Is this E. lehmannii sick?

[jase65]

I’m seeking some advice here. I’m considering buying a E. lehmannii with an 8” caudex for $800, but I’m a bit concerned about its health. There seem to be some brown spots on the leaves. Despite that, the overall appearance of the plant is good. Do you think it’s worth the price? Any thoughts or insights would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Edited March 9, 2024 by jase65

[Tracy]

2 hours ago, jase65 said:

I’m seeking some advice here. I’m considering buying a E. lehmannii with an 8” caudex for $800, but I’m a bit concerned about its health. There seem to be some brown spots on the leaves. Despite that, the overall appearance of the plant is good. Do you think it’s worth the price? Any thoughts or insights would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Older flushes sometimes show the type of damage you see.  I don't think it is a sick plant.  Do you know if it was dug recently and put in the pot versus container grown?  If it was dug and put into the pot the limited leaflet damage could be the result of transplant shock.

Relative to the price of $100 per inch of caudex, or $800 for an 8 inch caudex, I am not up to speed with current market prices.   It sounds pretty reasonable to what I recall from when I was acquiring most of my Encephalartos here in San Diego County.

Welcome to PalmTalk too.  Are you growing any other cycads or have experience planting Encephalartos?

 

 

[jase65]

Thank you for the reply and welcome Tracy! I am a total beginner in growing any encephelartos. I believe the plant was grown only in a container. I would be planting this in the ground if that makes a difference in maintaining its health.  At this moment this would be the only encephelartos I own if I were to purchase this. 

[Tracy]

Encephalartos lehmannii was one of my earliest purchases in the genus too, albeit much smaller when I got it than the 8" size you are considering.   It is relatively easy to grow here if you follow some general guidelines.  

Well drained soil is important as is a sunny spot for the blue species in this genus.  If you have heavy clay soil consider building a mound to plant it on or plant on a slope.  Avoid planting where it will get blasted by sprinklers, as this will wash off the waxy coating on the leaflets which gives them their blue color.   Older retained flushes on the blue species tend to be more green due to rain even when no overhead irrigation is used.  

Do you know much about your soil drainage or type already?  What part of the county are you in?

[Tracy]

Similar leaflet browning on mine as we come out of winter.  Other than a couple of smaller pups which flushed last year, the two largest caudices put all their efforts into pushing cones last year.  So most of the leaves are from the prior summer.   Even with sandy, we'll draining soil I opted to plant this on a mound I created .

[jase65]

Thanks for that example Tracy! That really helps. Gorgeous plants, especially like the yucca.  live in Mira Mesa. I don’t know about the soil type here. I know it is very very rocky here so I’m assuming it’s well draining based on how many rocks are in the ground. 

[Tracy]

4 hours ago, jase65 said:

Thanks for that example Tracy! That really helps. Gorgeous plants, especially like the yucca.  live in Mira Mesa. I don’t know about the soil type here. I know it is very very rocky here so I’m assuming it’s well draining based on how many rocks are in the ground. 

Glad it was helpful.  No yucca's in my yard but some Aloes in those photos and a Dasylirion.  All will do well in Mira Mesa.