Tuesday, February 14, 2017

What You Should Know When Growing Cycads

By Joyce Davis


Cycads are woody plants whose appearance resembles that of palms and ferns. These plants can survive in a wide range of climatic conditions ranging from tropical to subtropical to warm temperate. Their evergreen pinnate leaves have made them a preferred option for landscaping. There are a number of things that you need to know if you have plans of growing cycads.

A proper understanding of reproduction of these plants is necessary for anyone who wishes to grow them. The plants produce cones as they mature. The cones contain seeds that can be planted. Each cycad plant is either a male or female and this will also be seen in the type of cones that are produced. The differences are in the sizes, shape and color of cones.

The plants can survive in virtually any environment. The soils should preferably be well drained as too much is likely to result in the rotting of roots. The plants grow well in potted soils hence the popularity for its use indoors. Growth is usually quite slow which also means that there is no need to change pots on a frequent basis.

The first step in growing the plants is soil preparation. If the soils are poorly drained, consider preparing a mound or a raised bed to aid with the drainage. Mulch well to restrict the loss of moisture and ensure that fertilizer is added at least four times in the course of the year. The most important chemicals in the fertilizers include potassium, phosphorus and magnesium.

If you need to have the plant transplanted into the garden, do it when it is still a seedling. Once the planting has been done, disturbance of the roots should be kept to the very minimum until the trunk establishes itself well. Spring is the best time to do the transplanting due to the favorable ambient temperatures. In general, these should average 21 degrees Celsius.

If you have acquired cycads for indoor use, there are a number of things that you need to bear in mind. Among them is the fact that the plants should not be allowed to dry out. Keep the soils moist while taking care not to saturate them. This means that watering needs to be done at least twice a week. During winter, the watering should be kept at the very minimum.

Location is another important factor to consider when thinking about indoor plants. The plants should preferably be placed in a place where they can be reached by natural light. However, this should not be behind glass windows due to the risk of burns to the leaves. Direct sources of heat should similarly be avoided. During the frost free months, you can take your plants out in the open for a few hours frequently.

Dust accumulation on the leaves is a problem that you may have to deal with from time to time for plants that are grown indoors. The dust interferes with the amount of light getting to the leaves and should therefore be removed. The best way to deal with this problem is to wash off the dust using slightly soapy water. Light rains may also help get rid of most of it.




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