Stiff, glossy fronds radiate from a thick trunk, bringing a touch of exotic life to any well-lit room — yet cycas is not a palm tree at all, despite the close resemblance. Native to Japan, it is among the most often-purchased indoor plants: give it very good light and soil that drains freely, and it slowly becomes a timeless feature.
| Name | Cycas |
|---|---|
| Family | Cycadaceae |
| Type | indoor plant |
| Exposure | well-lit, full sun |
| Soil | soil mix |
| Foliage | evergreen |
These are the answers to the many questions that can arise when one has the luck of owning a magnificent cycas.
Not quite a palm tree but still an amazing ornamental plant, cycas is very appealing.
Cycas requires good soil mix that can be amended with ⅓ compost, if you’ve got any.
To secure drainage for pots with only one hole at the bottom, pour clay pebbles or small stones into the pot to form a layer. This prevents the hole from clogging. Roots shouldn’t wallow in water, which could be fatal to it.
Generally speaking, most cycas don’t tolerate the cold, except Cycas revoluta which survives temperatures just below freezing.
Under our climates, cycas adapts well to living indoors in our homes and apartments, except for Cycas revoluta which quite appreciates cooler temperatures in winter.
Choose for it a place near a window facing to the South or West so that it would bathe in a good deal of both indirect light and sunlight.
If you live in a house that is quite dark, avoid purchasing Cycas because it won’t cope well with the lack of luminosity.
What a cycas asks for changes completely between its growing months and its resting months. This table sets out the watering and feeding rhythm described below.
| Period | Watering | Fertiliser | What the plant is doing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early spring to late summer | Regular but limited; let the surface of the soil mix dry before watering again | Liquid fertiliser every two weeks, on soil mix wetted beforehand | Main growth period |
| Midsummer peak | Often needed every 2 or 3 days | Liquid fertiliser every fortnight | Highest water demand, especially in full sun |
| Early to mid-autumn | Begin reducing; water only when dry down to the first inch | Stop feeding | Water needs begin to decrease |
| Late autumn to late winter | About once every 15 days, more if standing in full sun | None | Resting; Cycas revoluta appreciates cooler temperatures |
| Early spring | Return to regular, limited watering | Resume feeding | Repotting time, every 2 or 3 years, or topdressing instead |
Finding the right balance between too little and too much water is what decides whether a cycas thrives.
Finding the right balance is the key…
This is usually the time of the year when cycas grows most.
Water regularly while letting the soil mix dry in the surface before watering again.
Watering must be regular but limited, in order to not suffocate the plant’s roots.
You might say that watering every 2 or 3 days is often needed.
Start reducing the watering: water needs begin to decrease.
Only when the soil is dry down to the first inch or so (a couple centimeters), water to moisten the entire soil mix clump again.
One could say that watering once every 15 days should be enough.
But this also depends on where your cycas is placed: if in full sun, its needs will surely be higher.
This plant needs much more nitrogen than it does phosphorus and potassium. In conventional fertilizers, this means the “N” ratio must be higher than that of the “P” and “K”. For example, an 18 – 8 – 8 or a 24 – 8 – 8 fertilizer is perfect. Typically, manure has lots of nitrogen, with that from birds and goats being the highest. There are other ways to increase nitrogen content though:
This is undoubtedly due to lack of light or excess water.
If the plant continues to produce new leaves, this is part of your cycas’s natural cycle. Trees, even evergreen trees, lose their leaves to renew them.
You should know that once a leaf turns yellow, be it due to pests, frost, or lack of nutrients, that same leaf won’t turn green again. You’ll have to cajole the plant into setting out new, healthy fronds!
Although it may run contrary to popular belief, cycas isn’t a palm tree, but it does look very similar.
All in one aesthetic, resilient and very easy to grow, this is one of the most appreciated and often-purchased indoor plants. Outdoors, it adds a timeless feature to the garden, slowly evolving. It is native to Japan, which makes it a perfect complement to any Japanese garden.
Its foliage is particularly elegant and unique, and its thick trunk brings a touch of exotic life to a living room, dining area, or any other room of the house that is well-lit.
Cycas is one of the plants that date back to the time of dinosaurs! Like the ZZ plant or the Ginkgo biloba tree, cycas leaves routinely appear in fossils that are over 60 million years old.
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