Relocating (Transplanting) Cycads

The process of cycad relocation has taken place since early botanists and cycad enthusiasts first realized that cycad pups and parent plants could be successfully removed from habitat and reestablished in a different location. This process continues today for a variety of reasons, which involve both commercial and conservation purposes.

As a general rule when I relocate cultivated cycads from the field, I start by removing 10-50% of the older (lower) leaves. This will take some of the burden off of the plant when the root system is compromised by the transplanting process. Then I tag a remaining leaf that indicates its directional orientation, e.g. leaf pointing east. After that I dig a circular channel as viewed from overhead around the caudex (trunk or bulb) to the diameter equal to approximately 3-4 times the diameter of the caudex. For example, a caudex with a 10 inch diameter would begin with a channel hole being dug at about 30-40 inches in diameter, with the 10 inch caudex in the center. I continue to dig down to approximately 3-4 times the diameter of the caudex, gradually undercutting the root ball.

As this process continues, and the root ball becomes more defined, I try to selectively trowel off or hose off additional soil around the root ball, while trying to preserve as much root mass as possible. The goal is to eliminate as much of the weight of unneeded soil in the root ball as is feasible. Cutting some of the root system is necessary. As the root ball is carefully reduced in size, you must determine your capability to extricate the root ball relatively intact with your available manpower or mechanical assistance. This crucial step will be left to the ingenuity of the perpetrators. I have seen many techniques work successfully. After the cycad has been removed, I examine the root ball and cut cleanly any ragged roots, which are visible on the outside of the root ball, and treat them with fungicide and/or rooting hormone. A dolly, rolling cart, or other mechanical device can be used to transport the plant to its new location or for potting or boxing up. If transplanting in the ground, I try to select a location that has a slope or a mound type of terrain feature. Cycads prefer good drainage, so a well-draining sandy loam or decomposed granite in combination with a mounded or sloped location will accommodate those needs.

When the location has been determined, I dig my hole to about 1½ times the diameter of the root ball. Then I carefully lower the plant and root ball into the center of the hole, taking care to orient the plant according to the tag that was attached to one of the leaves prior to moving. Reorienting the plant to its original direction can eliminate one of the minor elements of stress that the plant endures during the relocation process.

When the plant is centered and properly oriented, then I begin to backfill the indigenous soil around the root ball, carefully tamping it as the hole is being filled. It is important to maintain the same soil level on the caudex as it had at its original location. In order to concentrate food and water around the newly developing root system, I recommend creating an earthen basin surrounding the caudex that will extend slightly beyond its root perimeter. Then I water the plant thoroughly to wet out all of the soil of the root ball and its new surrounding soil.

After all the soil has been drenched, I like to finish by filling the entire basin with a 5 gallon bucket of water with liquid rooting hormone added in and letting it soak in. Then I recommend letting the rooting hormone do its job for about 2 to 3 weeks before watering again. It would not hurt to follow up with the liquid hormone on 2 or3 of the successive watering periods.

Although this process can be done successfully almost any time of the year, I feel that the optimal time is in the early to late spring. This gives the plant the best time of the growing season to regenerate roots and eventually produce a new flush of leaves. Don't be surprised if your plant produces a cone or leaves that are smaller and/or fewer in number than usual. This is a normal response to a plant that has gone through the shock or relocating or transplanting. Within a season or two, as the root system reestablishes, the plant will eventually produce leaves and cone(s) that are normal for its caudex size. If your transplanting has taken place in early to late spring, I recommend that you hold off feeding for 2 to 3 months to allow the root system to start to recover. Then water and feed as you would normally.

Soil Mixes for Palms and Cycads

The eternal question for palm and cycad growers is, "What is the best soil mix for my cycads and/or palms?" I have concluded that there is no one mix that is perfect for any one group of plants. More realistically there are many different mixes that have provided growers with modest to very good success. After all if the mix is terrible, then the grower would not be a grower for very long. Each grower that has had a measure of success may often wonder if he/she could improve the soil mix by adding this or that or by altering the percentage of this or that. So success is often achieved by fine tuning several basic ingredients.

The purpose for developing a soil mix formula ultimately is to optimize the growth potential of the plant by providing the best environment for the plant's root development. Just as a sound foundation is essential to building a skyscraper, a healthy root system is an absolute requirement to growing a healthy plant.

It is not the purpose of this article to give growers a given soil mix formula. I think it is more important to give general guidelines that can help each grower to understand and formulate a mix that will be suitable to his/her particular location and plant material.

Nearly all palms and cycads require soil that drains well. Excessive water retention in the soil mix can rot the root system and lead to the eventual death of the palm or cycad in most cases.

In order to provide good drainage, most soil mixes are primarily comprised of 1) sand, pumice, decomposed granite, and small gravel; and in order to provide food for the plant, soil mixes also are also comprised of 2) organic material which includes leaf mulch, compost, bark chips, etc. The intangible but vital ingredient that is difficult to quantify is the array of micro-organisms that are present in all viable productive soil. These micro-organisms break down and convert mulch and other organic materials into a useful form that can be consumed by our plants.

A plant's native habitat can help determine the type of soil conditions that will best promote its growth. For example, Encephalartos from the southern 20% of the African continent, further from the equator, experience climatic seasonal changes similar to the southernmost states in the continental U.S. Most of those species experience dryer and cooler seasonal periods than the central African species, closer to the equator, which receive overall warmer temperatures and seasonal monsoonal rains. So those species from the south, further from the equator, can tolerate cooler, dryer conditions, and have adjusted to well draining soil to best resemble their native conditions. Conversely the central African plants from close to the equator can tolerate a heavier percentage of organics in their soil, because they come from a hotter wetter climate. That additional organic material will more closely match the native soils of the central African species.

For all percentages hereafter, the first percentage number shall refer to inorganics, and the second percentage number shall refer to organics. As for making an appropriate soil mix, a good starting point would be a 50% combination of sand, pumice, d.g., and/or small gravel, and a 50% combination of mulch, compost, peat moss, bark chips, etc. These two groupings of material can be modified by altering the percentage from a 50%/50% mix to as much as 33% inorganic to 66% organic for plants native to wetter regions. This mix affords greater water retention, while still maintaining a good degree of drainage, which most palms and cycads need. Conversely for plants that favor a dryer soil mix, something like a 65% inorganic to 35% organic proportion would be appropriate. This will help to facilitate good drainage in the root zone. In addition these plants will likely benefit from more frequent watering as seasonal conditions dry out, because their soil dries out more rapidly. For most cycads, where excessive dry conditions persist, a seasonal (once a year) top dressing of mulch over the root zone helps to keep the soil and roots from drying out too rapidly, and it nourishes the beneficial micro-organisms that feed the roots.

In conclusion, the percentages of sandy to organic all can vary. I have presented just a general guideline that will help the grower who needs a place to start. Again, I would prefer to empower the grower with the ability to reason and understand the needs of the plants, and then to formulate and refine a soil mix that meets those needs. A grower may even choose to have several different formulas, to accommodate the needs of different species of plants, which may hail from different native habitats. And, of course, a grower many need to rework his/her percentages if it is clear from the garden that plants' particular needs aren't being met. It's a little like cooking. If it doesn't taste quite right, adjust the ingredients.

Tools To Help You Get The Job Done In The Garden

Every homeowner takes pride in their property. When we're younger it can be hard to understand the desire to care for the lawn and garden, but when you've finally put down a mortgage and bought your own section there is nothing better than seeing it looking its best. Not everybody has a green thumb, but those who do often discover the joys of creating their own landscape with home ownership.

It's not all planting flowers...

Getting out in the garden isn't all 'watering the plants', sometimes you need a bit of grunt to get the job done right. Chopping off branches, getting rid of trees and taming the hedge line often requires a bit more power than your average pruning shears can offer!
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Edger

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Take pride in your backyard and create the landscape that you want. Get your gardening looking its best and have fun doing it with the right gardening tools.