Cycad (Cycas revoluta) care tips & more about this plant

Care tips

• Position: Full sun.
• Watering: Water sparingly when almost dry. Do not overwater. Water less during winter, only make sure the root ball does not dry out. Protect from excess water during the winter period by covering the plant.
• Hardiness: Mature plants are frost hardy but protect from hard frost and cold drying winds (below -5°C). Bring into a cold shed or conservatory during winter if not in a mild sheltered area.
• Pruning: Under favourable conditions a new set of leaves appear yearly or every second year. Remove the lower set of leaves as they become yellow or brown. Cut close to the trunk.
• Soil: Very well-drained. Fertile. Loam-based, sandy soil. The Cycas revoluta has a sensitive root system so be very careful when repotting.
• Fertilisers: Feed sparingly with fertiliser during growing season. There is no need for fertiliser during the winter period.

More about Cycads

• Also called: Sago cycad or King Sago palm.
• Foliage: Evergreen. Dark-green feather-like leaves. Thick trunk on older specimens. Slow-growing.
• Origin: The Cycad is an ancient cone-bearing plant related to Conifer and Ginkgo biloba. The Cycad is refered to as a "living fossil" since it has barely changed over the last 150-200 million years. It is native to Japan and South East Asia where it is a national treasure and has a long history in gardening.
• Life expectancy: The Cycad can become very old. Some Cycads in Japan are estimated to be over 1000 years old.
• Symbolism: Longevity