Nice amount of growth in the first year.

I'm very pleased my seedlings are already showing the wavy leaf.

Barb

These are nice looking Cycads!

Barb, Great job with yours 8)

Steve

Thanks Steve.
I'm pleased with the wrinkles showing up in such a young plant.
The leaves of its three siblings aren't as wavy as this one.

Garrytsen makes a good point:

seeds we harvested last November

Think my seeds, received around Nov/Dec last year, were very fresh.
The critical factor is seed FRESHNESS, not ABILITY (on my part anyway). 😆

Barb

My little Cycas debaoensis seedlings are sitting way too high in their pots.

Do I slowly raise the soil level with, say, a half inch of soil added every week for two weeks?

Or just throw on an inch of soil all at once?

This one got a little chewed up by a grasshopper this summer.

Thanks for any tips.
Barb

Barb,

How high is it? Are the roots pushing it up from the bottom of the cup?

If it is inside, warm & growing, you could probably get away with re-potting it now. If not, then maybe just add soil until the top half of the caudex is exposed.

This is the level I keep my seedlings at, (just re-potted this one, it was climbing out of it's container 😀

Steve

Steve,
Thanks for that really interesting pic.
Your "seed" seems to be becoming part of a fleshy root (or is that just my eyes??)
My seed looks like the day I got it before attempting germination.

Until I repot, I'm not sure but felt that the soil has settled somewhat versus roots pushing the plant out.
You may well be correct.

What a huge root yours has grown! What size pot are you putting him into?

Mine are all in the warm house, so I could repot them.
Haven't a clue what to pot into after those tall cups, which are almost 3 inches taller than a 1 gal pot.

Would a 2 gallon container be too wide?

Thanks for this!
Barb

Barb,

That one was pushing out the bottom of the cup!
The seed had fallen off a while ago, ( the caudex will start to form at the top of the root structure, initially, it will be below the soil level)
Posted some photos of it near the end of this thread,
http://palmsnorth.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2091

Any root showing at the bottom of your cup? It may just be that the soil has settled (try adding some more Perlite or Pumice to your mix)

I would hold off moving to a 2 gallon container going into cooler months, might be inclined to change the potting mix and lift it up a bit. Would give you a chance to to see how it's developing too.

Steve

Steve,
Thanks for that cycad pix link...I don't know how I missed that entire posting! Gorgeous!

OH! the seed had fallen off!!!
I thought it "morphed" into part of the root. 😐

No root is showing at bottom.
I punched only 1 large hole in the container, versus numerous drain holes you have.
But if the young y.rostrata (from Carolina) are any indication, the roots are filling it.
The yuccas' roots in the same type of containers left a permanent impression on the container sides/bottom when I repotted them!

I'm always reluctant to handle these delicate cycads.
But you're right... a repot into the same container with more perlite added would give me a chance to look.
I'll do that tomorrow and keep you posted.

If during the repot, the seed "falls/gets bumped off", is that harmful to the cycad?
I suppose the plant is still getting nourishment if the seed is attached?

Thanks
Barb

Barb,

The seed attachment area is fairly sturdy, it won't loosen up until the seed is almost depleted.
Your Cycas has several fronds and a developed root system, if the seed was accidentally knocked loose, it would have minimal effect on the plant.

Steve

Steve,
That's good to know.

Sheesh, it just occurred to me that since the seed is still attached, I shouldn't have been fertilizing!
Presume it's still getting nourishment on its own.

Man, we learn till we die, huh? 😆 😆
Barb
ps--I need to buy more perlite.

This first one's roots hadn't yet hit bottom.
Roots look good and fleshy white.
The seed didn't fall off when handled.

(pics below) The second one's root hit bottom and grew sideways.
Roots also appear healthy, with no soft mushy areas.

Will repot the other 2 C.debaoensis and 1 C.panzhihuaensis in a couple of days.
I've been cutting up old styrofoam to use in potting soil.
What a messy job cutting it... 😕
Hope it works as well as perlite.

Barb

Barb

Nice photos & everything looks great!

The Styrofoam should work okay, (besides being a pain to process 😀

Steve

Thanks Steve.

Mine look so "juvenile" compared to yours...
As though mine just popped 😥

I've moved these two into 2-gallon pots as a test to see if they grow faster than the others in the confined pots.

BTW loved all your new cycad pics.
Barb

Yup, moving c.debaoensis into 2-gallon pots seems to have them moving along earlier than others still in their tall cups.

This one's about to do something:

I've held back quite a bit on water over the winter, despite keeping them relatively warm.
With longer daylight hours and situated in a bright window, time to increase water.
Might hold off a little longer for fertilizer ?

Barb