Cardboard palm

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by jreidsma, Nov 3, 2009.

  1. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

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    I'm not sure why the leaves hang down, a light issue I think. It received several hours of direct sun outdoors all summer, up until it was brought into the garage for the winter. More hours of sunlight I'm assuming would lift it up more like Naths....
     
  2. jreidsma

    jreidsma Active Member

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    I will try to give it more light but thats hard to do in the winter it would probebly die outside even during the days. I can find the warmest days and set it outside or just put it by a open window. Only a couple leaves have started doing this.
     
  3. thanrose

    thanrose Active Member 10 Years

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    The spine through the frond should be pretty stiff. A mature frond will arch out gracefully, and bend a bit under its own weight. With a full complement of fronds, I'd expect some to arching down lower than where they emerge from the caudex. The photo of the cycad with the fronds more up than down is probably showing just this year's growth. At this point, I'd suspect they have lowered a bit more than the photo shows.

    One of the things you'll note when you have them for years is that the fronds will actually start to bend lower as they ready for the new growth.

    At no point should the axil feel mushy or the frond feel like you can move it up and down with ease. If that happens, it's dying.
     
  4. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

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    jreidsma,
    Don't worry to much about the light during winter if you can't provide a lot. Mine sits in the garage in front of one of two windows that face north and does fine.In the spring give it as much as you can outdoors.
     
  5. Nath

    Nath Active Member

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    If the fronds start to hang down instead of staying erect it can be a problem of either too much water or it needs a feed, mix a little Epsom Salts into some water and feed with that Cycads love it.

    Nath
     
  6. Bluewing

    Bluewing Well-Known Member

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    It must be the weight for mine since it gets watered enough and fed lightly with each watering.
     
  7. jreidsma

    jreidsma Active Member

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    how much epsom salt per water do i need to use? I have plenty of epsom salt( I grow crystals with it).
     
  8. Nath

    Nath Active Member

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    I normally put a level teaspoon in a litre of warm/tepid water and with that I water my cycads my Bananas and Strelitzia so not too much for just one small Cycad.
     
  9. jreidsma

    jreidsma Active Member

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    thanks The next time I water it i will do that.
     
  10. jreidsma

    jreidsma Active Member

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    sorry I havent been on in a while but the sago palm is doing great now compared to what it was like. The fronds are the right color most of the time and there are no more dead leaves. I keep forgeting to do the salts but I put some notes on the pot to remind me. Thanks for all the help.
     
  11. jreidsma

    jreidsma Active Member

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    Its doing good. Fronds are pointing more upward now. Im going to hold off for a while on the epsom salt because , I dont know if I posted this yet, I replanted it into a clay pot filled with cactus and palm soil with maricle grow in it. Weird little fungus gnats came out of it for a while but they all got caught and put in a jar. The gnats are all gone for now I am keeping them in a jar and Im feeding them apples lol. They are next to my tarantula.
     

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