garden life
Designers’ choice
Kiran Narain

Cycad in its glory

Cycas revolute (cycadaceae) or sago palm is a favourite with landscape designers and gardeners for it looks good in rockeries, shaded gardens, near water bodies or as a focal point in any location. It does equally well in ground or pots and is valued for its long lasting and shining leaves.

Though cycas is very slow growing, watching the new delicate leaves emerge magically, developing and changing colour within days from a brownish central pineapple like whorl to green comb-like leathery fronds is a fascinating experience.

Cycas is an ancient slow-growing plant, which is quite hardy in nature and has survived through the ages since the age of dinosaurs and is popularly known as a "living fossil".

The leaves live for years and grow in an upward and outward growth from a stubby trunk, which may attain a height of about eight or nine feet. Generally referred to as cycas palm or "kangi" palm, the plant is anything but a palm.

Doing well in bright indirect sunlight, it is very hardy and is in active growth practically throughout the year, so water it moderately throughout, ensuring that the top half of the mixture dries out between waterings.

The ideal soil mixture for cycas has to be one part loam, one part
leaf mould and one part sharp sand to which 1`BD teaspoons of 20 per cent super phosphate and one tablespoon of ground lime stone has been added per one bucket full of soil. Since it does not tolerate stagnant water, even while planting cycas in the ground, care should be taken to select a site, which is slightly higher than the rest of the garden. Even though it can stand fluctuations in temperature, cycas needs bright light, in pots, it is quite happy in pot-bound conditions where it may grow undisturbed for years
together. The pots, therefore, should be selected keeping in view the long life and majestic appearance of the plant. Applying liquid fertiliser once a month between June and September may be a good idea.

Even though Cycas is hardy and takes care of itself, at times it may be attacked by bugs and scales which can damage the otherwise long-lasting foliage. In such cases, the leaves could be washed with a brush dipped in rogor solution. Later, the leaves can be sprayed with plain water.

Propagation by seed is best left to professionals. However, when bulb-like structures appear at the base of the stems, these off springs could be separated from the mother plant and planted in the usual potting mixture and kept in the shade till they strike roots.

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