Saga palm Cycas - home care

Tsikas is a tree-like plant with a thick trunk and cirrus leaves, in appearance it resembles a palm tree. Belongs to the Sagovnikov family, uniting more than two hundred species. In vivo grows in India, Japan and Madagascar. In Europe, this exotic palm tree is grown as a home plant and is considered a fairly expensive decoration.

Cicada palm tree care at home

Caring for a palm tree is very interesting, but it is necessary to do this observing all the rules, only then it will develop correctly and daily delight with its exotic beauty.

Palm cicada

Tsikas home care for the plant provides for compliance with the regime of lighting, watering, air temperature and humidity, as well as timely feeding and proper care of the leaves.

Lighting

Palm cicada is a photophilous plant, so it must be placed in places with good lighting. For proper development, it is important to provide the palm tree with bright lighting under direct sunlight (at least 4 hours daily). This is especially true for the growing season - from early April to late September.

Before 11 a.m. and after 4 p.m., it is preferable to expose the plant to the bright sun, in the afternoon hours (from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) - to shade from the active influence of sunlight, otherwise the leaf plates will begin to dry out and die out.

Young saga palm

In the winter season, tsikasu needs bright sunlight all day long, otherwise in low light it will stop its growth.

Watering

Palm cicada must be provided with regular and moderate watering. In the summer, when the weather is hot outside, the plant is watered every 7 days, with a slight drying of the top layer of the earth. In the winter season, when the need for water decreases, the frequency of watering should be reduced and water the flower no more than once every 10-14 days.

When pouring a cicada flower, it is worth considering such important points:

• To moisten the soil using only soft, purified water;
• The temperature of the water should be room or -2 degrees higher;
• When watering, it is worthwhile to ensure that water does not fall on the leaves and "bump" of cicas;
• With abundant watering, water should well wet the entire earthen lump, excess liquid should drain into the pan through the drain;
• After the water drains into the pan, it must be drained immediately.

Sago palm on the table

Temperature and humidity

The optimum air temperature for cicasis is considered to be + 20-25 ºC in the summer, in winter, the temperature should not drop below + 15 ºC. In winter, when there is not enough sunlight, in the room where the palm tree is located, it is necessary to lower the temperature to + 15 ºC. If the air temperature is higher, the plant will begin to drop leaves.

In the summer months, the cypress palm tree prefers hot, warm contents, it loves fresh air and is not afraid of light drafts, so if you can, in summer it can be taken out onto the street or to the balcony. It is important to protect the flower from a strong gust of wind and possible rainfall.

Exotic palm cicadas need to provide increased humidity in the room where it is located. The permissible norm is 70-80%. You can increase the humidity in the room with a humidifier. It is not worth spraying this flower, it is better to periodically give it a warm shower, then carefully wipe the leaves with a dry cloth.

Fertilizer

Palm cicada needs systematic top dressing. During the period of active growth (from April to September), the plant is fed with organic fertilizers with a frequency of once a month. Best flower responds to fertilizer with a solution of horse manure (100 g. Per 10 liters of water) or dry mullein (1 kg per 10 liters of water).

You can also use complex fertilizers specifically designed for cycas. Feeding is carried out immediately after watering. The amount of fertilizer applied is calculated according to the instructions.

Transfer

Young plants under the age of five must be replanted annually. An adult bush is replanted as needed - if it becomes very crowded in a pot. It is better to carry out a transplant in early spring, before a young rosette begins to form, or after a complete unfolding of the leaves occurs. In the autumn-winter period, it is better not to transplant the plant.

Potted palm tree

During a flower transplant, it is worth considering such moments:

• Strongly deepen the trunk is not necessary - only the base of the "cones" should be buried in the ground;
• If the roots are too long and thick, they must be shortened. To do this, they must be carefully trimmed with a sharp knife, sprinkled with charcoal and leave to dry for 30 minutes;
• The first watering after transplantation is recommended only after a day.

When preparing the mixture for transplantation, you need to take into account that the palm tree prefers to grow in a neutral or slightly acidic soil. In this case, the soil mixture should have good drainage properties.

Transplanting palm trees into a new pot

Tsikas is a plant for which such a composition is considered ideal soil: small pumice, pine bark, small dolomite gravel, dry peat, charcoal and large perlite. All components are taken in equal proportions.

How to transplant a purchased palm tree

If a palm tree purchased at a store or nursery needs a transplant, it is very important to transplant it in accordance with all the transplant rules. The plant is transferred to a new pot along with an old lump of earth. In this case, you need to remove the flower from the old pot without damaging the roots. It is impossible to shake and wash off the earth, as well as break off the roots, otherwise the plant will not be able to adapt to the new soil and die.

When replanting a flower, do not take a too large pot - the "bump" of the cicas should be freely located on the surface of the soil.

Leaf Care and Pruning

There is nothing complicated in the care of leaves; they should be cleaned regularly of dust with warm (+ 40 ° C) water using a damp sponge, then thoroughly wiped with a dry cloth.

Palm cicada on the balcony

In order for the palm tree to always look luxurious, it is necessary to periodically trim the leaves. During pruning, it is worthwhile to remove all diseased, dried and lost attractiveness leaves. Leaves with obvious signs of the disease are very easy to notice, they change their color and shape, and also fall down and begin to hang from the pot.

Growing problems

In order to successfully grow such a variety of palm trees as cicadas, it is necessary to have not only iron patience, but also possess certain knowledge and skills. Improper care can cause illness and even death of the plant.

If the leaves of the cicas are yellowed

The leaves turn yellow in cicas, what to do and why this happens:

1. Very often, a yellowing of the leaves can be observed near a palm tree during a long stay in direct sunlight, especially in the daytime. If the plant is moved to another place and placed on a windowsill with diffused light, the problem of yellowing of the leaves will be solved soon.
2. Also, the tips of the leaves may turn yellow on the flower with insufficient daylight. In this case, it is worth organizing additional lighting using fluorescent lamps. This is especially true in the autumn-winter season.
3. The leaves can also turn yellow when the air is very dry, especially if the flower is located near radiators. You can save the plant by rearranging it in another, wetter place.
4. Often the problem of yellowed leaves lies in an excess of soil moisture. In this case, it is worth pulling the plant out of the pot and inspecting the roots. If there are rotten ones, remove them, the remaining ones should be treated with a root growth stimulator.
   

   Leaves on a palm tree dry and turn yellow
5. With insufficient nitrogen in the soil, the leaves may also turn yellow. The solution to this problem is to increase the concentration of nitrogen-containing fertilizing.

New leaves do not grow

With the correct content on the palm tree over the entire growing season, three leaves, or one rosette consisting of several leaves, develop alternately. If within a few years not a single new leaf has grown on a palm tree, it means that it has some problems that need to be addressed. When kept indoors, the main reasons for the lack of leaf growth are:

• Non-compliance with the temperature regime - the air temperature in the room is too cold (below + 15 ° C);
• Insufficient amount of sunlight and lack of additional lighting;
• Incorrect feeding or non-compliance with their dosage.

Leaves do not grow on a palm tree

Providing the plant with a suitable climate, sufficient lighting and top dressing, it will resume its development and begin to form new leaves. This may take from one month to six months.

Breeding

Palm cicada can multiply at home through seed germination and by growing from side shoots.

How to germinate from seeds

It is not easy to grow a palm tree from seeds, but you can try. How to do it:

• Soak the seeds in warm water for a day;
• Plant in the ground, slightly pressing them into the ground;
• Place the container with landings in a warm place;
• Watering is necessary as the top layer of the earth dries;
• After 1-2 months, the first sprout will appear on the seed, it will begin to produce the first leaf plate. When this happens, it can be transplanted into a special soil suitable for adult palm trees.
  

  Propagation of palm trees by seeds

Side shoots

If the palm tree grows in favorable conditions, young shoots may appear on the trunk. The rules for reproduction by processes:

• The shoot is carefully cut off from the trunk;
• Remove all side leaves;
• Sprinkle a slice of charcoal and leave for a day;
• Then put in a light substrate and cover with a film;
• Timely moisturize and maintain the air temperature +30 degrees;
• The shoot will take root in 5-6 months, then it can be transplanted into a separate pot.

Description of popular varieties

Exotic palm tree cicadas can be of various types and forms, few are suitable for home cultivation. The best option is considered to be curled cicas and Revolute cicas.

Curled or cochlea cicas (Cycas circinalis)

The height of this variety of palm trees reaches 3 meters. Leaf plates grow up to 2 meters, as a rule, they are collected in bundles of several pieces. While the leaves are young, they are directed strictly upwards, but as they mature, they are placed in a horizontal position.

Cicas curly or cochlear

Separate leaf plates contain 50-60 densely arranged green leaves with a lanceolate shape. The length of the leaflets reaches 25 centimeters, in width they are, as a rule, no more than 1.5 centimeters. Change of leaves occurs very quickly: the old foliage falls off and only the young is preserved.

Cycas Cyclone or Revolute Cycas

The cycas revoluta palm has a natural habitat - South Japan. The plant has a thick, columnar trunk up to 3 meters high. The diameter of the barrel is about a meter. Unpaired leaf plates grow up to 2 meters long. The plates, as a rule, consist of many light green, slightly wrapped, narrow, leathery leaves. Young leaves are a little pubescent, but as they grow older they turn into bare, dark and shiny.

Cycas Cyclone or Revolute Cycas

Male bushes have narrow cylindrical cones up to 80 centimeters long and up to 15 centimeters in diameter. Female bushes have loose light red, fluffy cones. Tsikas Revolyuta home care involves providing the plant with enough light and moderate watering. The indoor palm of the Revolution grows very slowly - no more than 3 centimeters can grow in a year, so you should be patient.

Saga palm tree looks very original in a pot, which can bring a bright touch of the tropics to the room. The plant does not grow very fast, may not bloom, subject to all the rules of care will be the decoration of any home for many years.