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Best soil type for lehmannii


Coasta

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Hello!! Wanting to repot my encephalartos lehmannii into a nice pot as the pot it is currently in came from the nursery. 

I am trying to figure out the best soil for it. My concern is if it drains too fast will it not be able to absorb water and nutrition.  

I have two options I am thinking of and the screen shots show the ingredients. Is there one you would recommend based on the ingredients? I have tried black and gold before, just not sure if it would be considered too fast draining. 

And if there is another kind of soil, I am all ears. :). I want to do this right as it will be in a pot for at least a few years. 

Also I read online that terra cotta pots that are unglazed are the best option? Any thoughts on what would be best for here in arizona.

Thank you for your time. 

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I will start off by saying, people  keep their soil mixes a secrete.  I wouldn't  worry about draining to fast.   I would pick the soil you like,  and add additional pumice. 50 percent pumice , 50 percent soil would probably  be fine. You could add sand , small bark,  and peat moss.  

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@Gas man lol, I didn't know that people like to keep there soil mixtures a secret. 

I honestly don't feel comfortable trying to measure out my own soil mixture, I feel like I would mess it up, which is why I was thinking of doing the pre-made mix. 

I. Could add those things to it, just makes me nervous. 

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3 minutes ago, Coasta said:

@Gas man lol, I didn't know that people like to keep there soil mixtures a secret. 

I honestly don't feel comfortable trying to measure out my own soil mixture, I feel like I would mess it up, which is why I was thinking of doing the pre-made mix. 

I. Could add those things to it, just makes me nervous. 

Would look through recommendations made by  @Tracy  and any thoughts, related to soil suggestions shared by @GeneAZ  Me myself, i follow what the plants would grow in in habitat - as closely as possible- The cheapest/ most convenient option isn't always the best option.

As far as pots, Un-glazed terra cotta are good, breathe a bit  but that " breath-ability" means they can dry a bit faster here ( notice they weather/break down a bit faster too, at last mine have ). On the flip side, plants planted in them are less likely to have their roots cooked in our sun. Wouldn't expose something like this to full blazing AZ summer sun anyway.

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@Silas_Sancona thanks Silas! 

When I spoke to Phil at jungle music he informed me that it needs to be well draining but with the ability to hold nutrients. 

Currently it looks like they potted it in a sand mixture with other things. The black and gold is pretty expensive at about 20 dollars but if there is a better suggestion, I am all for it even if it means mixing mine own. I just have never done it and am worried about messing it up, which is why I was thinking of going for one of those mixes above. 

Would you say the best option for a pot would be a plastic pot or a glazed pot to keep it from drying out too fast? You are right, that pots get baked in the sun, even if is only morning sun. I want to try to avoid that. 

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1 hour ago, Coasta said:

@Silas_Sancona thanks Silas! 

When I spoke to Phil at jungle music he informed me that it needs to be well draining but with the ability to hold nutrients. 

Currently it looks like they potted it in a sand mixture with other things. The black and gold is pretty expensive at about 20 dollars but if there is a better suggestion, I am all for it even if it means mixing mine own. I just have never done it and am worried about messing it up, which is why I was thinking of going for one of those mixes above. 

Would you say the best option for a pot would be a plastic pot or a glazed pot to keep it from drying out too fast? You are right, that pots get baked in the sun, even if is only morning sun. I want to try to avoid that. 

I don't like the high amount of Compost in the Black/Gold potted plant mix, but I've never used anything like that so can't specifically say it would damage the plant.  I normally keep potted cycads in the black nursery pots and put those pots in larger pots to hide the black nursery pot, but I don't have the issues you do with high temps baking things in summer sun.  I would send a pm to aztropic  or  GeneAZ  for advice on how to deal with your summer heat as both grow cycads.  I think if you look at GeneAZ's avatar, it is a cycad in what appears to be an unglazed terracotta pot.  If I were using the Black/Gold here, I would cut it with 50% pumice.  Just to clarify, I don't think anyone is keeping secrets about what soil they use to plant their potted cycads.  It is more about what is available in your locality, and perhaps different needs due to your temps versus what is available here and what high temps would be in my garden or Phil's Jungle Music which is about 4 streets east and 2 miles south of me.  I would prefer that you receive advice from people near you, based on their experience.  Local advice is always better than someone with different growing conditions.

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33.0782 North -117.305 West  at 72 feet elevation

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1 hour ago, Coasta said:

@Silas_Sancona thanks Silas! 

When I spoke to Phil at jungle music he informed me that it needs to be well draining but with the ability to hold nutrients. 

Currently it looks like they potted it in a sand mixture with other things. The black and gold is pretty expensive at about 20 dollars but if there is a better suggestion, I am all for it even if it means mixing mine own. I just have never done it and am worried about messing it up, which is why I was thinking of going for one of those mixes above. 

Would you say the best option for a pot would be a plastic pot or a glazed pot to keep it from drying out too fast? You are right, that pots get baked in the sun, even if is only morning sun. I want to try to avoid that. 


No doubt Black Gold is expensive, spent wayy too much money on it in the past, lol..  As far as what nurseries use ( soil mix wise ) as i'm sure you've seen, many nurseries will use the cheapest stuff at their disposal.. Can't count how many times i have bought something to plant, and, while removing from the pot, noticed there were huge chunks of wood, pieces of plastic, etc " debris " in the soil. If said plants had been watered before purchase/ when it rains, you could smell the soil already starting to decompose negatively when removing from the pot, plus being sopping wet. I'd remove as much of the "potting" soil as possible when planting, unless it was something really sensitive to root disturbance. Not everyone is that bad of course but in the nursery setting, many places use what will be easiest to transport/ least heavy..

Here's sort of a break down of what my "ideal" soil mix looks like, esp. for everything that wants well drained soil conditions.

The fine sand/ "compost-y " looking stuff on the upper right is what you don't want.. Sand this fine will stay extremely wet for too long, Notice the compost-y stuff has a tendency to be hydrophobic if it stays dry for too long, or retains too much moisture for too long.
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Stuff on the left is more ideal.. A mix of larger grain said/grit, Turface, Pumice, ..some Perlite since i'm recycling soil currently, and Gro- stone, an alternative to Pumice which may/may not be available any more.. There's also some bark, charcoal/ red/black cinder ( lava rock ) from the old mix in there as well.
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I also have working with what i call "Clean Wash Grit " i collect from out in the desert. Gonna take some time to get more precise mix ratios worked out but has been an excellent medium for a Desert Rose, some Cacti, and a Bursera i transplanted into. As you can see, grain size is mixed, but not extra fine, allowing for excellent drainage.
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My makeshift "contraption" i'm using to wash out the extra fine sand/organic stuff from pots of soil.. No reason to dump it out in the yard and loose valuable ( and not so cheap ) soil components. Throw it in a plastic tray over some shade cloth, sift or wash through a few times, until water running through it runs clear, then allow to dry/ sterilize in the sun for a few days..
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As far as pots.. If i had the money, let alone were staying here.. most specimen things would be in un-glazed terra cotta/ clay.. Black Plastic has been a 50/50 gamble for me, even things i kept out of the sun. As far as staying too dry, haven't noticed any issues. If anything, have a few cacti in clay pots that i can tell got a touch too spoiled water-wise- this year, lol.

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@Silas_Sancona thanks Silas, I can agree that the stuff nurseries use is typically not the best stuff. 

I had always liked black and gold cactus mix because it seemed like a good quality product. I actually have a unopened bag in my garage. 

Thanks for taking the time to upload photos of what you use here in the desert. 

From what I understand sand that is grit 12 is fine. I imagine the sand in your photo on the top right is a more fine sand that holds too much moisture. 

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Congratulations on your first Encephalartos!  Your plant looks healthy and ready to flourish.

All my cycads are in pots, except C. revoluta.  I just checked my E. lehmanniis and 3 are in bordeaux  pots and 2 are in plastic.  Bordeaux is a blend of clay and something more durable (maybe concrete).  I like Bordeaux because it holds up better than clay in our monsoons when many pots blow over and shatter.

Whatever container you choose, the cultivation challenge of these cycads in Phoenix and suburbs is to keep the roots cool.  And that's quite a challenge in June through September.  You must not allow sun rays to fall on the containers during the deadly months.  Shade the pots with shade cloth clipped to pots, or boards or other plants, or double pot with an outer container for insulation and the growing container nested inside with a sandwiched material between containers:  pumice, pearlite, styrofoam,  or just spacers allowing air to fill the gap.  Sun damage is not a concern from November to May; you can position containers fully in the direct sun then.

I don't know the strategy for growing cycads in open ground in this environment, so perhaps Rod Anderson or Mr. Crawford could chime in on those specifics.  Some areas of this county have nematode problems, so that could wreak havoc if they're active in the area you plant in open ground.  I understand from Loran that Encephalartos friderici-guilielmi is vulnerable to nematodes in the open ground.

Next, our sun during the problem months will kill all cycads except Dioon edule, Cycas cairnsiana, and Cycas revoluta.  Sometimes revoluta will also be killed by the sun during summer.  So you have to have a canopy strategy here in summer.  Even morning-only sun during July to September after 10:00 a.m. will severely scortch or defoliate all cycads other than those I mentioned.  Frankly, during July to September, you don't want your cycads to actively grow here.  You're just trying to coast them through this abuse and get to October for our second spring.  

Plants in the greenhouse get watered twice weekly in summer, once monthly in winter.  Outdoor plants get watered daily when it's 105F-plus; for hydration and to cool the soil and containers.  From October to April, you'll just have to test the soil by touch which can be tricky when soil is cold and may feel wet but is actually not.  You are going to have to develop the skill of gauging the moisture in the soil.  There is an art to all gardening, and moisture judgment is one facet that is pivotal.  Watering is highly dependent on the soil in the container and the plant's usage.  The more organic content, the higher the moisture retention.  In this county with our temperatures, organic soil will quickly decompose and compress the air spaces and cause feeder root death.  So here you have to keep the soil open by using less organic content in the mix and more aggregate material to hold it open for the air spaces.  This will cause the need for more frequent watering!  And so the cycle goes . . .

For the organic component of my mix, you can use Kellogs Palm Cactus & Citrus.  To this I add aggregate stuff I collect from a nearby wash that runs during the monsoons; it's decomposed granite of 1/4 to 1/8 diameter -- so on the small side but not sand.  Do not use peat moss, it quickly turns to muck that will not hold open structure.  Sand is not good here in containers.  Chicken grit or larger is okay, but you want the DG to be about the size of your little finger fingernail.  So I use 50/50 layers of Kellogs and my aggregate, alternating in the pot, rather than mixing it all together and potting.

The plant you have is in the largest container it should have for quite some time.  If you put it in a different container, it should not be any larger.  Cycads like tight shoes, to a degree.  For the plant you have, I wouldn't repot larger until the caudex is grapefruit size.  If possible, I'd recommend you set the existing container inside the decorative container you like and not repot this right now.

My experience is that in our environment, cycads in containers do not do well with timed-release or slow-release fertilizer.  Even the types that are supposed to be true timed release -- Nurticote and Osmocote -- will, over time, dump too much fert in a short interval during 110F-plus temps and become phytotoxic.  So I've settled on liquid feed once every three weeks at 2/3 strength.  We have high pH water in summer of 8.0 or more, so I use an acidifying-type of fert.

After all that, it should be emphasized that E. Lehmannii is not a fussy species.  Indeed, cycads are mostly not very particular if a few principles are considered:  Always have excellent drainage.  Don't let the roots get hot.  Don't force growth when it's scalding hot, or put up shade cloth if it happens anyway.  Don't use full strength fert.

Enjoy your journey!

 

 

 

 

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This is the plant in my avatar now many decades later.  My second largest of all my cycads.  Encephalartos lehmannii.

It's got four branches on the other side that have formed since I've been growing this.  Never has coned or pupped.

That's a 56-inch pot!  2+feet of trunk.

 

 

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Edited by GeneAZ
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@GeneAZ Hi Gene!!! Wow, thanks for the thesis! I appreciate so much responding and helping me with this! 

Is there a reason you would advice against repotting right now? The reason I asked is because in the current pot it is in, it's planted really low, so I wanted to repot it in a similar size and raise the caudex up higher. And when you say aggregated items, what exactly is that? Granite that is crushed? 

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My mix is super-duper-extra-secret!  It's so secret it's on double-secret probation!  :D  We get way too much rain here in Central Florida for most desert cycads, but they do okay here anyway.  I had a Lehmannii out front and it was planted in pretty much pure Florida sand.  It grew just fine and tolerated the typical 60-80 inches of rain per year here, with no supplemental irrigation from sprinklers or dripline drippers.  After about 1.5 years in the ground I decided that I really wanted something else in that spot. 

It's now in a dark blue glazed pot on my back porch, in full sun.  That may not be an issue with overheating here in FL, since it rarely goes over 95F.  As others mentioned, you do not want to cook the roots.  My mix for that cycad was 25% generic topsoil, 25% perlite, 25% pumice, 25% Sakrete paver base (crushed limestone).  The perlite and pumice were typical 1/8" diameter types.  I think I tossed a handful of 1/4" fired clay pebbles in the mix too, but I'm not sure.

I've seen cycads grow fine in almost 100% perlite, they just need extra watering and fertilizing to be happy.  So really you can use any reasonable mix, as long as the materials don't turn to muck or compact down in a few months.  Fine sand will do that, so definitely avoid that like the plague!  The prior poster's recommendations all look great!

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@Merlyn2220 thanks you for the information. I love how everyone is willing to help! One day I plan to pass the knowledge on. Does your lehmannii get blue in Florida, or does the humidity make it more green? 

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15 minutes ago, Coasta said:

@GeneAZ Hi Gene!!! Wow, thanks for the thesis! I appreciate so much responding and helping me with this! 

Is there a reason you would advice against repotting right now? The reason I asked is because in the current pot it is in, it's planted really low, so I wanted to repot it in a similar size and raise the caudex up higher. And when you say aggregated items, what exactly is that? Granite that is crushed? 

"Aggregate" is not organic.  So it could be DG, small lava, turface, acadama,  chunky treefern osmunda, pumice, large pearlite.  I wouldn't use any bark since it's organic; though I do use it in orchids and Platyceriums.

Very often I will slip a cycad out of its pot and place only enough soil in the bottom to raise the surface level, then return it to the same pot.  You have to be a little careful not to lift the caudex too high, though.  The junction of the roots with the caudex needs to be buried on this juvenile-size plant, so the finished plant should be buried to the same degree it currently displays.  Cycad roots resent sunlight and may cause the plant to sulk or protest, depending on the species.

To your question regarding "not repotting" right now, I mean not going to a larger pot.  Small cycads or any caudiciform aren't going to perform their best when swimming in a lot of extra soil.  The tight shoes is part of the recipe for causing the fattening of the caudex -- which is a major appeal of these plants.  A large volume of soil and a small plant makes intelligent watering unnecessarily complex in that the roots aren't filling the soil mass and therefore are not using the available moisture predictably, leading to wet spots and dry spots,  root rot and dehydration,  etc.  It's a chain of events that contributes to erratic plant behaviors.

Edited by GeneAZ
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@GeneAZ when you say the junction of the roots need to be buried, what does that mean? Sorry just want to make sure I understand. 

Also are you saying if I were to repot it in a similar size pot, you would not recommend raising it up a little? This is how low it currently is. I would also want to try and center it a bit. 

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15 minutes ago, Coasta said:

@GeneAZ when you say the junction of the roots need to be buried, what does that mean? Sorry just want to make sure I understand. 

Also are you saying if I were to repot it in a similar size pot, you would not recommend raising it up a little? This is how low it currently is. I would also want to try and center it a bit. 

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So the junction of caudex to roots is where the roots emerge from the stem.  Roots join to the stem at a defined location that I call "junction."  This is also where future pups will form, for the most part.  The plant currently has half of its caudex buried, which is perfect in this juvenile state.  

You certainly could repot into a container of same width without any problems.  Just gently remove some soil on the one side you want to reduce, and reuse it on the other side.  You will need some additional soil for the bottom to raise it up.  Don't cut any roots you expose in the excavation, rather just tuck them against the container.

I think we all take it for granted that you understand that any container you choose must have holes to allow the various liquids to depart.  You'd be surprised how many people plant much more expensive plants than this in containers without any openings, then want advice on how to reverse a suffocating 10,000 dollar plant.

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1 hour ago, Coasta said:

@Merlyn2220 thanks you for the information. I love how everyone is willing to help! One day I plan to pass the knowledge on. Does your lehmannii get blue in Florida, or does the humidity make it more green? 

In Florida they end up more green, but it doesn't appear to be the humidity causing it.  The bluish tint is from a glaucous powdery stuff on the surface of the leaves.  It gets washed off here in the daily torrential thunderstorms, so they end up only "bluish" and not blue.  I've seen a couple of Arenarius "True Blue" at Tom Broome's CycadJungle nursery, they were really silver-blue.  But he kept them inside a greenhouse and they were protected from the storms.  He told me it only takes a few weeks of storms to wash off the bluish coating.

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I'm glad people got a kick out of my " secrete soil mix " comment . Lol. Nice to see people shared REAL details. Nice to see people talk about fertalizer  and potting tricks. I pot all my plants.  I have over 100 potted plants at my house and I have searched hi and low. This thread turned out great . 

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@GeneAZ thanks so much for explaining that Gene. I am going to look for a container tomorrow. I did notice that part of this soil mix it is currently in is Sand. I imagine its not the sand that compacts as I am sure qhere I bought it from knows what there doing. 

Yes!! I made that mistake once.... I purchased a pot and didn't realize it didn't have holes lol. I imagine clay pots only have 1 hole at the bottom, so I think that would be fine? 

Also my lehmannii shows roots coming out of the bottom. I imagine its a pretty healthy cycad. :). 

How often would you recommend watering in the summer and how often in the winter? I have read online they can take drought.

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@Merlyn2220 thats interesting!! Thank yoy for sharing. I will keep mine away from rain. :)

 

@gas man lol, thanks so much. I am glad this tread turned out great!! Wow 100 potted plants!! Thats alot of responsibility lol. I struggle with going on vacation and my citrus fig tree and palms needing water. 

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@GeneAZ nvm on how often! You answered that earlier. Its daily if temps are at 105 or above. When gone for a week or so during summer time, is it okay to bring the cycad in the house or in a garage since it won't be able to get water daily?

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1 hour ago, Coasta said:

@GeneAZ nvm on how often! You answered that earlier. Its daily if temps are at 105 or above. When gone for a week or so during summer time, is it okay to bring the cycad in the house or in a garage since it won't be able to get water daily?

 

Relative to the question about bringing the plant inside, it really depends on what sort of temps and how dry it will be inside.  Think how air conditioning dries things out as to whether your garage or house would be an appropriate place to bring a large potted plant for a week.  Is the garage really any cooler than outside if your air conditioning isn't running in the garage?  Perhaps a better solution is a drip irrigation system you could turn on during times when you are gone or having someone come over and water for you (a neighbor or a friend or family member).

 

3 hours ago, Coasta said:

Thank you for sharing. I will keep mine away from rain.

In Arizona I don't think you will have to worry about excessive rain washing off your E lehmannii and turning it from blue to green.  That said when they get older it isn't uncommon that if they are holding older flushes, you will notice a significant difference in the color of the newer flushes compared to the older flushes which over time have lost some of the glaucus material on the surface.  If you rub the surface and touch it with your hand, you can see some of the glaucus material come off, so try to avoid that.  Along the same lines don't handle soft new flushes which are emerging as they are prone to damage before they harden off. 

I'm glad to see that you connected with Gene, as he has provided some critical knowledge about growing in your climate zone that without it you could have lost the plant very quickly.  Those of us not familiar with growing in the extremes of your summer climate could never have provided those insights.

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33.0782 North -117.305 West  at 72 feet elevation

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@Tracy thank you Tracy for your knowledge as well. I may have to look into how I can irrigate my potten palms/cycads/ fruit trees for next summer. 

Its tough having potted babies!

You can't just leave for a week and not prepare lol. 

And understood about not worrying about the rain here. Can't wait to see the first flush and see how blue it is :)

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6 hours ago, Merlyn2220 said:

In Florida they end up more green, but it doesn't appear to be the humidity causing it.  The bluish tint is from a glaucous powdery stuff on the surface of the leaves.  It gets washed off here in the daily torrential thunderstorms, so they end up only "bluish" and not blue.  I've seen a couple of Arenarius "True Blue" at Tom Broome's CycadJungle nursery, they were really silver-blue.  But he kept them inside a greenhouse and they were protected from the storms.  He told me it only takes a few weeks of storms to wash off the bluish coating.

I've often wondered about just how " blue " some of the blue- colored Encephs. stay in Fl..  Remember when a portion of Dr. Young's  Cycad collection  was re-located to Kopsick.  Of all the specimens, it was both the E. lehmannii and E. princeps specimens i noticed right away where they'd been placed.

Looking over them each time i visited, the blue color never appeared to fade much, no matter the time of year.. Would love to see how they have done ( plus others in the same bed ) since i left the area.. Wonder if the exposure in full sun there ( at Kopsick ) helps keep them blue.

Some pictures. Can't remember who is who.. ( Bluest specimen might be princeps, i think, lol ) They hadn't placed ID labels in yet and admit i should have taken more pics.. May have on visits there in 2015. If so, they're on an SD card that died/ no longer reads.. May take that card somewhere later to see if the photos can be retrieved off it.

07-14
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12-14.. X-mas eve visit  :D
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02-16
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Can't remember which sp. this guy was but can see it + 1 other in earlier pics. While plenty green, Bluish tone is obvious and much more pronounced compared to when it was planted.
Regardless, they all seem to love where they're sited. Don't think any amending was done ( of the soil ) when they went in. ( also taken on the last visit there before i'd left FL. 02-16 )
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@Silas_Sancona very nice photos. 

Yes i Agree, it would be nice to see how blue these are now a days. 

I understand too, its harder to get encephalartos on the east coast unless shipped. 

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6 minutes ago, Coasta said:

@Silas_Sancona very nice photos. 

Yes i Agree, it would be nice to see how blue these are now a days. 

I understand too, its harder to get encephalartos on the east coast unless shipped. 

Pretty sure there are at least a few growers, specifically in FL. that are growing them.. Kopsick had a few Enceph. sp. before the portion of Dr. Young's collection ( Lived up in Tampa ) was relocated to the collection. Pretty sure the other half ( imagine the rarer/ most prized specimens from his collection ) are at Sunken Gardens, also in St. Pete.

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9 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

I've often wondered about just how " blue " some of the blue- colored Encephs. stay in Fl..  Remember when a portion of Dr. Young's  Cycad collection  was re-located to Kopsick.  Of all the specimens, it was both the E. lehmannii and E. princeps specimens i noticed right away where they'd been placed.


Can't remember which sp. this guy was but can see it + 1 other in earlier pics. While plenty green, Bluish tone is obvious and much more pronounced compared to when it was planted.
Regardless, they all seem to love where they're sited. Don't think any amending was done ( of the soil ) when they went in. ( also taken on the last visit there before i'd left FL. 02-16 )
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That's probably similar to mine, some leaves are significantly green and some are pretty blue.  It's nowhere near as dramatic as on some of my agaves.  This "Dragon Toes" Seemanniana v. Pygmae is about 28" across and in full sun, but the rain has washed off the powder sorta irregularly.  No hail, just rain.  My Lehmannii and Horridus plants aren't nearly as dramatic, but they are on the "blue-green" spectrum instead of "powdery blue."  The sun may also not be intense enough here for the plants to develop quite as much blue, since the most intense sun part of the day is in the mid afternoon.  Normally at that time we get our 2-4pm thunderstorms.

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11 hours ago, Coasta said:

@GeneAZ nvm on how often! You answered that earlier. Its daily if temps are at 105 or above. When gone for a week or so during summer time, is it okay to bring the cycad in the house or in a garage since it won't be able to get water daily?

Sure, a week in the garage or in the house during the winter won't hurt.  I do that for a very few things like ferox when it gets really cold here in the 20s.  But my garage in the summer will get sustained temps over 110 which wouldn't solve any problem at all.  You could easily come home to a badly dessicated or dead plant.

Edited by GeneAZ
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@Silas_Sancona oh sweet!! I had seen a YouTube video and in the video they stated that it is harder to find these specimans for sale on the east coast and that its a bit easier to find them in California. 

 

@Merlyn2220 very cool!! Do you have a photo of your lehmannii? 

 

@GeneAZ noted! If i ever go on vacation, i can take it inside the house without any damage.

I purchased a pot today and noticed that there is a small puddle that does not drain out. The bottom of the pot seems to be unglazed so I am thinking it will be okay as the bottom will wick away the moisture. Any thoughts anyone? :). 20201010_134342.thumb.jpg.2641de5ed36cda3af6f33df8df2b4346.jpg20201010_134330.thumb.jpg.37a160149e13c0ee1df612d0027d3c58.jpg20201010_134422.thumb.jpg.55b955061481f03f6472afdb7897bd04.jpg

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