encephallartos hooridus culture

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RCS
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encephallartos hooridus culture

#1

Post by RCS »

I'm thinking about getting an encephalartos horridus and don't know anything about them. I'm guessing they would do well in a good draining Agave mix. Do they have a flush of growth in the spring like sagos or do they grow at a different time of year. The pictures of them I see are really enticing but thought I should ask some experts about them before jumping in head first into something I know nothing about.

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Bob
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Re: encephallartos hooridus culture

#2

Post by Agavemonger »

Bob Bob:

The plant needs full sun and fast draining mix; many growers out here grow them in pure pumice, although I would add about twenty-five percent good oak mulch or similar biotic soil to the pumice. They like regular, consistent fertilizing in the seasonal months with a balanced 20-20-20 liquid formula at 1/2 recommended strength. Large plants will defoliate at twenty degrees Fahrenheit; smaller plants are much more sensitive. But generally, they are pretty easy to grow. They are relatively slow, even for the "Blue" Encephalartos species, so don't expect them to jump out of their pots. ::roll::

They flush in late spring. If you are really lucky, with exceptional care, all-day full-sun conditions, and Shreveport humidity, you just might get a second flush later in the year! ::wink::

Plants with caudexes under 2-3 inches should be green-housed during the "winter" months of October through April, under very bright light in order to keep leaves from becoming etiolated.

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Re: encephallartos hooridus culture

#3

Post by RCS »

Thanks Kent

That info is just what I needed. I wish I could find a place that sales pumice around here. I have a lot of sponge rock that is similar but not the same as perlite, I guess it would work OK. It would never spend the winter outside here especially at the prices I'v seen. But they are not as high priced as they use to be and there seams to be more of them on the market nowadays. I guess there are more mature ones around that are setting seed now.

Thank again Kent
Now I just have to bite the bullet and get one.
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Re: encephallartos hooridus culture

#4

Post by Agavemonger »

Sponge-rock (perlite) will work just fine. Mix about 1 part of your usual Agave-type mix with one part of perlite and your cycad(s) should grow just fine in it. Use the larger sized perlite for better drainage.

Just be aware that the chemical constituents in blue cycads are very similar to opiates; some claim that these plants are more addicting than heroin. I barely got out with my life! D))

Oh, and I forgot to mention in my last post: Most cycads are host plants for Eriophyoid Mites. They must be treated regularly for these insidious pests with a rotational regimen of miticides. New leaves coming out like a corkscrew are a sure sign of a mite infestation in the crown of the plant.

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Re: encephallartos hooridus culture

#5

Post by RCS »

Thanks kent for that last warning. I didn't know about the mite problem with Cycads. I guess one more plant to treat with chemicals is not so bad but it's not what I wanted to hear. I'v got the large size sponge rock, about a 1/4 inch and down. I'v been using it for a long time and it holds up real well in mixes.

Thanks again
Bob
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