Despite its tropical appearance, Cycas revoluta is one of the hardiest cycads in cultivation. Mature, established specimens in well-drained soil can survive brief exposures to temperatures as low as −8 to −10 °C (USDA zone 8a/8b) — a toughness that has made this species a landscape staple from the French Riviera to the American Southeast. Yet frost… Continue reading My Cycas revoluta Has Cold Damage, Why? Assessment, Recovery, and Winter Protection
Author: Jean-Michel
My Cycas revoluta Has Scale Insects, Why? Identifying and Controlling Cycad Scale
If your Cycas revoluta is covered in a white, crusty coating on the undersides of its fronds — or if the plant looks increasingly pale, stunted, and sickly despite correct watering and feeding — the culprit is almost certainly cycad aulacaspis scale, Aulacaspis yasumatsui. This tiny armoured insect has become the single greatest pest threat to cultivated cycads… Continue reading My Cycas revoluta Has Scale Insects, Why? Identifying and Controlling Cycad Scale
My Cycas revoluta Is Turning Yellow, Why? A Diagnostic Guide
Few sights alarm a cycad grower more than golden-yellow fronds appearing on a plant that should be uniformly deep green. Yet yellowing leaves on Cycas revoluta — the sago palm — is one of the most common problems reported by both indoor and outdoor growers worldwide, from southern Japan to Florida, the Mediterranean coast, and well beyond.… Continue reading My Cycas revoluta Is Turning Yellow, Why? A Diagnostic Guide
Growing Yuccas from Seed: From Germination to Planting Out
Growing a yucca from seed is a project of patience — but it is also the most rewarding way to obtain vigorous, well-rooted plants perfectly acclimatised to your garden. A Yucca rostrata raised from seed, grown from germination in your climate and your soil, will always be more robust and better established than an imported specimen whose… Continue reading Growing Yuccas from Seed: From Germination to Planting Out
Cycas in Pots: Complete Care Guide, Watering, Winter Protection and Tropical Cycads You Can Grow
Cycas revoluta in a pot is probably the most common exotic-looking plant on patios and windowsills worldwide — and one of the most frequently mistreated. It is sold everywhere: garden centres, supermarkets, hotel lobbies, restaurant terraces. And everywhere, the same mistakes: too much water, too little light, a moisture-retentive compost that slowly rots the base. The… Continue reading Cycas in Pots: Complete Care Guide, Watering, Winter Protection and Tropical Cycads You Can Grow
Yucca rostrata in Containers: How to Succeed with Pot Culture
Yucca rostrata is arguably the most coveted yucca among exotic plant enthusiasts — and for good reason. Its perfect sphere of blue-grey leaves, its felted trunk, its architectural silhouette: it is a plant that transforms any patio or terrace into a desert garden. And container growing is often the only option for gardeners in regions where… Continue reading Yucca rostrata in Containers: How to Succeed with Pot Culture
Spider Mites on Yuccas: Why They Spread and How to Save Your Plant
Spider mites are one of the most dangerous pests on yuccas — and one of the most underestimated. Unlike mealybugs, which weaken a plant slowly over months, spider mites can strip a yucca of its entire foliage in days. A beautiful Yucca rostrata, with its perfect sphere of blue-grey leaves, can be reduced to a bare… Continue reading Spider Mites on Yuccas: Why They Spread and How to Save Your Plant
My yucca is rotting : why and how to save it
Your yucca has a soft trunk, leaves yellowing all at once, a strange smell coming from the base? It is almost certainly rotting — and the instinctive reaction of many owners is to water more, assuming the plant is thirsty. That is the worst thing you can do. In the vast majority of cases, a… Continue reading My yucca is rotting : why and how to save it
Mealybugs on yuccas
Mealybugs and scale insects are the most common pests on indoor yuccas — and among the most frustrating. They arrive silently, multiply out of sight, and by the time most owners notice them, the infestation is well established. On a typical indoor Yucca gigantea, it is not unusual to find hundreds of scale insects during a… Continue reading Mealybugs on yuccas
How to Care for Yuccas: Indoor and Outdoor Growing Guide
Yuccas are among the most forgiving plants you can grow — and among the most misunderstood. They thrive on neglect, tolerate drought, heat, poor soil and freezing cold with an ease that makes most garden plants look fragile by comparison. A mature Yucca rostrata dusted with snow, its blue rosette untouched, is one of the most striking… Continue reading How to Care for Yuccas: Indoor and Outdoor Growing Guide