COONTIE

[gsn]

Question for the cyad gurus.

I have several 1 gallon coonties which I planted last summer,all had a fairly nice flush this spring / early summer. All are developing seed cones at the present time.

Would cutting out the seed cone now encourage a fall flush before winter,or is the spring /early summer flush it?

thanks

[tropicalb]

though i'm far from being a cycad guru, i can tell you that cutting the seed cone will allow the plant to put it's energies elsewhere (and part of that energy would go to healing the cut itself....)

whether you get another flush before winter or not is up to the plant.

[Jeff Searle]

(tropicalb @ Aug. 24 2007,11:43)

QUOTE

though i'm far from being a cycad guru, i can tell you that cutting the seed cone will allow the plant to put it's energies elsewhere (and part of that energy would go to healing the cut itself....)

whether you get another flush before winter or not is up to the plant.

A good answer. And you certainly could get another flush easily this year. We still have 4 months left.

Jeff

[cycadjungle]

You have been told correctly. Cutting the cone off, once you see the peduncle showing will help give more energy to the plant for growing. However, it is also possible to get another flush even with the cones on. In fact, I performed an experiemnt for a couple of years where I forced out new leaves at the same time there were cones on the plants and the ones that have cones on them will split their apecies 3 times to 1 compared to plants that didn't have existing cones on them. The key is fertilizing them corectly and heavily will produce that extra flush, because if you were to just leave them and not do anything, cones or not, it wouldn't be likely that they would flush again naturally.

[gsn]

Thanks guys!

I usually cover my peduncle when it starts to show! :laugh:

cyadjungle

So from your response and the others, would you recommend cutting off the seed cone, or leaving it on and just fertilizing? I am not interested in germinating any at the present time so no need for seeds.

If some of the energy goes into healing the cut where the cone was? Again they are young plants, 1 gallons planted last summer. I am surprised they are even coning!

[cycadjungle]

The main stress on the plant isn't even happening yet becasue the cones don't have seeds on them. On top of that, it is very likely that all you are seeing is male cones becasue of the age of the plants. You usually get male cones first and then the females start showing up 1 or 2 years later. If it was me, I would fertilize them with something like my Cycad Special (which thanks to someone on this forum, I can't sell any more, or at least for now) and if you force out some new growth (mine are pushing right now for their second flush) you may get thicker plants becasue of the branching of the apecies because the cones are on there.