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Growing
plants in terracotta pots adds classic and timeless appeal
to any home, office, restaurant or public area, and one
favourite plant for terracotta pots is the Cycad.
Cycads are a very easy to grow plant and there are many
varieties available, suitable for both in-ground growing
and in-pot growing. One favourite for growing in pots
is the Cycad Revoluta. This Cycad is commonly
available at many garden centre outlets.
POT SIZE
Cycads need a large pot of at least 40cm wide, and sometimes
much larger depending on the plant size. This will all
depend upon the size of the Cycad you are intending to
pot up. As cycads are relatively slow growing, if you
have purchased a small plant, then a small pot of approximately
40cm wide will do just fine. However, do remember that
Cycads will grow to become quite large plants and they
really do look their best in a decent sized terracotta
pot. One problem with small pots is that they tend to
dry out very quickly during the hotter summer months,
whereas a larger pot will retain more moisture and therefore
will not need watering as often.
POTTING MIX
Fill the pot with Searles® Terracotta & Tub Mix, which
is specially formulated for use in terracotta and other
outdoor pots. If the pot has large drainage holes, or
a large single drainage hole in the bottom, be sure to
crock this well with some large pieces of charcoal or
gravel, to prevent the potting mix from dribbling out,
and then fill with Terracotta & Tub mix over the top
of this.
Plant the cycad straight into this. There is no need to
amend the potting mix at all.
POSITION
When positioning your potted Cycad, make sure it's in
a sunny position and leave enough room all around the
pot for the Cycad to spread out. Remember that in time
the cycad may spread to 1 metre wide or maybe more. Cycads
in terracotta pots make marvellous landscape additions
to outdoor garden areas, paved areas, patios, BBQ and
pergola areas, but it would be wise to stand them back
a little from heavy traffic areas as the fronds can be
a little spiky to touch.
FERTILISING
To maintain deep green leaves and strong growth, water
regularly, and fertilise approximately every 3-4 weeks
with Searles Flourish® Soluble Plant Food.
Or another option would be to fertilise them with Searles
Robust® Controlled Release fertiliser. One application
will feed instantly and last for 6 months, providing continuous
plant nutrients over this 6 month period.
PESTS & DISEASE
Fortunately Cycads are very hardy plants and rarely suffer
from pest attack or plant diseases, which makes them terrific
for growing at home. If your Cycad does become afflicted
with a problem, ask your local Garden Centre for advice
on the specific problem and how to treat it. |
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Checklist
for Cycads in Terracotta pots:
• Choose a Terracotta pot at least 40cm wide
• Pot up with Searles® Terracotta & Tub mix
• Fertilise with Searles Flourish® every 3-4 weeks
• Fertilse with Searles Robust® Controlled Release
Fertiliser (one application feeds for 6 months) |
Happy
Gardening with Searles from the Searle family.
© Copyright 2002 JC &
AT Searle Pty Ltd
You may make a copy of this Fact Sheet for your personal,
non-commercial use only. Please do not make any other
use of this Fact Sheet without first obtaining our permission. |
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