Transplanting Encephalartos ferox

[DG2020]

A few years back I planted three seedling E. ferox , they were small with just a few leaves and the spacing was far from optimal. Two out of three made it . Today I decided to move the smaller one to a pot and correct the poor spacing.

The caudex was around 3”.  The tap root was about 18”.  Just fit into a 15 gal pot.

SURE......   I have read that cycads have a big taproot but seeing is believing. 

[Tracy]

11 hours ago, DG2020 said:

SURE......   I have read that cycads have a big taproot but seeing is believing. 

Yup.  They are a bit like icebergs, far more below the ground than above.  When potting up cycads from smaller pots one sees this often.  I have two potting projects coming up due to containers being cracked open from the below ground root systems of their respective plants, and both are from the little cute genus of Zamia, not one of the larger growing genus or species.

[Tracy]

Last night I took advantage of the late sunlight and transplanted the two that split their pots since i had already purchased the bigger replacement pots.  The Zamia standleyi was in a tree pot, that it busted open like a zipper down the side.  The Zamia furfuracea had cracked it's clay pot down the side and popped off a large chunk.  I think the replacement pots will contain the icebergs below for a while.  I occasionally have to move the Zamia furfuracea because I've put it where it hides my gas meter which is right in front when you enter the gate but the power company wants clean access.  With smart meters they only come out rarely, like when I had to have them turn the gas back on after fumigating the house for termites.

I was in a rush to get the projects done so didn't take the time to photograph the root systems as I moved them from their old pots into new.  I also kept all the old soil when I went up, as I didn't want to disturb the roots any more than necessary.  I understand why you removed the soil from your E ferox, given that you were probably concerned about rot if it hadn't been growing very well.  Unless I'm worried about rot, I try to minimize root disturbance by allowing the soil to dry before transplanting.  The soil sticks to the roots better and less damage to the roots.

[DG2020]

Everything in the yard is sand. It’s difficult to get powder fine sand to hold together without some moisture but more roots would have helped.  Once the sand started falling off.... I hosed it off for a good look and a photo. Perhaps a bit reckless but it should be ok. 
 
The remaining E. ferox looks better with some extra room around it and I’ll be putting more thought into proper placement next time. 

 

[Tracy]

On 8/31/2021 at 9:18 PM, DG2020 said:

Everything in the yard is sand. It’s difficult to get powder fine sand to hold together without some moisture but more roots would have helped.  Once the sand started falling off.... I hosed it off for a good look and a photo. Perhaps a bit reckless but it should be ok. 
 
The remaining E. ferox looks better with some extra room around it and I’ll be putting more thought into proper placement next time. 

Nice results with the remaining E ferox.  I have similar sandy soil, so am familiar with what you describe.  I used decomposed granite (DG) to build mounds and mixed in some organics, so most of my cycads are planted in a mix of the native sand, DG and a little bit of a more organic planting mix, which allows the soil to hold together.  The cycads I transplanted from my Carlsbad home came out of a clay soil that I had amended, so no problems with that hanging together.  If DG is available there, you might want to consider it for mound planting, as it won't wash away and flatten out as quickly as the sand.

[Merlyn]

I've had good luck here in the Orlando area with Ferox.  They seem to be pretty water tolerant, and do fine in sun and shade and anywhere in between.  I have a couple of ~4-6" caudex ones in the ground for about 2 years, and some seedling sized ones.  They've grown consistently and flush 2-3x per year.  The ones in ground are in spots that vary from almost pure sand to fairly rich, but none are planted in "wet" areas.  I have a pair of trunking beasts that I am going to plant soon...I just need to acclimate them to the sun before putting them in the ground.  

[DG2020]

2 hours ago, Merlyn said:

They seem to be pretty water tolerant, and do fine in sun and shade and anywhere in between.

I agree with this and add that E. ferox (with excellent drainage) responds well to supplemental irrigation above and beyond Florida’s annual rainfall of  40-60 inches.  The larger plant pictured was twice the size of the other one. Extra water from the rain gutter downspout is  coming off the sidewalk and into the planter towards the larger E. ferox seemingly to it’s benefit. 

Edited September 2, 2021 by DG2020