In April this year (2016), I was worried about my Cycad (Cycas revoluta (Sago Palm), afraid that it was dying because all the leaves started lying down flat. I got a lovely comment from "A" at that post, saying,
"Hi Maree, I'm quite confident that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your
cycas. It is quite common for them to skip a season without flushing,
sometimes stress related, but I doubt this is the cause. With cycas you
can almost always tell if something is wrong by looking at the colour of
the leaves - like if there was a mineral shortage they would turn
yellowish or show signs of burns at the tips of the leaves the most
common problem and cause of death with them is root-rot, this can also
be picked up by looking at the leaves - the base of the leaves becomes a
darkish rot-like brown, which progresses towards the tip of the leaves
as the root rot becomes worse and goes untreated. Just as a side note -
you won't be able to see changes in the current set of leave if you try
and correct the condition by adding compost or whatever, it will only
show in the new set.
But with yours, I suspect the answer might
relate to the age of your plant - as the plant gets older the flush gets
larger and preparing for the larger flush takes more time and
nutrients. So I think it would be safe to say that you can expect a nice
large one before December this year. You can also try feeding it with
Seagrow or just a healthy dose of compost from your heap and watch it
prosper."
And now, here's the wonderful proof of this!
I am absolutely thrilled that he is OK! I've been spending the winter worrying about him and talking to him, and at the end of winter I did give him a good dose of compost.
So, a big thank you "A", for setting my mind at ease and also for the wonderful information you imparted, very grateful for that!
🍄 The bliss of gardening on my little piece of African soil. A year-by-year record of the progress in my old garden. My "new" garden of 2000sq.m. started in 2004, and ended when we sold our smallholding in 2017and moved to the Dolphin Coast in KwaZulu Natal. Now "my garden" consists of a postage-stamp-size mostly-indigenous succulent garden and it always amazes me how supposedly drought-resistant plants do so well in this tropical coastal region.
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Friday, 7 October 2016
Wednesday, 5 October 2016
The succulent grows in symmetry
The succulent grows in symmetry,
Budding as a flower,
Reaching for moisture,
And sunlight every hour,
She waits in peace for loving,
Someone to grow beside,
Hopeful in the waiting,
With no shade to hide behind,
But then, a plant is placed by her,
A quiet friend to greet,
So, now they'll grow in harmony,
Until their purpose is complete.
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