Sago palm cicas - home care
Tsikas is a tree-like plant with a thick trunk and feathery leaves, resembling a palm tree in appearance. Belongs to the Sagovnikov family, uniting more than two hundred species. Naturally grows in India, Japan and Madagascar. In European countries, this exotic palm is grown as a home plant and is classified as a rather expensive decorative element.
Caring for cicas palm at home
Caring for a palm tree is very interesting, but it must be done observing all the rules, only then will it develop correctly and delight with its exotic beauty every day.
Cicas palm
Tsikas home care for the plant provides for compliance with the lighting regime, watering, air temperature and humidity, as well as timely feeding and proper care of the leaves.
Lighting
The cicas palm is a light-loving plant, so it must be placed in places with good lighting. For proper development, it is important to provide the palm tree with bright light in direct sunlight (at least 4 hours daily). This is especially true for the growing season - from early April to late September.
Before 11 o'clock in the morning and after 4 pm, it is preferable to expose the plant to the bright sun, at noon hours (from 11 to 16) - shade from active exposure to sunlight, otherwise the leaf plates will begin to dry out and die off.
Young sago palm
In the winter period of the year, the cicassa needs bright sunlight throughout the day, otherwise, if there is insufficient light, it will stop growing.
Watering
Provide the cicas palm 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 the flower should be watered no more than once every 10-14 days.
Watering a cicas flower, it is worth considering such important points:
- To moisten the soil, use only soft, purified water;
- The water temperature should be room temperature or -2 degrees higher;
- When watering, it is worth making sure that the water does not fall on the leaves and "lump" of the cicas;
- With abundant watering, the water should well wet the entire earthen lump, the excess liquid should drain into the pan through the drainage;
- After the water drains into the sump, it must be drained immediately.
Sago palm on the table
Temperature and humidity
The optimum air temperature for cicassa is considered to be + 20-25 ºC in 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 reduce the temperature to + 15 ºC. If the air temperature is higher, the plant will begin to shed its leaves.
In the summer months, the cycad palm prefers a hot, warm content, loves fresh air very much and is not afraid of light drafts, therefore, if possible, in the summer it can be taken outside or onto the balcony.It is important here to protect the flower from a strong gust of wind and possible precipitation.
The exotic palm tree cicas needs to provide increased air humidity in the room where it is located. The allowable rate is 70-80%. You can increase the humidity in the room by using a humidifier. You should not spray this flower, it is better to periodically arrange a warm shower for it, then carefully wipe the leaves with a dry napkin.
Fertilizer
The cicas palm needs systematic feeding. During the period of active growth (from April to September), the plant is fed with organic fertilizers once a month. Best of all, the flower responds to fertilization with a solution of horse manure (100 g per 10 l of water) or dry mullein (1 kg per 10 l of water).
You can also use compound fertilizers designed specifically for cycads. Top dressing 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 transplanted as needed - if it becomes very cramped in the pot. It is best to transplant in early spring, before the young rosette begins to form, or after the leaves have fully unfolded. In the autumn-winter period, it is better not to transplant the plant.
Palm tree with a pine cone in a pot
When transplanting a flower, it is worth considering the following points:
- It is not worth deeply deepening the trunk - only the base of the "bump" needs to be buried in the ground;
- If the roots are too long and thick, they must be shortened. To do this, they need to be carefully trimmed with a sharp knife, sprinkle with charcoal and leave to dry for 30 minutes;
- The first watering after transplanting is recommended only in a day.
When preparing the mixture for transplanting, you need to take into account that the cicas palm prefers to grow in neutral or slightly acidic soil. In this case, the soil mixture must have good drainage properties.
Transplanting a palm tree into a new pot
Tsikas is a plant for which the following composition is considered an ideal soil: fine pumice, pine bark, fine dolomite gravel, dry peat, charcoal and large perlite. All components are taken in equal proportions.
How to transplant a purchased cicas palm
If a palm tree purchased in a store or nursery needs a transplant, it is very important to transplant it in accordance with all transplant rules. The plant is transferred to a new pot along with the old clod of earth. In this case, you need to remove the flower from the old pot without damaging the roots. It is impossible to shake off and wash off the soil, as well as break off the roots, otherwise the plant will not be able to adapt to the new soil and will die.
When replanting a flower, do not take a pot that is too large - the "lump" of the cicassa should be freely located on the surface of the soil.
Leaf care and pruning
There is nothing difficult in caring for leaves, they should be regularly cleaned of dust with warm (+ 40 ° C) water using a damp sponge, then wipe thoroughly with a dry cloth.
Cicas palm on the balcony
To keep the palm tree always looking luxurious, it is necessary to periodically prune the leaves. During pruning, it is worth removing all diseased, dried and unattractive leaves. Leaves that have obvious signs of the disease are very easy to notice, they change their color and shape, and also go down and begin to hang from the pot.
Growing problems
To successfully grow such a variety of palms as cicas, you must have not only iron patience, but also have certain knowledge and skills. Improper care can cause disease and even death of the plant.
If the cicada leaves turn yellow
Cycas leaves turn yellow, what to do and why it happens:
- Very often, yellowing of the leaves of a palm tree can be observed with prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, especially during the day. If the plant is moved to another place and placed on a windowsill with diffused light, the problem of yellowing of the leaves will soon be solved.
- 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.
- Leaves can also turn yellow in very dry air, especially if the flower is located near heating radiators. You can save the plant by moving it to another, more humid place.
- Often the problem with yellowed leaves lies in the excess moisture in the soil. In this case, it is worth taking the plant out of the pot and examining the roots. If there are rotten ones, remove them, treat the remaining ones with a root growth stimulator.
The leaves on the palm tree dry and turn yellow
- With an insufficient amount of nitrogen in the soil, the leaves can also turn yellow. The solution to this problem is to increase the concentration of nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
No new leaves grow
If properly maintained, three leaves, or one rosette, consisting of several leaves, develop alternately on a palm tree for the entire growing season. If for several years not a single new leaf has grown on the palm, it means that it has some problems that need to be solved. When kept indoors, the main reasons for the lack of leaf growth are:
- Failure to comply with the temperature regime - too cold air temperature in the room (below + 15 ° С);
- Insufficient amount of sunlight and lack of additional lighting;
- Incorrect application of dressings or non-compliance with their dosage.
Leaves do not grow on a palm tree
Providing the plant with a suitable climate, sufficient lighting and feeding, it will resume its development and begin to form new leaves. This may take from one month to six months.
Reproduction
The cicas palm tree can reproduce at home through germination of seeds and by growing from side shoots.
How to germinate from seeds
Growing a palm tree from seeds is not easy, but you can try. How to do it:
- Soak the seeds in warm water for a day;
- Plant them in the ground, pressing them a little into the ground;
- Put the container with plantings in a warm place;
- Watering is necessary as the top layer of the earth dries up;
- After 1-2 months, the first sprout will appear on the seed, it will begin to release the first leaf plate. When this happens, it can be transplanted into special soil suitable for adult palms.
Propagation of palm by seeds
Side shoots
If the cicas palm grows in favorable conditions, young shoots may appear on the trunk. Reproduction rules by shoots:
- Carefully cut off the shoot from the trunk;
- Remove all side leaves;
- Sprinkle the cut with charcoal and leave for a day;
- Then plant in a light substrate and cover with a film;
- Timely humidify and maintain the air temperature of +30 degrees;
- The shoot will take root in 5-6 months, then it can be transplanted into a separate pot.
Description of popular varieties
The exotic cicas palm comes in a variety of species and shapes, with few being suitable for home cultivation. The best option is considered to be curled cicas and Revolution cicas.
Curled or snail-shaped cicas (Cycas circinalis)
The height of this type of palm tree 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 straight up, but as they mature, they are placed in a horizontal position.
Cycas curled or cochlea
Separate leaf plates contain 50-60 densely spaced green leaves with a lanceolate shape. The length of the leaves reaches 25 centimeters, they are usually no more than 1.5 centimeters wide. Leaves change very quickly: old foliage falls off and only young leaves are preserved.
Cycad drooping or cicas of the Revolution
The cycas revoluta palm has a natural habitat - South Japan. The plant has a thick columnar trunk up to 3 meters high. The trunk diameter is about a meter. Unpaired leaf plates grow up to 2 meters long. Plates consist, as a rule, of many light green, slightly curled, narrow, leathery leaves. Young leaves are slightly pubescent, but as they mature, they turn into glabrous, dark and shiny.
Cycad drooping or cicas of the Revolution
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 buds. Tsikasa Revolution home care involves providing the plant with enough light and moderate watering. The revolutionary indoor palm tree grows very slowly - no more than 3 centimeters can grow a year, so be patient.
The sago 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 quickly, it may not bloom, if all the rules of care are followed, it will decorate any home for many years.
