How to Re-Establish Cycads By Maurice Levin, Jurassic Garden
When you receive a cycad in the mail, we want you to be able to re-establish it successfully. Preserving the endangered species in your garden is just as important to us as it is to you!
Here are some basic instructions to follow when you receive a plant shipment from us:
Re-Establishing Cycads
1. Check for any damaged or broken roots. Trim away and clean damaged areas
2. Dip in a solution that includes a fungicide/bactericide. If you have a fungicide that has rooting hormone in it, that is even better.
3. Pot the plant in pure coarse perlite until it is re-established. Make sure that at least 75% of the caudex (trunk) is planted below the soil line. Smaller plants should be planted even lower. Once the plant has re-established, you can re-pot in a soil mix, or use the alternative we recommend in step 5 below.
4. Re-water 2 or 3 times the first week, restricting watering thereafter.Do not allow water to gather in a tray below the pot. Cycads do not like to soak in their drainage water
5. Wait to re-pot until the roots have re-established, usually within 3-9 months. We recommend a mix consisting of 1/4 washed coarse silica sand, 1/4 pumice and 1/4 perlite, and only 1/4 organic material, which we recommend be composted forest humus, not peat moss. Fill the bottom 1-2 inches of the pot with gravel, to improve drainage. Water in well to ensure the roots adhere to the planting medium. Alternatively, we have found that less root damage occurs if you simply replace the top 3-6 inches of perlite with the potting soil mix, which will blend with the perlite below over time, instead of repotting the entire plant.
I wish for you the best possible growing experience with your new cycad!
Please Note: All sales are limited to items available in stock at the time of your purchase and are subject to prior sale. If an "Add to Cart" button is not present, the item may not be in stock.
You’ll
notice we list and price cycads by their caudex size (diameter in inches). The caudex is a cycad’s woody, bulblike trunk. Caudex diameter is a good measure of a cycad's age. The chart below can give you a rough idea of how this
translates to pot size.
Caudex Size (Diameter)
Container Size (Volume)
Up to 1 Inch
1-2 Gallon
1 Inch to 3 Inch
3-5 Gallon
3 Inches to 7 Inches
15 Gallon
7 Inches and Up
24 Inch Box
IMPORTANT!
To verify an item is in stock, please click the "Add to Cart" button. If "Add to Cart" button is not present, the item may not be in stock.
Also, please note that no sale coupon, credit or voucher may be combined with any other sale term or special. If an item is purchased using such a "double discount," we reserve the right to either cancel the order, or modify it to give you the more favorable single discount.
Please Note: All sales are limited to items available in stock at the time of your purchase and are subject to prior sale. If an "Add to Cart" button is not present, the item may not be in stock.
ALSO, PLEASE NOTE THAT PRICES OFFERED ON THIS WEBSITE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME PRICES AS "IN-NURSERY PRICES." In other words, if you come to the nursery with pages printed from this website, prices may be different from your printout.
We do not ship plants or seeds outside the USA at this time. Cycads and Aloes are sold for domestic USA use only. If you plan to export cycads, aloes, or cycad seeds, we sell them with the understanding that you will obtain the necessary permits.