Australian Cycas seed germination

[Tom in Tucson]

I started seed of 5 species of Cycas (2 each) on 11-16:

C. cairnsiana
C. couttsiana
C. cupida
C. desolata
C. ophiolitica

This was my 1st attempt at growing cycads from seed.

My methods were fairly standard to what others have used except for 3 differences;

(1) I used 3x3 square plastic pots for each seed.

(2) the soil mix consists of 3 parts of my custom cactus soil (mixed with 1 part coco peat) and a top dressing of akadama for monitoring the moisture level. Akadama has a couple of interesting characteristics; it's an inert Japanese volcanic soil which is soft with about the same weight of pumice, and it changes color when wet. It is brown when wet, and as it dries it becomes noticeably tan in color (I'm hoping that this will help me better decide when to water again).

(3) I soaked the pots in harvested rain water to keep the PH level neutral, and to hopefully generate the formation of mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae have been proven to be essential for root formation (especially for cycads).

The thermostat on my heat pad is set to 84°.

The one step I didn't take, was to soak the seed prior to sowing.

Cycas cupida Seed sown 11-16, sprouted 11-26. Beginner's luck?

Hi 76°, Lo 46°

Edited November 28, 2023 by Tom in Tucson

[Meangreen94z]

Very nice. Cycas cupida are among the easiest of the Australian blue Cycas to grow. Great color and leaf form, and not nearly as temperamental as pruinosa, couttsiana, etc. as far as rotting at the seedling stage.

[happypalms]

Nice one now you need some lepidozamia peroffskyana there easy to germinate 

[PalmsandLiszt]

On 11/28/2023 at 5:00 AM, Meangreen94z said:

Cycas cupida are among the easiest of the Australian blue Cycas to grow. Great color and leaf form, and not nearly as temperamental as pruinosa, couttsiana, etc. as far as rotting at the seedling stage.

That's interesting, and explains why my C. cupida seedling is still alive whereas I had no luck keeping cairnsiana or couttsiana alive past one or two leaves. Even the cupida I practically water with a eye-dropper in the winter.

On 11/28/2023 at 3:58 AM, Tom in Tucson said:

Cycas cupida Seed sown 11-16, sprouted 11-26. Beginner's luck?

I found the 3 of the above species I tried typical easy Cycas to germinate (all easily within a month, as I recall; I think they were in slightly moist perlite around 85). It was keeping them from damping off over the next 6 months or so that was the difficulty.
Never occurred to me to use akadama for these. I have a bag of it sitting around somewhere. Interested to see how you get on.

[Tracy]

On 11/27/2023 at 7:58 PM, Tom in Tucson said:

I started seed of 5 species of Cycas (2 each) on 11-16:

C. cairnsiana
C. couttsiana
C. cupida
C. desolata
C. ophiolitica

This was my 1st attempt at growing cycads from seed.

My methods were fairly standard to what others have used except for 3 differences;

(1) I used 3x3 square plastic pots for each seed.

(2) the soil mix consists of 3 parts of my custom cactus soil (mixed with 1 part coco peat) and a top dressing of akadama for monitoring the moisture level. Akadama has a couple of interesting characteristics; it's an inert Japanese volcanic soil which is soft with about the same weight of pumice, and it changes color when wet. It is brown when wet, and as it dries it becomes noticeably tan in color (I'm hoping that this will help me better decide when to water again).

(3) I soaked the pots in harvested rain water to keep the PH level neutral, and to hopefully generate the formation of mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae have been proven to be essential for root formation (especially for cycads).

The thermostat on my heat pad is set to 84°.

The one step I didn't take, was to soak the seed prior to sowing.

Cycas cupida Seed sown 11-16, sprouted 11-26. Beginner's luck?

Hi 76°, Lo 46°

Any idea on how old the seeds were from harvesting off the mother plant?  The result with the Cycas cupida seems really fast.  Congrats and hope to read of further success with the others in coming weeks. 

[Meangreen94z]

3 hours ago, PalmsandLiszt said:

That's interesting, and explains why my C. cupida seedling is still alive whereas I had no luck keeping cairnsiana or couttsiana alive past one or two leaves. Even the cupida I practically water with a eye-dropper in the winter.

I found the 3 of the above species I tried typical easy Cycas to germinate (all easily within a month, as I recall; I think they were in slightly moist perlite around 85). It was keeping them from damping off over the next 6 months or so that was the difficulty.
Never occurred to me to use akadama for these. I have a bag of it sitting around somewhere. Interested to see how you get on.

Ophiolitica and plataphylla are the other two blue species that have done well. I think the blue do better in deep containers with minimal watering , the excess lower soil helps wick away moisture. I recently bought deep ‘airpots’ and I’m going to see if the combination will help regulate soil moisture further.

[Tom in Tucson]

11 hours ago, Tracy said:

Any idea on how old the seeds were from harvesting off the mother plant?  The result with the Cycas cupida seems really fast.  Congrats and hope to read of further success with the others in coming weeks. 

I really have no idea how long ago the seeds were harvested (or stored) prior to my sowing.

The next time I try sowing any cycad seed, I will use all akadama instead of using it only as a top dressing. The reason being that over a 13 day period I've had 3 minor fungus infections. I've treated all of them twice with H₂O₂, and once with Daconil, even though fungus was only visible on 4 seeds. My idea to try using only akadama is based on the fact that it's nearly sterile. and when I need a better environment for mycorrhizae development, I'll transplant the seedlings into taller pots using just my custom cactus soil. They will then be treated the same as all my other cycads.

Hi 71°, Lo 45°

[Brian]

23 hours ago, Tom in Tucson said:

The reason being that over a 13 day period I've had 3 minor fungus infections. I've treated all of them twice with H₂O₂, and once with Daconil, even though fungus was only visible on 4 seeds

If they have fungas growing on them they might be too humid. Also, make sure you have good airflow in the grow area. Australian Cycas like it on the drier side. 

23 hours ago, Tom in Tucson said:

The next time I try sowing any cycad seed, I will use all akadama instead of using it only as a top dressing

Why not do the change now on the ones you have germinated? I germinate all my cycad seeds in pure pumice, in community pots, works great. 

[Tom in Tucson]

2 minutes ago, Brian said:

If they have fungas growing on them they might be too humid. Also, make sure you have good airflow in the grow area. Australian Cycas like it on the drier side. 

Why not do the change now on the ones you have germinated? I germinate all my cycad seeds in pure pumice, in community pots, works great. 

If I had a greenhouse I would remove those which have sprouted, but it's now too cold to keep them growing outdoors.  Circulating air is always a wise decision for suppressing fungus. Humidity is usually a desirable component for almost all seedlings in their first few months. I grow thousands of cacti in closed bags for up to a year, and it helps increase their pace appreciably. I thank you for your advice. At this stage I need all the help I can get.

Hi 61°, Lo 50°

[PalmsandLiszt]

On 11/29/2023 at 6:00 PM, Meangreen94z said:

Ophiolitica and plataphylla are the other two blue species that have done well. I think the blue do better in deep containers with minimal watering , the excess lower soil helps wick away moisture.

Thanks for the suggestions; I'll look out of those species as possibly ones I won't kill!