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*sigh* I believe my C revoluta is well and truly dead

Posted by paul_ z5 MI (My Page) on
Sun, Feb 7, 10 at 13:07

It is now completely frondless.

I have a SW facing 1/2 moon window over the glass doors in my apt. Due to lack of space I decided to put it there so it could still get a decent amount of light. Unfortunately I neglected to consider the fact that the vents for my heat blow out in that area. This coupled with my abysmal humidity (if I can get it up to 30% I'm doing great) desciated it, I believe. All the fronds yellowed and died. I cut off the dead fronds and moved it to a cooler, less well lit area. I've tried giving it small sips of water but so far no sign of life. Any good way to check to see if it is truly dead or still has a chance?


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: *sigh* I believe my C revoluta is well and truly dead

Its kind of hard to know if a cycad is truly dead, but I think the only way to know for sure is to wait until summer comes. If the trunk is still firm then it might have some life in it. Try to give it some plant food.

Good luck!


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RE: *sigh* I believe my C revoluta is well and truly dead

Never give up on cycads. Unless you run totally out of patience they are known to survive incredible near deaths. Trunks of C.revoluta have been known to sit seemingly dead for a year outdoors..and when uprooted and brought indoors under a greenhouse mister-sprout another year later from the trunk scales,pups. An extreme example,but not far from my own experience a few years ago with one in a pot I tossed out,my wife then replanted..sure enough, a mid winter frond sprouted.


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RE: *sigh* I believe my C revoluta is well and truly dead

You have to dessicate the hell out of a Cycad to kill a healthy, decent sized plant. I suspect your plant was already going downhill, perhaps rot, before you brought it indoors. Rot is the primary cause of cycad distress.

Were the yellow fronds still firm, or were they droopy at the hinges?

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RE: *sigh* I believe my C revoluta is well and truly dead

  • Posted by butiaman 7b Douglasville,GA. (My Page) on
    Sun, Feb 7, 10 at 15:19

I have two 15 gallon ones in the house.I have them in my grow room with 300watts of light.I only water them in winter once a month.Iflood them with fish emulsion,1tbs to 2 gallons of water.I give each plant two gallons of water.The good thing with fish fertilizer is it wont burn plants.They are so large and heavy,It's all I can do to pick them up.I will probley be selling them this summer,there getting to big for putting them inside for winter.I wish I had more room for them,but I dont.Mabey you could try something like this,it's worth a try.Just make sure they dry out between waterings.Good luck with it!


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RE: *sigh* I believe my C revoluta is well and truly dead

Mine grow outside in all weathers and always loose some, sometimes all, of their fronds before the winter is over. They leaf back out when the weather gets good and warm (about May here.) There are some growing outside a motel here that have been doing that for more than thirty years. Yours are probably mad at you but I doubt if they're dead.


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RE: *sigh* I believe my C revoluta is well and truly dead

Hmmm, well if by "droopy at the hinges" you mean loose or weak ... then no. They were quite hard. Matter of fact I don't think they had bent downward much if at all.

So on the off chance it isn't dead, do I just continue giving it a sip of water once a week in the mean time? I that too much?


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RE: *sigh* I believe my C revoluta is well and truly dead

If it is not dead, and leafless, water with the highest nitrogen fertilizer you can find. A soluble lawn fertilizer will work. A nitrogen boost can stimulate a flush of leaves in 6 weeks. Be very careful not to overwater: a leafless plant cannot transpire, meaning too much moisture in the soil mix can be lethal. Wait until nights are consistently warm. If all goes well, new leaves will sprout sometime this summer.

Most importantly: whatever you did to your Cycad - don't repeat the same mistake :-)

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