AusBonsai

Hi Everyone,

My neighbour brought me her cycad bonsai the other day with the hope that could rejuvenate it. She's had it for more than 5 years that I know of and in that time it's never been re-poted. It been sitting on her window sill in the Kitchen. It get's lots of sun but never goes outside.

So any recommendations on how I should start. I was going to bare root, wash and soak in seaweed emulsion and then just pot with a standard bonsai mix + a sprinkle of slow release fertiliser.

I also noticed a PUP ( if that's what you call them for Cycads) on the side of this one. I was wondering if / how this could be potted on its own and how to encourage it to take root.

Any advice / thoughts would be most welcome.

Cheers,
Rick

I would re-pot it now before the new leaves open, Bare rooting it should be fine, they have enough food stored in the trunk to re-grow if you remove all the leaves. Leave the pup on until it gets bigger, they use teh energy in their trunks to stay alive until they root and it looks way to small to do that, they can take up to a year to take.

Thanks for that...

Should I do anything with the existing leaves? Is it worth Trimming them back or removing them so that the energy is focused on the new growth?

Cheers
Rick

I just googled cycad bonsai, says to cut the old leaves off before the new ones come in to restrict growth of the new leaves, I would leave them on because it seems that less growth is focused on new growth without them. I think they may use the old leaves for energy, the old leaves on mine begin to die as teh new ones gow every season, thats just an observation though, I don't know if it is true.

If you want to propagate one I can send you a pup that should take.

I found this here http://www.rhapisgardens.com/sagos/

"REPOTTING is best done in spring or summer. Cycads prefer to be root bound and should be repotted into a container only slightly larger than the root system. If roots are trimmed for bonsai use, remove a comparable amount of lower leaves."

Hope it helps.

Found this there too.

"PRUNING LEAVES and "SPRUCING UP" your Sago palm should be done at least once a year. Oldest and lowest leaves eventually have brown tips or turn brown (to allow the plant energy to go to growing new leaves) and should be removed. Cut as close to the trunk as possible. If new leaves emerge yellow or distorted, then you have probably been over or under fertilizing. Cut them off immediately so that the Cycad will start making a new set of leaves."

Looks like I was right about them using their energy for new growth, I would leave them then.

Have one in a Bonsai pot, and if I do not repot each yea, it will push itself out of the pot.

Take out of the pot and trim back any roots so it will fit back in. You can bare root if you have to and I just seasol weekly after repotting for a month or so.
Mine is outside in full sun and gets watered daily

Ken

Thanks Everyone for your feed back. I've done the re-potting and am going to hang on to it for a couple of weeks to make sure it gets plenty of the good stuff before returning it to my neighbour. With Any luck it may have at least one or two new leaves out on show by then.

Regards,
Rick

Man that is one nice cycad Ken