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=" " 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=" " 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=" " 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=" " 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