Cycads through epic freeze events

[Swolte]

Any Cycads that surprised you through freeze events?

After the big Texas freeze of 2021 (went down to 3F here), my unprotected Ceratozamia Hildae is showing growth!

[amh]

Cool, mine is in a pot, but if yours survived this freeze, I wont be afraid to plant mine.

Now I just need to buy more.

[Swolte]

Several C. Revoluta (also unprotected but close to the house) are also returning. 

[amh]

Does anyone have a report for Zamia floridana, various Dioons, Cycas taitungensis, Cycas panzhihuaensis, or Cycas debaoensis hybrids?

[Swolte]

12 minutes ago, amh said:

Does anyone have a report for Zamia floridana, various Dioons, Cycas taitungensis, Cycas panzhihuaensis, or Cycas debaoensis hybrids?

My young Zamia floridana, Taitungensis, and Panzi were protected by a bit of straw and a frost blanket (no heat source) and returned from being defoliated. Still waiting on the Debaoensis hybrid that received the same protection... (fingers crossed). 

[amh]

25 minutes ago, Swolte said:

My young Zamia floridana, Taitungensis, and Panzi were protected by a bit of straw and a frost blanket (no heat source) and returned from being defoliated. Still waiting on the Debaoensis hybrid that received the same protection... (fingers crossed). 

Good news.

[necturus]

Have a small Stangeria that's coming back, but it's below the ground.

[Silas_Sancona]

6 hours ago, Swolte said:

My young Zamia floridana, Taitungensis, and Panzi were protected by a bit of straw and a frost blanket (no heat source) and returned from being defoliated. Still waiting on the Debaoensis hybrid that received the same protection... (fingers crossed). 

I honestly think its near impossible to kill a Coontie. Surviving the heat here thru summer, and me not watering my colony of them often -in a pot- is impressive. Surviving the degree of cold you all had this year is even more impressive.

[amh]

2 hours ago, necturus said:

Have a small Stangeria that's coming back, but it's below the ground.

Where did you obtain your stangeria?

[amh]

33 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

I honestly think its near impossible to kill a Coontie. Surviving the heat here thru summer, and me not watering my colony of them often -in a pot- is impressive. Surviving the degree of cold you all had this year is even more impressive.

The coonties are bulletproof, they can tolerate both sun and shade. All of mine are in pots, but they have experienced low teens with no defoliation, I had a few in the ground, but the pigs decided to eat them.

[Silas_Sancona]

Just now, amh said:

The coonties are bulletproof, they can tolerate both sun and shade. All of mine are in pots, but they have experienced low teens with no defoliation, I had a few in the ground, but the pigs decided to eat them.

Bet the pigs will regret eating them, lol.. 

[amh]

10 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Bet the pigs will regret eating them, lol.. 

I sure hope so, luckily they leave the other cycads alone.

[Meangreen94z]

I brought everything in at Austin, except 3 Encephalartos Ferox Seedlings I forgot. They are dead.

In Houston my parents had a Lepidozamia Perryoffskyana seedling I planted come back from 15*F. It’s already grown 2 fronds.

[Meangreen94z]

Here is the Lepidozamia Perryoffskyana with a fresh frond.

[PricklyPearSATC]

On 4/29/2021 at 5:00 PM, amh said:

Does anyone have a report for Zamia floridana, various Dioons, Cycas taitungensis, Cycas panzhihuaensis, or Cycas debaoensis hybrids?

My zamia florida probably died, but I had purchased them as tiny seedlings years ago and they never thrived.  My sago palms are doing fine. 

I've got a few sago weeds (seedlings) through out my landscape.  I don't know if they survived or not.  They never grew much beyond one true leaf, so it will be a while to determine. 

[amh]

I'm seeing a few local sagos flushing, if the majority survive, I would consider them hardy to 7A.

[Collectorpalms]

Cycas panzhihuaensis did better than Cycas revoluta, 
and Dioon Angustafolia didn’t even defoliate at Zilker Gardens in Austin.

Several Cycas Revoluta in and north of College Station are dead. Mine appear alive. The ones that I wrapped have flushed, the ones I didn’t have not flushed, but their crown still appears firm.

I found most were dead in Waco when I checked their crown.

I honestly wasn’t sure how hardy they were but now I learned something.

Edited May 4, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[PricklyPearSATC]

20 hours ago, amh said:

I'm seeing a few local sagos flushing, if the majority survive, I would consider them hardy to 7A.

They might survive a 7a winter, but will probably decline in with lows of 5 degrees every winter! 

[PricklyPearSATC]

Here is something kinda funny or not:

I have bunch of sago palms all over my yard.  Many I purchased as little "house plants" for real cheap.  Anyway, I pruned a little 4 frond one.   Unfortunately, I ended up doing a bunch of work on other plants in the vicinity and since it was pruned, I didn't see it.    I ended up stepping on it and crushed it.  

I'm not pruning any more of small ones..LOL

I have a little 4 fronder that is flushing already. 
 

Edited May 4, 2021 by PricklyPearSATC

[amh]

1 minute ago, PricklyPearSATC said:

Here is something kinda funny or not:

I have bunch of sago palms all over my yard.  Many I purchased as little "house plants" for real cheap.  Anyway, I pruned a little 4 frond one.   Unfortunately, I ended up doing a bunch of work on other plants in the vicinity and since it was pruned, I didn't see it.    I ended up stepping on it and crushed it.  

I'm not pruning any more of small ones..LOL

ouch!

[amh]

12 hours ago, Collectorpalms said:

Cycas panzhihuaensis did better than Cycas revoluta, 
and Dioon Angustafolia didn’t even defoliate at Zilker Gardens in Austin.

Several Cycas Revoluta in and north of College Station are dead. Mine appear alive. The ones that I wrapped have flushed, the ones I didn’t have not flushed, but their crown still appears firm.

I found most were dead in Waco when I checked their crown.

I honestly wasn’t sure how hardy they were but now I learned something.

I'm hoping the cycads in my area fair better, there was over 7 inches of snow, so I'm hoping that helped. Also the area is dryer, well drained and accustomed to cold temperatures and prolonged freezes.

[Swolte]

I was surprised to stumble on a new flush of the Cycas Debaoensis x Revoluta hybrid today! Had given up on that one!

Edited May 31, 2021 by Swolte

[Swolte]

Visited friend today and his hybrids were doing great! He did protect them (but no heat source, just some leaves). 

[Swolte]

And more evidence that coonties, bamboo cycads (Ceratozamia hildae), and Panzi's are tough as nails!

[Merlyn]

8 hours ago, Swolte said:

Visited friend today and his hybrids were doing great! He did protect them (but no heat source, just some leaves). 

Up above you said these were Deb x Rev, is that the correct order?  Normally I see Rev x Deb (female Revoluta) and I haven't seen the reverse offered for sale.

That's great recovery on them, it just goes to show the saying is true.  Don't give up on a cycad until it rots and falls apart!

[Swolte]

8 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Up above you said these were Deb x Rev, is that the correct order?  Normally I see Rev x Deb (female Revoluta) and I haven't seen the reverse offered for sale.

I double checked and you were right. These are Rev x Deb! Thanks for pointing that out!

[amh]

17 hours ago, Swolte said:

Visited friend today and his hybrids were doing great! He did protect them (but no heat source, just some leaves). 

What temperatures did your friend experience?

[Swolte]

He lives not far from me and I got down to 3F the worst night. Several days of freezing temps. 

[amh]

3 minutes ago, Swolte said:

He lives not far from me and I got down to 3F the worst night. Several days of freezing temps. 

Okay, just making sure they weren't located on the coast.

Great thread.

[amh]

Did anyone have any plants of the Macrozamia genus in the ground, if so, did they survive?

[richtrav]

11 hours ago, amh said:

Did anyone have any plants of the Macrozamia genus in the ground, if so, did they survive?

I have a pair of Macrozamia moorei in the ground and they got scorched pretty badly at 22-23F but survived. They’re coming back slowly, they grow more like palms and don’t do a massive quick flush of growth like most cycads.

[Fusca]

Zamia furfuracea just started flushing new leaves after 9F in February in one of the smaller caudices as two rotted.  Bigger caudices are still solid so hoping they'll follow soon.  Cycas revoluta looks normal again.

 

Edited June 3, 2021 by Fusca

[amh]

I brought all of my plants indoors, but the majority of the neighborhood sagos have returned.

[Collectorpalms]

My cycas taitungensis with about 3 ft of trunk has died. It was unprotected. The top has completed rotted off. It never made pups, so it’s a total loss. A nearby Common sago female has returned but the fronds are uneven so it was damaged. Two other common sagos have not rotted or returned. Otherwise, all other Cycads were protected and have flushed. 
An unprotected Cycas Panz. Returned for a friend, so I think it must be more hardy than regular common sagos.

Edited June 6, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[Merlyn]

1 hour ago, Collectorpalms said:

My cycas taitungensis with about 3 ft of trunk has died. It was unprotected. The top has completed rotted off. It never made pups, so it’s a total loss. A nearby Common sago female has returned but the fronds are uneven so it was damaged. Two other common sagos have not rotted or returned. Otherwise, all other Cycads were protected and have flushed. 
An unprotected Cycas Panz. Returned for a friend, so I think it must be more hardy than regular common sagos.

What kind of low temperatures did you see?  My recollection was that Taitungensis was similar in hardiness to Revoluta, and Panz. is significantly hardier.  So that would make sense, unfortunately.

[amh]

9 hours ago, Collectorpalms said:

My cycas taitungensis with about 3 ft of trunk has died. It was unprotected. The top has completed rotted off. It never made pups, so it’s a total loss. A nearby Common sago female has returned but the fronds are uneven so it was damaged. Two other common sagos have not rotted or returned. Otherwise, all other Cycads were protected and have flushed. 
An unprotected Cycas Panz. Returned for a friend, so I think it must be more hardy than regular common sagos.

Where did you acquire the taitungensis?

They are supposed to be as or more hardy than revoluta.

Edited June 7, 2021 by amh