On 6/16/2026 at 8:22 AM, Tracy said:

This Little Encephalartos hasn't always flushed every year since I acquired it as a seedling. That makes it special when it does emerge with a very fuzzy new set of leaves.

The last flush was still only 2 leaves so I am happy to see this year it is a 3 leaf flush. Progress albeit slow.

Progress with the little wooly cycad. Yes, this is my favorite right now as it flushes and often when it isn't.

3 hours ago, Tracy said:

Progress with the little wooly cycad. Yes, this is my favorite right now as it flushes and often when it isn't.

In 5yrs…..that’ll really be something!! 👍🏻

-dale

1 hour ago, Billeb said:

In 5yrs…..that’ll really be something!! 👍🏻

-dale

Dale, I planted that as a 2 leafer in 2018, so that represents 8 years in the ground by the end of summer. Not a speedy cycad, but I also could have given it more sun. Unfortunately my planting area for cycads was pretty limited by that point. I did manage to squeeze it in and perhaps will have to remove another nearby cycad to give it room someday. There are worse problems than trying to triage which of one's cycads will stay and which will go.

21 minutes ago, Tracy said:

Dale, I planted that as a 2 leafer in 2018, so that represents 8 years in the ground by the end of summer. Not a speedy cycad, but I also could have given it more sun. Unfortunately my planting area for cycads was pretty limited by that point. I did manage to squeeze it in and perhaps will have to remove another nearby cycad to give it room someday. There are worse problems than trying to triage which of one's cycads will stay and which will go.

…..almost yearly problem in my garden when things fill in. I feel like I’ve removed what others would consider grail plants just to thin the heard. Tough decisions.

I think the hard work is done for that plant. It looks happy now and appears like it will gain momentum in the coming years.

-dale

On 6/22/2026 at 11:51 AM, Tracy said:

Progress with the little wooly cycad. Yes, this is my favorite right now as it flushes and often when it isn't.

So you'll have 8 leaves making food for that caudex! Plus about an inch of caudex spread and thickening for starch storage! Did you plant it this low, or did the root contract to this level? Cupidus does that contraction maneuver and you end up with ripples on the tap root from it trying to keep the caudex at ground level or under.

5 hours ago, GeneAZ said:

So you'll have 8 leaves making food for that caudex! Plus about an inch of caudex spread and thickening for starch storage! Did you plant it this low, or did the root contract to this level? Cupidus does that contraction maneuver and you end up with ripples on the tap root from it trying to keep the caudex at ground level or under.

Here is the closest visual answer I have to how it was originally planted from November 2018.

This isn't Encephalartos cupidus though. It is the cycad species on the front jacket of Loran's book.

17 hours ago, Tracy said:

Here is the closest visual answer I have to how it was originally planted from November 2018.

This isn't Encephalartos cupidus though. It is the cycad species on the front jacket of Loran's book.

I know it's not cupidus. I was offering the info that cupidus does contract it's root to keep the meristem at or below ground level.