PalmsNorth.com

Getting more crinkled all the time

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/6790462873/" title="DSC05325 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7158/6790 ... b51d_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="DSC05325"></a>

Until one day when it looks like this:

http://www.jurassicplantsnursery.com/re ... nsis_0.jpg

Barb

Thats a cycad

Yup, that's a cycad.
And relatively rare, until the last few years.
Popularity skyrocketed, likely due to THAT mature photo

Beauty, huh?

Barb

Nice Barb, looks better than the ones here



Steve

looks better than the ones here

That's hard to believe with your skill at growing cycads, Steve,but thanks

It's now putting out long fronds (finally), the one pictured is about 3 feet long.
I have to keep looking at the pic of the mature one to remind myself why I have them


Barb

Hi Barb,

RUB it in that you have a GEORGOUS debaoensis

It's a beauty!! Keep the photos coming.

Tim

Oh Tim, did I mention I've got 3 -- or is it 4 -- C.debaoensis

Barb

Your kidding that you have 3 or 4 debeaoensis? Your making me even more jealous!

Well now we're even, Tim.

I'm so jealous of the trunking yuccas in your yard.

We should trade homes.
I'd get the best deal in that trade.

Barb

I disagree......your views are awesome! My place is only 10,500 sq. ft. in size. Not enough garden area!

10,500

Deal's off, too much vacuuming.

10,500 sq. ft. is my YARD size not house size

Oh...

Hi Barb!

I've been following your C. Debaoensis since 2007! Glad to see they're doing well. But now that I'm the proud owner of my own flock of these beauties I figured it's time to join the forum and ask some questions!

I ultimately want to propagate these plants but am wondering how long they will take to reach maturity? I've seen some species get to cone-age in as fast as 8 years but others take 30 years or longer! How big is your caudex now after 5 years? I've got mine in pots right now but in lovely So Fl I might get away with planting these bad boys!

PS... picks to follow....

If you take care of this species perfectly, the females will produce cones in just under 4 years and the males will cone in just about 3 years. It isn't always the age of the plant that is required for coning, but the energy levels and the starch mass of the stem that will get you cones faster. Barb, if you really want your plants to take off, you should put them in VERY deep pots, like 24 to 30 inches deep and about 10 inches in diameter(you will want very well draining soil). This species has a root system that is unlike any other cycad. All micholitzii types have a carrot type root, but these, after 2 years, will produce a branching carrot type root system, so you can have a 3 year old plant that has 12 giant, 2 foot long carrots for a root system, just sucking up every bit of nutrients that they can. They will also pretty much "eat" soil and after 3 years the soil level can be 4 to 6 inches lower than it was when planted. Plants that are even a few months old should be put into somewhat deep pots early, or they will be stunted compared to what they could have looked like. I usually start the seeds in 12 inch deep pots just to start with and go from there.

First of all, pineappel, thank you...how very nice you're also interested in these beauties.
Glad you've joined PN, and will look forward to your pics.
OOOOOH, southern florida...wonderful.
They'll be as tall as a Chevy in no time.

And your questions (and mine) were immediately answered by cycad guy (big thanks...didn't know that!!!!)

I'll look for some deeper pots tomorrow.
Grateful for your advice, thanks.
Gotta wander around and find my other C.debaoensis.

My caudex is only about 2 inches wide.
I do recall something about the carrot root...here's a pic showing the beginning of the carrot when I repotted another cycad, C.panzhihuaensis (I think)

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/3885149717/" title="DSC02867 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2586/3885 ... cf66c7.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="DSC02867"></a>

Thanks again!
Barb

I guess I should add that if you have a good healthy plant, it should produce a male cone once it is about 5 inches or larger, and the females wioll start coning at about 6 to 7 inches. Whenever it gets that large, no matter how long it takes, then they are ready.

Barb,

Yours are looking good!
Here is one of mine, had a bit of a rough winter.

produce a male cone once it is about 5 inches or larger, and the females will start coning at about 6 to 7 inches. Whenever it gets that large, no matter how long it takes, then they are ready

Looks like I've got a while to wait.

And I couldn't find a 30-inch tall pot today, will look again next time I'm in town.
I decided to NOT put yet another plant into a household garbage can.
Especially since it spends winter in my living room (looks a little strange having a garbage can in front of the livingroom window at Christmas season!)

Oh Steve, how lovely your C.debaoensis is...and I know yours germinated about a year after mine.
So there you go again...passing me

My plant's longest frond barely has enough energy to hold itself above the horizontal, arching from the caudex and the tip drooping almost to the ground.
Can you remind me again please what fert ratio you use?

Again, Steve, congrats on a well grown C.debaoensis!!!
Barb

A pic of my good one today...yes, it's raining again

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/7184413515/" title="008 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8024/7184 ... 9abe_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="008"></a>

Barb

Barb,

Nice size caudex on yours, I don't fertilize much, usually just re-pot every 2-3 years.
Cycadguy is correct about the deep pots, the ones I have in shallower containers are only about half the size.

With mine, a shady spot,(longer fronds), and as long as the temp is up, I keep the mix on the moist side.

Steve

Thanks Steve, that helps considerably.
Yes, these guys need shade; even morning sun didn't do these any good.

And they stall when kept dry...gotta remember to keep it moist as you say.

...plus I can't find one of mine.


Barb

Hi Barb,

great looking leaves on that Cycad.

The plants are better grown like some other plant than a cycad. They are high energy. Lots of water and fertilizer to keep them pumping. I have a friend who owns a bamboo nursery and he was growing some of these. Because bamboo really needs to be moist to grow fast, he waters his plants 3 times a day, to make them look beautiful. He had his debaoensis in a greenhouse with many of the bamboo plants. They grow stem faster than I have ever seen! It was nothing short of amazing. He had a plant that was 6 years from a seed, and the stem was very close to being 30 inches in diameter, and even had an offset on it that was 5 inches. It was holding about 20 leaves and had an 18 foot spread. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself. Also, they look WAY better in the shade than in the sun.

Thanks Tim.

Following advice, found a 19 inch tall container with drain holes I drilled previously.
Formerly in a 2 gallon pot:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/7187537261/" title="003 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7237/7187 ... d4bb_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="003"></a>

It should be happy now:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/7372769134/" title="004 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5196/7372 ... 3ba7_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt="004"></a>

Thanks folks.

Barb

Hi cycadguy, postings must've crossed.

I'm still stuck on a decent fertilizer ratio...had given it palm special (for lack of anything else).

Since they're heavy feeders, could I use 20-20-20?

Now I'm excited about mine "doing something" again...obviously the 2 gallon pot "stalled" the plant.

Barb

A granular 20-20-20 would be fine. I'm using something stronger than that. If you like to experiment, try mixing a tablespoon of lecithin and a tablespoon of Karo syrup in a warm gallon of water (it is hard to mix up well) and shake that up real good, and use that to water the plants, about once every other week, and you should see even more growth in the stem. If you did that for most of the year, you can easily see at least twice the stem growth than the ones you didn't do that to. It may not be worth all the trouble, but that species reacts very well to that treatment. If you have available some microryzae to put in that soil, the two together can make a huge difference. At least, it will have some good room to work in with that new container.

Darn, I don't have any of the Karo, lecithin, or microryzae.

Does micror... need to be mixed into soil adjacent to the roots?

Will put them on my list and keep your instructions.

Twice the stem growth ... wow, I can't wait to try that!!!

Hope my plant still has a "carrot" after being in that 2gallon pot for a couple of years.

Thanks so much for these tips.
Certainly has renewed my interest in these...

Barb