pruning cycads?

[Cindy Adair]

Sorry about the lighting...

I know next to nothing about cycads. I do not have a true "before" picture.

It began with a visibility issue so a week ago I removed some of the totally brown stalks. As you can see there is still more to go.

Now I see the old gnarled fascinating trunks and want to "clean it up" to expose them.

However I absolutely don't want to hurt this surely old plant nor be like the palm owner who removes the "ugly" skirt off of a C. borhidiana or turns all their palms into feather dusters.

 

 

[Really full garden]

Certainly, I would get in there take out all the dead stuff first and go from there. I would not be squeamish about editing some of those competing  trunks .

[Cindy Adair]

Always good when I hear what I want to hear!

I like the idea of "editing". It sounds so civilized.

Thanks!

[5150cycad]

That thing is a monster. Do you know how old it is?  When I trim my cycads I usually just trim one row of leaves at a time and try to make it look as even as possible. I then take a look at a distance to see how it looks and go from there. Cycads are very tough so u shouldn't have any problems trimming away enough leaves to expose that amazing looking trunk. Please post some pictures after the trimming. Good luck. 

[Darold Petty]

What species is this, please ?

[Cindy Adair]

3 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

What species is this, please ?

I am not sure, but bet someone else can answer! 

[Cindy Adair]

Like a haircut, I can't undo it. However I love seeing the trunks and being able to get in and out more easily.

Just hope I did not overly stress this special (to me) plant.

Obviously the barbed wire "fence" is less than stunning so when replaced can go behind the cycad.

There is a Roystonea borinquena barely visible whose days are numbered. Dozens at least on this farm so sadly this one needs to go.

Oh there is a bigger cycad (of the same species) as well which has room to grow as big as it likes!

Any guesses as to how old this one could be?

[5150cycad]

Maybe cycas circinalis (queen sago)?

[5150cycad]

Btw, nice trim job. What a difference a haircut makes. That looks so much better with the trunks exposed. 

21 minutes ago, Cindy Adair said:

Like a haircut, I can't undo it. However I love seeing the trunks and being able to get in and out more easily.

Just hope I did not overly stress this special (to me) plant.

Obviously the barbed wire "fence" is less than stunning so when replaced can go behind the cycad.

There is a Roystonea borinquena barely visible whose days are numbered. Dozens at least on this farm so sadly this one needs to go.

Oh there is a bigger cycad (of the same species) as well which has room to grow as big as it likes!

Any guesses as to how old this one could be?

 

[sur4z]

Arbol de muy buen aspecto!!

[Cindy Adair]

Muchas gracias, mi amigo.

[cycadjungle]

I'm glad you only removed the leaves from some of those small interior stems. When I heard "edit", I was thinking you were going to actually cut out some of the stems. If you do, you need to treat and seal up any wounds. Any open wounds can kill an entire plant this size from rot going through all the stems. I don't know where you are, but as long as you are not in some far off country, you most likely have a Cycas rumphii.  Tom

[Darold Petty]

Cycadjungle, thanks for the ID. 

[Mandrew968]

9 hours ago, cycadjungle said:

I'm glad you only removed the leaves from some of those small interior stems. When I heard "edit", I was thinking you were going to actually cut out some of the stems. If you do, you need to treat and seal up any wounds. Any open wounds can kill an entire plant this size from rot going through all the stems. I don't know where you are, but as long as you are not in some far off country, you most likely have a Cycas rumphii.  Tom

I was going to say rumphii too.

[Cindy Adair]

Surely C. rumphii seems to fit. Thanks folks. Still no guess as to age and some sites say "slow" others don't perhaps dependent on where it is grown?

Here is another, also hard to get a photo in the light at the time. Look carefully at the white plastic bag and my green edged cell phone for scale. 

[fiji jim]

Looks like C.circinalis to me.

They differ from C.rumphii by having short spines on the petiole base area.

C.rumphii are smooth and do not seem to have a  tendency to sprout so many pups as Queen Sago.

[Cindy Adair]

I read (somewhere) online that C. circinalis rarely branches as mine are, but C. rumphii does?

 However that could just mean the growers were not patient enough/don't live in the tropics?

[Tracy]

18 hours ago, cycadjungle said:

I don't know where you are, but as long as you are not in some far off country, you most likely have a Cycas rumphii.  Tom

 

2 hours ago, fiji jim said:

Looks like C.circinalis to me.

They differ from C.rumphii by having short spines on the petiole base area.

C.rumphii are smooth and do not seem to have a  tendency to sprout so many pups as Queen Sago.

I'm guessing that when they cone (if male) or produce megasporophylls if female would help sort this out.  I was guessing something in this complex, but having been wrong so many times with these Cycas, withheld a guess.  I have seen the cones on this male "rumphii" complex and still don't know which one it is or possibly even a hybrid.  The ropes were to keep the leaves back from the entry way of the house, as they were blocking the front porch.  Like Cindy's this one too has the multiheaded caudex growing from what appears to be an original stem.

[5150cycad]

6 hours ago, Tracy said:

 

I'm guessing that when they cone (if male) or produce megasporophylls if female would help sort this out.  I was guessing something in this complex, but having been wrong so many times with these Cycas, withheld a guess.  I have seen the cones on this male "rumphii" complex and still don't know which one it is or possibly even a hybrid.  The ropes were to keep the leaves back from the entry way of the house, as they were blocking the front porch.  Like Cindy's this one too has the multiheaded caudex growing from what appears to be an original stem.

Cool looking specimen Tracy. I am wrong a lot of the time when trying to ID plants but am hopefully getting better over time. I personally have a hard time telling the difference between the circinalis & rumphii.