How to care for cicas, and is it possible to grow a “mini palm” from a stone yourself

The genus Cygnus has more than 100 species, but at home only one is grown - the drooping cicada (Cycas revoluta). It is him we see on the windowsills of the apartments. Cycas are very ancient plants - the ancestors of modern tsikasov "coexisted" with dinosaurs. And since then, their “appearance” has changed little: from the top of a thick scaly trunk (caudex) grow long, sprawling branches (vayi), similar to fern leaves.

In nature, cicada grows about 2 m in height, while the home version of the plant barely reaches 60-70 cm. The growth is quite slow. For a year, plants produce one circle of wai, which can contain from one (in very young plants) to five to seven (in adult specimens) branches. The trunk grows to a maximum of 3 cm.

Maintenance and care of cicas at home

Caring for a palm tree cicada in a pot is not difficult, but requires some attention and effort from gardeners. The house cygnus has significantly lost its natural endurance, and now it is a much more tender and sensitive plant than its "street" counterpart.

"Convenient" place and light

Like any tropical resident, cicadas needs a long daylight. Accordingly, you need to find a place in the apartment where the cygnus will receive the longest and brightest lighting - for 12-14 hours. The best option for summer is a balcony on the sunny side. If not, the windowsill on the south or southwest window would be most suitable.

Tsikas is able to withstand direct sunlight, but it is important not to “overdo it”, otherwise the plant will receive leaf burns. Here are two examples of the best distribution of light load.

1. May-September. At least four hours - so much it takes cicasa direct exposure to sunlight for a normal existence. The ideal time for this is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. If your windowsill is located on the sunny side and is lit longer, it is better to shade the plant with a piece of fabric or a curtain.
2. October-April. During this period, the sun is no longer as aggressive as in the summer, so you can not shade the cicada, let it get the most out of the possible lighting.

If tsikasu lighting is clearly not enough, especially in winter, you must definitely "illuminate" the plant. To do this, you can purchase a special fitolamp or use a luminaire with a luminescent lamp.With a lack of lighting, the cygnus, trying to "get" more sun, releases disproportionately long vayy, the distance between the leaves increases. And this spoils the appearance of the plant. In addition, such branches are rather weak, most of them do not even have time to open up - they turn yellow and fall off.

Watering

The roots of cicas are poorly protected from external influences, do not have a thick rough skin. Therefore, you need to be very careful with watering - the roots quickly decay due to excess moisture, the plant begins to “wither”. From a lack of moisture, the cygnus turns yellow and discards the vayi. We give two examples of how to properly water a cicada.

1. May to September. It is permissible to dry the topsoil to a depth of 1-2 cm. Watering the cicada in the summer period is necessary once every 10-14 days.
2. October to April. You can wait until the soil dries to the middle of the height of the pot.

Water should be warm and settled. It can be poured with boiled or purified water using a household filter. And one more thing: if your cicada is dry, do not immediately fill it with liquid - first pour quite a bit of water to moisten the soil, and, after a few minutes, pour a little more.

Humidity

The tropical origin of cicas requires increased humidity in the room - about 75% will be just right. In summer, you need to spray the plant daily. If the cygnus stands next to a hot battery and there is no way to move it away, spray it a couple of times a day, but without fanaticism. Keeping the sprayer close to the leaves is also not worth it.

Dry moss helps well, wrapped around the trunk, laid directly on the soil with a thick layer. Another effective trick is wiping the branches with a damp sponge. In addition, the cicada does not tolerate dust, so the leaves need to be cleaned periodically.

Temperature

There are no special tricks. Tsikas easily tolerates temperatures of 25-30 ° C. It can even withstand the heat up to 40-42 ° C, however, after such hell it can reset the wai. It is better not to subject the cycas to such tests. For him, the summer temperature inside the apartment or on the balcony is quite comfortable.

In winter and in the off-season, cicasa needs coolness - the temperature should be stable around 15 ° C (+/- 2 ° C). If in the warm season, the cycad stood on the windowsill, then with the onset of the heating season it should be removed away from radiators, otherwise it will be hot. The best option is a bright and insulated balcony. You can also bring the cicada inside the room and put it so that a lighting device is located nearby (do not forget about the need for lighting).

Top dressing

During the period of active growth (from spring to early fall), the cygnus can be fed. Fertilizer is applied once every four weeks. More frequent feeding will only harm the plant. In the dormant period (from autumn to spring), cicas is not necessary to be fed. There are three conditions when even in the warm season, cicas cannot be fed.

1. The plant is sick. This refers to any atypical conditions: dry wai, rot, invasion of parasites and other "troubles."
2. Rest period. In addition to the winter period, you can not feed the cicada when it is "resting".Approximately every five-year period, the cygnus unexpectedly drops the waiyi and “falls asleep”. No need to disturb him and provoke active growth.
3. After the transplant. It is necessary to give the Cycas a time so that he "gets used" to the new land and moves away from the shock. This is especially important if, during transshipment into a new pot, an earthen lump was accidentally destroyed. Better to wait at least three to four weeks.

We transplant a plant: stages, terms

A transplant for cicas is a lot of stress. A healthy plant that produces stably one tier wai over a period of active growth does not need to be bothered by transplants. Once every three to five years is enough. An important point: you can not transplant the cicada during the rest period (from October to April). When transplanting, follow the sequence of steps in nine steps.

1. Dry the soil in a pot.
2. Find a container of the right size.
3. Prepare the soil mixture.
4. Lay a thick layer of drainage, at least 4-5 cm.
5. Carefully remove the plant from the old pot. To do this, go deep along the inner diameter of the container with the blunt side of the knife or a ruler to separate the soil from the walls.
6. Carefully transfer the cicada into a new pot, being careful not to damage the earthen lump and roots.
7. Fill free space with prepared soil.
8. Seal the ground as you fill the pot so that there are no voids.
9. Moisten the soil.

Soil requirements

The best soil for cicas is neutral. Ideal pH values ​​are 5.5-6.5. Important: it must be well-drained, that is, quickly pass water without delaying it. It is good when the draining components occupy 60% of the total soil volume. The optimal version of the composition of the land for the cycad is considered in the table below.

Table - Recommended soil composition for cicas

Common mistakes

It happens that the grower did everything according to the rules, and after transplanting, problems nevertheless appeared: the leaves of the cicas turn yellow, the roots rot. Perhaps one of five common mistakes was made.

1. Alkaline soil. If the pH of the soil exceeds 6.5, then a situation occurs when the cicada is “starving”, because organic matter is difficult to digest from alkaline soil.
2. The roots are damaged. Perhaps, during the transshipment of the plant, some of the roots were broken. At cicas, they are very fragile, so you need to transplant the flower as carefully as possible.
3. Tsikas has released new wai. The plant has spent part of its energy on new branches, and here the new stress is transplantation. Cycas goes into "energy saving" mode and dries the wai.
4. Transplanted cicasa after purchase. If the plant has no pests and signs of rot, it is not necessary to transplant it immediately after purchase. A good appearance suggests that the soil is quite suitable. On sales, you can find a cycas with yellow leaves or even without wai - then a transplant is even recommended, as one of the options for "resuscitation".
5. Pot too big. For transplantation, you need to choose a flowerpot, larger in diameter by about 2-3 cm, and equally deeper. Otherwise, the soil that is not filled with roots will quickly acidify, and the putrefactive flora will spread to the roots.

Transplant Care

Transplanted, what's next? How to care for cicasa after transplantation? Now follow these guidelines:

• put the pot in a shaded place;
• water as usual, when the soil dries up 1-2 cm;
• daily spray the leaves with warm water;
• once a week spray the plant with a solution of the Zircon preparation;
• for each irrigation also use the Zircon solution - four drops per liter of water.

Breeding

Did you know that cicassas are heterosexual plants? You will only be able to understand which individual grows on your windowsill when it blooms. There are two ways to distinguish between “man” and “woman”.

1. In the male. An elongated bump grows from the center of the trunk. It can be yellow or orange. The cone is covered with pollen (which the “woman” pollinates), exudes a rather strong smell.
2. In a female. The bump is somewhat reminiscent of cabbage. The cone itself is low and brown, thin leaves elongated upwards grow from it. On the basis of each leaf are buds, from which subsequently seeds (seeds) grow.

Seeds (seeds)

Features If you have only one plant at home (no matter what gender), you can’t propagate cicas by seeds - for this you need pollination to occur. If you have both males and females, you can try to do this. Ready-to-plant cypress seeds can be found in specialized stores. When buying, be sure to pay attention to the packaging date: the maximum shelf life of the seed is six months.

What to do

1. Soak the seed in water for three to four days (change the water every day).
2. Remove the hard seed coat.
3. Now you need to slightly damage the seed peel. To do this, use nail scissors or another solid object.
4. Soak the material for another day, pouring them with settled water (temperature 28-30 ° C).
5. Fill a small container (you can use an ordinary plastic glass) with a substrate (brick crumb, perlite, coarse sand will do).
6. Half “drown” the seed in the substrate.
7. Make a semblance of a greenhouse (cover the container with cellophane).
8. Ventilate the sowing every day.
9. Put the container in a shaded place, the temperature there should be about 23-27 ° C.
10. In three to five months, the seed will sprout.
11. When he develops a full-fledged vayu, you can plant it in the ground.

Kids

Features You can propagate the cicada palm tree by “children” regardless of the sex of the plant. From time to time, shoots appear at the base of the trunk. And when the diameter of the appendage reaches 3 cm, and at least one or two full-fledged vaya opens from the center, you can “relocate” it.

What to do

1. Dig up the baby if it grows out of the ground.
2. Wipe the adjacent surface of the barrel with a damp sponge - you need to remove all dirt.
3. Separate the process from the trunk with a sharp knife, leading it from top to bottom. It is important to injure the barrel as little as possible.
4. Sprinkle the place of separation on the mother plant with fungicide powder, leave to dry on your own. Or simply apply molten wax or paraffin to the wound.
5. Remove Wii from the baby.
6. Rinse the cutout site with a fungicide solution.
7. Then treat with a root-forming preparation of the “Cornevin” type.
8. Put the baby in a small container with a substrate (deepen the trunk by about one third).
9. Place the container in a shaded area with a temperature of approximately 27-29 ° C.
10. Do not allow the substrate to dry out; it should be slightly moist.
11. In six to ten months, when the baby grows roots, it will be possible to transplant the sprout into the ground.

Possible problems

With all the natural stamina of a cicas, it also sometimes gets sick. There can be many reasons for this: rotting of the root system, non-compliance with the conditions of detention, damage to the flower by pests.

Root rot

The most common cicasis is root decay. The main reasons are waterlogging of the soil, too low air temperature. If everything is in order with the temperature regime, then pay attention to the drainage properties of the soil. If the water after irrigation lingers on the surface of the earth, and the soil itself turns into dirt - it is not suitable for the cycad.

Signs:

• brown spots appear on the leaves and trunk;
• the plant weakens, fades;
• the trunk becomes soft;
• the top of the trunk softens (in advanced cases);
• on the roots (if unearthed) mold and rotting areas are visible.

How to reanimate

1. Remove the plant from the pot.
2. Rinse the roots gently under a warm shower.
3. Remove all affected parts.
4. Use a sharp blade to cut rotting areas from the trunk and large roots.
5. Rinse with fungicide solution.
6. Sprinkle wounds with crushed activated carbon.
7. Treat with a rooting agent.
8. Plant cicada, but not in the ground, but in perlite or moss.
9. Water the plant by spraying the substrate from the sprayer.

Pests

Pests on cicassus are a rare occurrence, but it is better to know the “enemy” by sight and clearly understand how to deal with it. The table below describes the symptoms of infection with various parasites, the treatment methods are indicated.

Table - Cycas pests and methods of dealing with them

Diseases and methods of dealing with them

In addition to rotting roots, cicadas can affect other diseases. The reason for their appearance is usually non-compliance with the rules of detention. How exactly these or other errors in care are manifested is described in the table below.

Table - Atypical states of cicas, their causes and solutions

Having received information on how to care for cicas, this may seem very difficult for some. In fact, everything is not so scary. Do not abandon the overseas handsome because of seeming difficulties. Just give it a try, and cicasa will answer you back.

Reviews of flower growers: "I was looking for an approach to it for a long time"

I have such a plant at home. After the purchase, completely crumbs, I thought it did not take root, for a long time I was looking for an approach to it. He really likes a place in the sun, watering as described in the article. I have it in the kitchen, it pleases the eye with its rich green stems and exotic look.

Alla http://delniesoveti.ru/tsikas-uhod-v-domashnih-usloviyah/

I have a peculiar hobby - nursing cicasses. Of course, not every resuscitation ends so well, but, basically, I’m lucky, the main thing is not to transfer to the purchased land, but to use the prepared one myself, because the purchased one often contains mineral fertilizers, and cicasses do not like them very much, I feed my own only with organic matter, I do not deepen the cone, completely free the roots from the transport soil, after that I densely dust the roots with crushed coal, and I believe in success, in fact, each resuscitation is different, but these tips are basic

wkus75, http://frauflora.ru/viewtopic.php?t=6955

I will say from my own experience. Tsikas loves high humidity, so I spray my own every day and try to make small droplets fall on the “bump”. And you can also water it from above, but very, very carefully so that the water in the top does not accumulate - this will cause decay. My like daily spraying with warm water and once a month "sauna". In summer, it stands about a meter from the south window, shaded by tulle. Now stands on a southwestern window. I water it only when the earth is completely dry, but I spray it with warm water every morning, to the sun.

Buttercup, https://iplants.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=168&st=30