Cycads in zone 9a/8b

[Cikas]

How much cold hardy is Encephalartos arenarius?! Also how much cold Dioon spinulosum can take?

[Meangreen94z]

I’ve heard Arenarius can take atleast high teens *F if in dry conditions, Dioon Spinulosum I’ve heard will take heavy damage/death below 25*F. 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

Spinulosum is WEAK~ 25F and it will kill the stem.  9A you can reliable grow hundreds of cycad species outside unprotected especially if you get minimal frost.

Once you get below 20 your list starts to shrink fast. 

[necturus]

Can spinulosum take low 20s in a frost free spot, or will it still kick the bucket?

[edbrown_III]

yes it can --- I have about 3 in the ground and one in a pot that I leave out

 

[Kailua_Krish]

I’ve also had spinulosum for roughly 10-12 years in my 9a. It doesn’t gain much size for me though and did get toasted in 2010. It’s under dense oak canopy

[Cikas]

How much cold hardy are Encephalartos munchii and Encephalartos kisambo ''kanga''?!

I got seedlings of these two Encephalartos species ( my first Encephalartos ). I do not know much about Encephalartos hardiness.

Encephalartos munchii seedling

[Merlyn]

A lot of the Encephalartos are hardy to the low 20s, generally 22-24F for a lot of them.  I don't know much about Munchii, my notes say it is frost-sensitive.  My notes on Kisambo are: damage around 28F and defoliation in the mid 20s.