francis Bell passed this on to me and ive never forgotten it. well worth a read for anyone with a defoliated,even rotten cycad
http://cycadjungle.8m.com/cycadjungle/H ... 0cycad.htm

Good read that,ta red sq. Really p*ssed i chucked a big rotted zamia now.

Thanks Red,

It is of course your gift to me and I really don't want to recycle it so thanks for the link...and the gift.

Sorry Kata I'm not convinced that's new growth. Sorry. Cycas will reshoot from suckers at the base and rarely along the trunk. The new leaves will emerge from furry brown bract like structures (cataphylls). Defoliation in C. revoluta is usually due to root loss if the plant isn't flushing at the same time. This is usually due to overwatering and/or poor draining compost. Some other sp. of Cycas are however deciduous just before a flush. The idea of flooding a plant to induce it to flush is ok for a very healthy plant, but will probably finish off a sickly one ! After a plant has flushed the leaves will become more horizontal and cataphylls will be produced in the growing point and it will become more 'open'. If a plant has vertical new leaves and no cataphylls in the growing point it will not flush until it's ready

Thanks Gary,

What the green then, do you know cus there are about five. I won't flush it then either.

Maybe its been disturbed once too often. It flushed ok last year but they went soft like they tend to do when they are sick. Maybe frost got to the Important bits.

I have had it about three years but its only flushed the once, it came in the parcel in leaf if I remember right.

Roots; very curly fibrous and not grown new ones.

I have to say it rained almost daily last year.

Thanks again Gary!!

Put it outside in a sunny spot in the spring, feed it and water it and hope for the best! In our climate Cycads don't always flush every year unfortunately!

GaryW wrote:Sorry Kata I'm not convinced that's new growth. Sorry. Cycas will reshoot from suckers at the base and rarely along the trunk. The new leaves will emerge from furry brown bract like structures (cataphylls). Defoliation in C. revoluta is usually due to root loss if the plant isn't flushing at the same time. This is usually due to overwatering and/or poor draining compost. Some other sp. of Cycas are however deciduous just before a flush. The idea of flooding a plant to induce it to flush is ok for a very healthy plant, but will probably finish off a sickly one ! After a plant has flushed the leaves will become more horizontal and cataphylls will be produced in the growing point and it will become more 'open'. If a plant has vertical new leaves and no cataphylls in the growing point it will not flush until it's ready

that article says it can grow new plants from sections of trunk though.i think K needs to let her green bits develop a bit more before we write her theory off completely

Thanks Rob and Red,

Whatever those 'green' are they are very slow growing but have grown. I'm just going to leave it see how it develops. I can also keep watch on anything coming up from the bottom.

To look at Its a lovely green...whatever it is but lets see what its like after the summer.

Everyone, have a great summer, heres hoping its a boiler.

Thank you for looking and responding in a helpful and positive way.

How's it doing Kata?

Nothing yet David,

I put it in a sunny corner till the warmer wether, if it does nothing this year, at least flush then its got to go.

Fingers crossed. if the caudex remains firm then I believe you can cut the base off and try to regrow it. I'm sure there was an article on HTUK about it otherwise just google it.

Red gave a link some time ago but it looked complicated David,

This one of mine flushed two seasons ago but nothing since.

redquirrel's link.

http://cycadjungle.8m.com/cycadjungle/H ... 0cycad.htm