Intensive Care Advice Needed for Cycas Dijon

[GoggleboxUK]

I need to know the best conditions to nurse this Dioon back to full heath and trigger a flush.



If anyone can offer any advice or experience I'd be most grateful.

It's currently outside in a shaltered spot making the most of the rain and sunlight.

[Yorkshire Kris]

What happened to it?

[GoggleboxUK]

That's how I got it, it was interestingly packaged.

[Troppoz]

Cycas dijon???

Gogg thats an Encephelartos, not a Cycas - Ive never heard of 'Cycas dijon' before and a google search shows nothing. Was it sold to you as Cycas dijon or as an Encephelartos?

Id be having serious words with the vendor either way, thats no way to treat a plant

But as far as getting the plant back on track, sun and heat are what Encephelartos love. Dont let them stay wet as Encephelartos can be very susceptible to root pathogens. Moist and well drained is best but remember full sun and hot hot HOT!

And Id even be inclined to cut off all of the damaged fronds to try to encourage it to flush for you.

Good luck let us know how it goes.



*EDIT* Another close look at your cycad and Dioon spinulosum comes to mind, which could explain the 'Dijon'. Same advice as above if it is.

http://www.pacsoa.org.au/cycads/Dioon/spinulosum.html

[Rick1965]

I agree with Sean in regard to heat. Are you able to put it into a greenhouse for the summer?

[Dim]

Advanced Nutrients Revive

use it as a foilar spray, but use 1/2 the recomended dose ... i.e 2,5-3ml mixed with 1 litre of water ... then use it once every 2nd week for a few weeks

Advanced revive costs £20 per litre so it's a bit pricey but lasts a very long time

http://www.advancednutrients.com/hydrop ... mation.php

buy it off ebay or search google for your nearest hydroponics store

on the weeks that you do not use the Revive, spray the leaves with a good fish/seaweed foliar spray .... I use Advanced Nutrients Iguana Juice .... (not sure where they come up with these names?)

http://www.advancednutrients.com/hydrop ... mation.php

also costs approx £20 per litre, but you only use 4ml per litre of water (so you get 250 litres of very good liquid fertilizer) ....

consists of bat gunaos,krell fish, seaweed, humic acids, fulvic acids volcanic rock dusts etc etc

when using foliar feeds, spray the leaves (top and undersides) after 4pm (not in strong sunlight)

[ash101uk]

Is this the £9 Dioon spinulosum's from ebay?

Mine are looking like that. Any advice to encourage a flush would be welcomed too.

[GoggleboxUK]

Yes, it's a Dioon spinulosum Sean. I just find Cycas Dijon easier to remember obviously

Would I be better off with it indoors so it gets more heat and less light or outdoors so it gets more light and less heat?

I could keep it upstairs in front of a south facing window with my Ensetes.

Does anyone know what sort of lows it can take?

[Troppoz]

Its supposed to be tolerant of light frost, but wont be at all hardy in the UK.

I think that warmth with good light would be preferable to cold with full sun but once the weather warms up consider moving maybe against a south facing wall or something.

[Kristen]

Is this the £9 Dioon spinulosum's from ebay?

Mine are looking like that. Any advice to encourage a flush would be welcomed too.

I thought it was just me! happier now I have company

(Pretty sure I paid a tenner for mine though )

[GoggleboxUK]

You guys got bargains, mine was £30.

[Trudytropics]

Recycling bin , what a shame Goggle. I'm ruthless though when it comes to plants and highly impatient, this week I have chucked a large aloe, last week slung out my strelitzia. Everyone will be recoiling in horror, I just can't handle sickly looking plants.

Goggle i hope it pulls through for you, I'm sure it is a splendid plant in full health, do you have the patience and inclination?

[GaryW]

Looks like a Dioon to me too. Unfortunately it looks like it's flushed recently, so any new leaves are little way off. My advice is also keep it warm and sunny, don't remove any green parts of leaves and repot it into a clay pot in a gritty loam compost. Don't over water though (if the compost is about 1/3 grit shouldn't be a problem) and yes a weak foliar feed would be good. Good luck, still a bargain as well !

[GoggleboxUK]

Thanks Gary, I've now moved it inside to a warm and sunny spot and trimmed off the crispy bits. It does have a few fairly healthy looking fronds so hopefully will decide to flush again soon.

Yes Trudy, I've got the patience to do the TLC thing with cycads but if it were a palm I'd have binned it already. Because Cycads are so slow growing I'm happy to work at their pace, they're basically very low maintenance plants anyway.

Do these behave in the same way as Revoluta and flush every other year?

[Troppoz]

In your climate who knows. Considering that they are more tropical in origins that C. revoluta Id be surprised if it grew as fast but a lot depends on the conditions its grown in.