All About Cycads

Cycads are an ancient group of plants. Fossils have been found of Cycads dating back over 300 million years. They usually have a short stem with leaves between 50cm and 150cm in length. They are generally slow growing and in our local region may only flush new leaves once a year, in the warmer months. Very old cycads may be 6 metres tall, but these plants may be in excess of 100 years old!

They are a very adaptable plant which survives indoors, with proper care and thrives outdoors even in full sun.

If you want to grow your cycad indoors perhaps the most important consideration is to keep it away from direct heat. So not in front of a fire or behind a glass window that receives direct sun. Dust which may accumulate on the leaves is also a problem which can restrict the amount of light energy reaching the plant. As long as it not too cold take your cycad outdoors periodically, particularly if is raining, for a natural bath or hose the leaves occasionally.

When planting indoors use a freely draining, organic potting mix with some added mulch to emulate the natural habitat.

Outdoor planting again requires a freely draining substrate with a large amount of mulch added. Be sure to not apply the planting substrate too close to the bulb or trunk as this may cause some rotting and fungal attack.

Your cycad will “flush” new leaves in the warmer weather. The emerging group of leaves grow quickly and are very soft during this growth flush. Avoid touching the leaves or letting them rub against anything at this time as it may deform the symmetrical development of the leaf. Once the flush is complete the leaflets will harden and be very resilient to touching and unlikely to break.

In spring you should feed your cycad to provide energy for the impending new leaf flush. A slow release fertilizer such as Osmocote or Richgrow organic Palm food or Super Iron Top Dress will assist the plant at this time of impending flush stress.

We grow several species of Cycads, including Cycas Revoluta, Dioon Spinulosum, Zamia Furfuracea, Encephalartos gratus and Cycas Thouarsii.

Over the millennia, Cycads have been utilised by humans in several ways.

Cycads as a Source of Food 

Sago can be extracted from the pithy centre of the tree and used in place of rice. It is rich in carbohydrates. The leaves can be converted into a tasty vegetable with proper processing.

Helps to Treat Wounds

If you mix the cycad plant’s seeds with coconut oil, it can heal wounds, ulcers, swelling and several other skin problems.

Used As a Source of Clothing Fiber

There are leaves of different species of cycad plants that one can process and convert into clothing fibers. One can even use it as a material for making hats, mats, baskets, broom, yarn and also rope.

Can Extract Oil Out of its Seeds

You can even process the seeds of a cycad plant to get oil out of them. This oil can be further processed to turn it into cooking oil or even bio-diesel.