How to cultivate and maintain

The iron tree, whose real name is Cycas, is a small evergreen tree of the genus Cycas of the Cycads family, and is a precious ancient relict plant. Cycads native to the mountains of Fujian are mainly cultivated in China. In recent years, Sichuan Panzhihua cycad, Yunnan cycad and so on, have also been introduced and cultivated in various places.

The height of cycads planted on the ground can be up to 8 meters. Potted plants range from 2 to 3 meters. The stem is stout, cylindrical, and the surface is densely covered with dark brown dried leaf bases and leaf scars, like a pineapple, rarely branched. The stem of perennial plants often germinates from adventitious buds to small stems, which is called sucking buds. The roots are fleshy. Large pinnate compound leaves are clustered at the top of the stem, and the length and number of leaves are usually proportional to the age of the tree, with the longest up to 2 meters and more than 100 pairs of leaflets. The leaflets are closely and neatly arranged on the petiole, thick leathery, with a cluster of new leaves sprouting from the top of the stem in the center of the foliage every year, and the lower leaves dry up year by year. Flowers terminal, dioecious. Female inflorescences oblate, palmate, densely brown tomentose, male inflorescences pine tower-shaped, yellow, flowering usually from July to August. Seeds ovoid, slightly flattened, scarlet glossy.

Cycads like sunshine and are resistant to semi-overcast. It grows well under warm, moist and fresh air conditions. It is not resistant to cold, and potted plants are planted in the north of the Yangtze River basin. Potted plants in the north, spring and autumn should avoid strong winds and hot sun, and hot summer and rainy season should avoid pots of stagnant water for a long time. Need acid soil, use alkaline soil often appear leaf yellowing symptoms. It has a strong tolerance to fertilizer and stops growing in poor soil, often without sprouting new leaves for many years. Cycads grow slowly, usually the stem grows only 1 cm to 2 cm per year, and the life span can reach more than 200 years.

Cycads are often planted and propagated by absorbing buds. Usually a stem about 1 meter high often germinates and absorbs buds, and grows into one or two small stems, which can be cut off from the mother, planted in the matrix of vermiculite and humus soil, keep 40% water content, and be maintained in a high temperature and shade environment. Fibrous roots and buds can germinate in the next spring. If the leaf is not extended for a long time, it can be covered with a thin film to promote growth. If the sucking buds are cut off from the mother prematurely, the initial growth is very slow, and it is best to let the sucking buds grow on the matrix for 2 to 3 years and then split up for cultivation, then it is easy to root and sprout.

Potted cycads should be planted in different types of flowerpots according to plant size, using slightly acidic sandy soil rich in humus, loose and fertile, and strong permeability. The bottom hole of the flowerpot (bucket) should be enlarged, and a layer of broken tiles should be laid at the bottom of the pot as a drainage layer to prevent the root system from rotting. It is not necessary to change the basin year after year, but it is necessary to apply organic liquid fertilizer frequently. It is better to use sesame sauce residue or bean cake water to make the leaves glossy and green. The water quality in the north is too alkaline, so it is best to irrigate the ferrous sulfate solution of 500 at a time in about two weeks. Always keep the basin soil moist in summer. Move to low temperature greenhouse for maintenance in winter. He came out of the room in the middle of April next spring. If you put a medium-temperature or high-temperature greenhouse to survive the winter and sprout new leaves in early spring, you must wait until after the spring dry wind to move them outdoors and maintain them under the shade shed, and then move them to the sun after all the new leaves are strong, otherwise the new leaves are easy to scorch and damage.

Cycads are vulnerable to scale insects. Shell insects are mostly hidden in the back of the lobules, and coal fouling disease is easy to occur in a poor ventilation environment. Attention should be paid to ventilation and timely medication.

Small cycad potted plants can be used for indoor bright desk or several furnishings, and can also be used as a combination of bonsai.