Compost pile with Sago 'palm' new leaf flush

[Hillizard]

This is a perpetual problem, compounded by my intense dislike of leafblowers: I planted my sagos in the shade of a Caesalpinia mexicana so their leaves don't scald, and the leaf litter from this tree invariably accumulates in the two sagos beneath it.  Doesn't seem to bother them though. I usually just scoop out the leaves with gloved hands when they get too deep. Does that make me a lazy gardener?

[Silas_Sancona]

Lazy? naah,  That's only if you like throwing a valuable resource in the trash.

That Sago certainly doesn't look bothered by the extra stuff around it.   Highly doubt there's an army of people fastidiously raking up all the leaves around all the Cycads in habitat once a week / month either, lol.  


Whenever i cut the grass out back / clean up back there, about half of the debris gets blown into to a trough i'd cut out against the back wall ( where most of the Sunflowers are grown )   Annual stuff, like the Sunflowers,  ..and what longer term plants are planted in that area  don't mind the 3-6" deep layer of " duff ".  Bermuda grows right through it,  if i allow it to.. 

I'll also leave some amount of leaves that settle onto the surface of larger potted stuff..

Helps retain moisture longer / keeps the soil cooler this time of year too.. Full of worms / other critters at work breaking it all down.

Out front? even though i'd tear it all out and turn into a meadow if i could,  when the lawn gets cut,  clippins' stays put.. Have yet to apply any fertilizer and it stays nice and green / soil is very spongy when walked on. 

[Tracy]

17 hours ago, Hillizard said:

This is a perpetual problem, compounded by my intense dislike of leafblowers: I planted my sagos in the shade of a Caesalpinia mexicana so their leaves don't scald, and the leaf litter from this tree invariably accumulates in the two sagos beneath it.  Doesn't seem to bother them though. I usually just scoop out the leaves with gloved hands when they get too deep. Does that make me a lazy gardener?

To Nathan's point,  the leaf litter can be useful compost.  Where you elect to use it in your garden is a different question.   Unless the decaying compost attracts ants and consequently scale or aphids, then there is no physical harm.  You may find the aesthetic of the accumulated debris unpleasant though.  That dictates the frequency you clear it out, hence your own determination of what is necessary.   In other words, you are the one that determines if you are achieving your personal aesthetic goals.  We all may fall in different places on the slider between picking out each new leaf versus leaving (pun intended) all the leaves where they fell.

Nice new flush by the way.

[Merlyn]

@Hillizard I've not seen leaf litter as an issue in any of my cycads.  The only place it's been a problem is a small Butia (supposedly BxJ hybrid) getting oak leaves clogging the crown.  It's been getting yearly crown rot problems after winter.  But a couple of Cycas Litoralis/Edentata next to it have no problems with some fallen leaves...

[Hillizard]

4 hours ago, Tracy said:

To Nathan's point,  the leaf litter can be useful compost.  Where you elect to use it in your garden is a different question.   Unless the decaying compost attracts ants and consequently scale or aphids, then there is no physical harm.  You may find the aesthetic of the accumulated debris unpleasant though.  That dictates the frequency you clear it out, hence your own determination of what is necessary.   In other words, you are the one that determines if you are achieving your personal aesthetic goals.  We all may fall in different places on the slider between picking out each new leaf versus leaving (pun intended) all the leaves where they fell.

Nice new flush by the way.

Thanks for your comments Tracy! With the heat we've been having in my area this summer, watering is my priority so the plants don't suffer, aesthetics less so, at least at the moment. I'm looking forward to cooler weather and more garden 'housekeeping'!!

[Hillizard]

1 hour ago, Merlyn said:

@Hillizard I've not seen leaf litter as an issue in any of my cycads.  The only place it's been a problem is a small Butia (supposedly BxJ hybrid) getting oak leaves clogging the crown.  It's been getting yearly crown rot problems after winter.  But a couple of Cycas Litoralis/Edentata next to it have no problems with some fallen leaves...

Since a leaf blower isn't an option for me, I think blasting the crown of my cycads with a strong stream of water would be a good partial fix to dislodge the leaf litter!  😜