Thursday 4 January 2018

Some Facts About Growing Cycads

By Dorothy Hayes


Cycads are really attractive evergreen cone-bearing plants that can be grown inside or out. They succeed very well in terra cotta pots filled with some type of a cactus mix or similar potting soil. Growing is quite easy, and the most important thing is really good drainage. Cycads need water, but good drainage will prevent rotten roots.

Even if you don't have much experience in gardening, or growing cycads, you simply cannot go wrong with these lovely plants. They really don't require too much attention, and they look really attractive, both in your living room, or in your lovely garden. In their natural environment, they grow in hard rock or sand, and any soil improvement will be welcomed. These are actually very old plants that were here before the dinosaurs.

Cycads look very similar to some types of palms, but they aren't closely related. In fact, they are actually related to pines. Even so, they really are attractive, both for inside and garden growing, and look very interesting. There are so many species to choose from, probably over three hundred of them, and Sago palm is one of the most popular ones.

There are male and female plants, and you will recognize them easily. Female plants produce seeds, and male plants have large cones. These cones are filled with pollen. Both look quite like palms, but they never produce flowers and fruit, and this is another difference between palms and cycads. In any case, you won't make a mistake planting any of them, they are both really appealing.

You can successfully grow them in pots, and, thanks to their slow growth, you won't need to re-pot them too often. If you keep them inside, make sure they are exposed to natural light, but placed away from different heat sources. Water them twice a week during summer months, and only occasionally during winter months, because they don't require too much water then.

You can keep them in pots on your terrace, too, but if you want to place them directly in the ground, choose sunny places because they will appreciate a lot of sun. Remember to make sure they have appropriate drainage, this is probably the most important thing about cycads, Their roots are quite sensitive to stale water.

Experienced gardeners might want to grow these plants from seed, it surely isn't so complicated. The problem is that they need some time to grow, and you should be very patient. On the other hand, it's so much easier to buy medium sized plant and place it on some nice place right now, to be able to enjoy in its lovely appearance. Smaller ones are great for pot growing, and larger ones look simply beautiful in any garden.

Fertilizing up to four times a year will make sure your plants are luxurious and healthy. Choose good quality palm fertilizers. This fertilizer should involve magnesium, potassium and phosphorus, because your plants need these substances to grow successfully. Water, fertilizer and sun, with good palm soil, and that's all you need to do to have this lovely green decoration.




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