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Finally have the opportunity to plant a few Cycads in ground, even though it's inside the GH, it's as close as I'm going to get living where I do


Prepping the area,




And filling it. Things are a little close, but I should have 10 - 20 years before I have to worry about that










A few in this corner too,





Steve

With my experience this last Winter, as long as you keep the air moving (shouldn't be a problem in there) you will have 100% success with that.

Wes,

Thanks, as soon as the bigger stuff leafs out, it will fill in nicely. Just happy to be able to get a few out of their containers


Steve

Steve, what's that in the fouth picture?

Dean

Dean,
That's a Zamia furfuracea, or a common name of Cardboard Palm.

Found that one at Wal-Mart in a bonsai dish back in January, 2007

This is this the one you were asking about?





Steve

Yes, that's it. I got some of the little one's you had sent me last year. I just didn't realize it was the same thing.

Dean

Some cycads sucker freely such as C. Revoluta, Dioon Edule, and C. Rhumphii. Some such as Taitungensis rarely ever sucker until much later in life (and not much even then). If you find the secret to make Taitungensis sucker (pup), then please let me know. I have almost a half acre of large variegated taitungensis trunks (3-4') and I have only collected less than 10 suckers this year. The only person that I know who could make them sucker, is Dr. Bejan Dehgan of Fla, State Univ. in Gainesville. He has been sucessful, and has written a paper on this very subject.

This happens often even with extreme carefulness, but a little fungacide, planted in a well drained medium, and kept dry for about 10 days should heal your tap root. However, breaking a tap root on purpose is not considered a bad thing necessarily.........if you carefully discern where the stem stops and the root starts of the seedling. The result will be a double , triple , or multi tap root cycad instead of the single stem that you originally had. This is an (old cycad grower's trick). Of course your cycad will grow much faster with a triple primary root system, and of course, triple the amount of the small feeder roots that will be produced. The coraloid roots are encouraged also with this practice, because of the plant reaching maturity at a faster rate.

Hi Robert,
Good to see your still around, interesting info! Have you had a chance to review Dr. Dehgan's work?
The Cycads you sent me are doing well, I set them back a few more weeks by moving them to a new planting area, but it is the best seat in the house, they should do really well there




Steve

Yes, a few years ago, I was able to witness this first hand with Dr. Dehgan, at first treating Zamia Floridana with this new process with his horticultural students doing the treatments and the final outcome was a tremendous sucess taking the seedling thru a 3 year growing plan with the resultant plant being a full 7 gallon with many multiple heads. Quite impressive! The plants were big , full, and beautiful to say the least. As I had given him many Taitungensis, he decided to try a seven gal. plant of it also, with the result being about 200 pups about 3-4 deep completely surrounding a pineapple size Taitungensis. He also did similar experiments with Revoluta and Dioon Edule with the same results. It seemed the more chemical treatments of the plant.....the more suckers. And if less amounts of the treatment was applied....the fewer amount of suckers were expected. Upon visiting the large Cycad nursery I was managing at the time, Dr. Dehgan suggested that his crew of students treat many of my mature Taitungensis as an experiment. But the travel from Gainesville, the Hotel expenses, etc. for himself and his students was a 'difficult sell' to the nursery's owner, so we had to pass on his offer. The University quickly laid claim to the process and has not allowed him to use it as his own, unfortunately.

FREAKING GATORS!!!!!!!! Them Gainesville people are a diff'rent breed.

Robert, did you get my last e-mail on Monday? I am back from Lake City Fl. (got back on Monday).

Interesting, Robert, what kind of growth hormone would they apply? Or I guess it was strictly a confidential thing.

Dean

FREAKING GATORS!!!

Whats wrong with gators ? We have them everywhere here. They're real good eatin'... Most seafood restaurants here sell gator tail, excellent deep fried !

Robert, what kind of growth hormone would they apply?

I would also like to know...

Laaz wrote:

FREAKING GATORS!!!

Whats wrong with gators ? We have them everywhere here. They're real good eatin'... Most seafood restaurants here sell gator tail, excellent deep fried !

I swam with them last weekend in Lake City. Scary, but very exciting. It's the Blue & Orange Gators that I don't like

Anybody that would eat gator .......would probably like "Vulture" or "Buzzard" meat. FYI......gators rarely ever eat anything freshly killed.....but will take it to their nest and store it until it becomes very rancid (or rotten) before eating it. So , please , knock yourself out and eat gator meat. But not me.

True Robert, but the Orange and Blue Gators mostly eat Government cheese with 99 cent hot dogs cut up and put in it.
Then they get that "Juicy Juice" to chase it down with.

Anybody that would eat gator .......would probably like "Vulture" or "Buzzard" meat.

Hell... If you eat pig or chicken your in the same boat... If you've ever been to a pig or chicken farm you would know what I mean. Maybe we'll have to have a Vulture BBQ, we have enough of them around here