Cycad

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Cycad (Latin Cycas) Is a genus of gymnosperms of the Cycadaceae family. Other names are Sago palms or Tsikas. According to some data, the genus has about 90 species, according to others - only 20 species. Natural range - Madagascar, Australia, India, China, Japan, Indonesia, as well as numerous islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans. In Russia, the cycad is grown only on the Black Sea coast; it is often used as a room culture. The plant is popularly known under the names - Kaffir bread, Kaffir breadfruit, Kaffir bread. Such names reflect the importance of the culture as a food source, because the core of the trunk and its bark contain a large amount of starch used for the production of sago groats.

Common types and their characteristics

Cycad is a low palm-like plant that is a great decoration for gardens and interiors. Cycad is a slow-growing culture, for a year of life it forms only one row of large leaves, the lifespan of which varies from 3 to 10 years, after which they die off and fall off. The trunk is covered with cochlear segments (similar to that of ferns).

* The drooping cycad, or the unfolded cycad (Latin Cycas revoluta) - the species is represented by small grandiose ornamental plants up to 2 m high (specimens up to 8 m high are found in nature). The crown is miniature. The leaves are dark green, shiny. Megasporophylls of yellow color with bright red ovules look spectacular against the background of green foliage.

* Cycad curled (Latin Cycas circinalis) - the species is represented by highly ornamental plants up to 5 m high. The leaves are elongated, leathery. The species is widely cultivated in subtropical and tropical gardens and parks.

* Cycas thouarsii (Latin Cycas thouarsii) - the species is represented by plants up to 10 m high. It is very similar to the Cycad curled. The trunk is columnar, forked-branching in the upper part.

* Cycad (Latin Cycas pectinata) - the species is represented by low plants, characterized by a peculiar dissection of the megasporophyll plates.

* Thornless cycad (Latin Cycas inermis) - the species is represented by plants, on the petioles of which there are no thorns (unlike other species). Megasporophylls of the thornless cycad form a dense "collar", seated with rich yellow seeds.

Growing conditions

Cycad is a thermophilic plant that develops well in intensely lit areas. A small amount of direct sunlight is allowed. Indoor cycads are placed on the southeast or southwest windows. In the heat, plants need shading from the midday sun.

The optimum temperature for development and growth in spring and summer is 20-25C, in winter - 12-14C. When cultivating crops in the open field, cycads tolerate lower temperatures. At elevated winter temperatures, plants shed their leaves. Cycad is a drought-resistant crop, but at temperatures above 25C, regular spraying is required. Indoor specimens are placed on pallets filled with wet gravel or pebbles.

Reproduction

There are two ways of breeding cycads - seed and vegetative. The seed method is used by breeders to breed new species, but if seeds appear in the arsenal, they are sown in pots filled with sod and leafy soil, peat, humus and sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 1: 1: 0, 5 or a purchased substrate, intended for palm trees. It is important to ensure good drainage of the pebbles at the bottom of the pot. Crops must be kept at a temperature of 30-32C, providing regular moisture and ventilation. Seedlings appear in 1-1, 5 months.

Further development of seedlings is progressing very slowly, the second leaf appears only after a year, the subsequent leaves - one annually. If the optimal growing conditions are observed, two leaves can be obtained at once per year, but this phenomenon is extremely rare. Most often, the culture is propagated by the tops of the trunks or offspring that appear at the main trunk. The tops and offspring are rooted in containers with the same soil mixture as for sowing seeds. When transplanting young plants, you should be very careful; it is undesirable to shake off the soil from the roots and wash it with water.

Care

Watering is moderate, it is impossible to overmoisten the soil, since the root system of cycads is very sensitive to excess moisture. Overdrying of the substrate should not be allowed. It is recommended to use warm, settled water for irrigation. The cycad needs systematic feeding, especially when growing the plant in indoor conditions. Spring-summer feeding - once every 2 weeks using liquid complex mineral fertilizers, autumn-winter - gradual reduction to a minimum and complete termination. When growing a cycad in the open field, 2-3 additional fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers is enough. Cycads are prone to attack by pests and diseases. Most often, plants suffer from thrips and scale insects that settle on the trunk, petioles and leaves.