Cyphostemma juttae

[5150cycad]

Picked this up From a friend who bought a new house and didn't like it. With that being said I was pretty stoked. Just got it planted. There was one of the heads that was rotting into the stem but the leaf on that stem was fine. Should I cut that head off and treat it with hydrogen peroxide? Any suggestions? Once winter is here I don't think they are supposed to be watered. I just know that usually they go dormant for the winter but since I transplanted it, how often should I be watering it going into winter? Any help advise would be greatly appreciated. Definitely don't want a specimen like this die. It weighed a ton. I put in the back of my Hyundai sanata. It was quite a site but I am sure any plant enthusiast can relate. 

[Geoff]

You could NOT water it for a year and it would be fine... but they tolerate an amazing amount of water when established.  I have overwatered mine dozens of times I'm sure, but never had  a problem (yet).  If your soil is very well draining, water away... I have had mine planted in heavy clay soil that is poorly draining for 8 years, and lived through a few VERY wet and pretty cold winters and STILL not killed it.  But I would not recommend doing that.  Now mine lives in a big pot and it's a bit more unhappy cause it gets less water than every (still looks great, just growing a LOT slower).

[5150cycad]

16 hours ago, Geoff said:

You could NOT water it for a year and it would be fine... but they tolerate an amazing amount of water when established.  I have overwatered mine dozens of times I'm sure, but never had  a problem (yet).  If your soil is very well draining, water away... I have had mine planted in heavy clay soil that is poorly draining for 8 years, and lived through a few VERY wet and pretty cold winters and STILL not killed it.  But I would not recommend doing that.  Now mine lives in a big pot and it's a bit more unhappy cause it gets less water than every (still looks great, just growing a LOT slower).

That is helpful advice, thank you. I think I might take it out and mix in some perlite and dg so it it drains well. Might add some rooting hormone, bone meal and some worm castings while I'm at it to promote new root growth. 

[msporty]

Sounds like a great friend!!!

 

Cyphostemmas need zero water in the winter, especially if its planted in the ground. These summer growers are hard to rot out in the heat of summer, assuming they are not living in a mud puddle, but they can rot out in the winter, though I have never seen it happen! The growing season is ending anyway (as evidenced by fruiting), so it might just drop leaves and go dormant until next year. They are natives to SA/Namibia and demand full sun. The fruits contain oxalic acid, so beware!

If you're growing Encephalartos successfully a foot away, I wouldn't bother messing with the soil unless you have poorly draining clay. Better than perlite, would be building a small mound with Pumice or DG and native soil and planting on this mound. Essentially, you place the rootball on top of the ground and then add soil around it and make a small mound. It becomes more difficult to water when planted this way, but it's nearly impossible to rot out. I've done this and seen this done with Pachypodiums and finicky summer growing Aloes with success. The roots can also penetrate deeper into the native soil if they desire more water.

 

Lastly, I don't see the rotted stem, but you can always cut into the caudex and allow it to callous over. H2O2 is loved by palm people, but I don't think its necessary for caudiciforms. If you have a rotted section of trunk that forms a basin to collect water, it will continue to extend into the plant and eventually rot into the core. Not sure if this plant was getting overhead watering... Make sure any cuts allow water to drain away from the caudex.

 

Happy growing!

[5150cycad]

6 hours ago, msporty said:

Sounds like a great friend!!!

 

Cyphostemmas need zero water in the winter, especially if its planted in the ground. These summer growers are hard to rot out in the heat of summer, assuming they are not living in a mud puddle, but they can rot out in the winter, though I have never seen it happen! The growing season is ending anyway (as evidenced by fruiting), so it might just drop leaves and go dormant until next year. They are natives to SA/Namibia and demand full sun. The fruits contain oxalic acid, so beware!

If you're growing Encephalartos successfully a foot away, I wouldn't bother messing with the soil unless you have poorly draining clay. Better than perlite, would be building a small mound with Pumice or DG and native soil and planting on this mound. Essentially, you place the rootball on top of the ground and then add soil around it and make a small mound. It becomes more difficult to water when planted this way, but it's nearly impossible to rot out. I've done this and seen this done with Pachypodiums and finicky summer growing Aloes with success. The roots can also penetrate deeper into the native soil if they desire more water.

 

Lastly, I don't see the rotted stem, but you can always cut into the caudex and allow it to callous over. H2O2 is loved by palm people, but I don't think its necessary for caudiciforms. If you have a rotted section of trunk that forms a basin to collect water, it will continue to extend into the plant and eventually rot into the core. Not sure if this plant was getting overhead watering... Make sure any cuts allow water to drain away from the caudex.

 

Happy growing!

Thank you for all the helpful information. I think I will pull it out of the ground and do the mound planting with pumice, dg and native soil. My worst fear is overwatering. I water my cycads once every week if that in the summer and then usually rely on rainwater from November through late March early April.