Exotic lovers know: Tsikas Revolution is one of the oldest plants on Earth. This saga palm saw how civilization was born, she remembers what dinosaurs looked like. Can you imagine that such a miracle settled on your windowsill? Now it depends only on you whether Tsikas will become a pearl of the interior revolution or slowly wither due to inept care. But to follow the plant is not difficult at all. You just need to know and follow a few simple rules.
Tsikas revolution - one of the famous mistakes of the XVIII century
Despite the fact that Tsikas Revolution is very similar to a palm tree, he has nothing to do with it. The name of the plant appeared due to the error of the famous botanist Karl Linnaeus. He was deceived by the appearance of a beautiful evergreen plant and gave him the name, which in translation from ancient Greek means "palm". Moreover, the scientist described the plant and carried it to the palm trees. This is where the confusion arose that confuses the owners of cicadas to this day.
Description and characteristics of the plant
Tsikas (Cycas), aka sago palm, is a representative of an ancient group of gymnosperms. It combines more than ninety species. Gymnosperms are called plants due to the peculiarities of the ovule, in which seeds develop without a closed shell. Their ovary is similar to the scales under which several ovules are formed. Whereas palm is a plant from the monocotyledonous family. The external similarity played a joke with the plant: no matter what genus it belongs to, people stubbornly call Tsikas a palm tree.
The trunk of the cycad in nature can reach 15 m in height. It has a significant thickness, which is sometimes about 100 cm in diameter. All varieties of palm trees (Cycas) have pinnate or double-pinnate large leaves that grow in a bunch from the top of the trunk.
Adult plants are capable of branching and forming children. Due to this, clusters of dense leaf sockets appear on many of them, each of which could be a separate saga palm.
How do cycas grow
Tsikas Revolution, like the rest of the Cycas, is a dioecious plant. It gives male and female individuals. On males, strobiles similar to a spruce cone develop only in large sizes. Female plants form cones similar to cauliflower. Cycas are pollinated by the wind. Male pollen finds cones of female palm trees in which seeds will ripen after pollination.
Where can I find the "palm" of Tsikas Revolution?
Where do palm trees grow? Cycas are found almost throughout Asia. This plant enjoys special respect in Japan. Some species can be found in Indonesia and Australia. Gymnosperm "palm" is found on many islands of the Pacific Ocean (Samoa, Fiji and others), in addition, it grows on the island of Madagascar.
On the territory of Russia, the cicada feels rather well on the coast of the Caucasus. Although in winter the plant is not very comfortable here.
How does Tsikas revolution on the windowsill behave?
Home saga palm grows much slower than its relatives in nature. It does not look much like the spreading wild giants that can live for several centuries. At home, Tsikas Revolution produces only 1 row of leaves per year. In this case, the plant grows by about 3 cm in height. The home cypress has a rather large crown diameter, but the trunk dimensions are tiny. The plant is easy to grow, as it is not picky in care.
The trunk of homemade cicasis is often called a bump. Outwardly, it resembles a pineapple covered with scales from the remains of the petioles. The young leaf is softer, it is folded like a ribbon of serpentine, and looks like a fern. As it grows, the leaf becomes tough but brittle.
How to plant or transplant a cicada
Do you want to grow the Tsikas revolution plant on the windowsill? Care at home for this plant will not cause great difficulties. First of all, you need to choose the right pot:
- Do not take too big a flowerpot, it should correspond to the root system of your handsome. For subsequent transplants, you will need a capacity that will be approximately 10% larger than the previous one.
- The bottom of the pot should have many drainage holes so that water does not stagnate in the pot.
- A large sago palm tree is planted in stable containers so that the crown of the plant does not outweigh and does not turn over the capacity.
- Small specimens feel good in flat (low) pots.
Cycases do not like frequent transplants. Plants are better off being cramped than undergoing unnecessary stress. For the pot where the palm trees grow, choose the finished soil mixture. It is called "Soil mix for palm trees." But you can prepare the soil yourself. This will require:
- turf land ;
- leaf humus;
- coarse sand;
- crust or crushed nutshell;
- sphagnum;
- brick chips and bone meal.
As you can see, the mixture has a complex composition in which it is easy to make a mistake. If it is not possible to prepare the soil yourself, it can always be purchased at a specialized store.
The stress state of an adult plant after transplantation lasts almost six months. Tsikas revolution becomes weaker and more vulnerable. If, in preparation for a transplant, the plant owner noticed that the sago palm is ready to throw away the leaf, then it is necessary to postpone the procedure.
The flowerpot must have a thick layer of drainage. The trunk bump can not be deepened into the ground. The soil mixture must freely pass water in a few minutes, since stagnation of moisture can lead to the death of the plant.
Where to put the saga palm?
The plant loves light, so it’s ideal to place the cicada on the southeast or southwest side. South windows should be slightly obscured, especially at noon. If the palm tree does not have enough light, then its leaves stretch upward; if there is a lot of it, they will be short. In order to form a beautiful crown, during the formation of the plant, the pot is slightly rotated daily.
How to water a plant?
Do you want to grow beautiful Tsikas revolution? Home care will require proper watering. The main thing is never to overmoisten the soil. However, one should not allow overdrying of an earthen coma, since the sago palm is not able to accumulate moisture. During irrigation, water should not fall on the trunk, since kidneys can die because of this.
There is a watering system for saga palm trees, depending on the season:
- From late spring to early fall, Tsikas Revolution needs weekly watering. If the plant is in a sunny place, then watering is performed every 5 days.
- The rest of the time you need to water the plant once every 10 days. Each time the condition of the earth is checked. It should dry to half the pot. But the saga palm tree, standing near the heating source, is watered more often.
The ideal option is to use melt or rain water at room temperature. It should be watered gradually. First, the topsoil is wetted, then the liquid is poured so that it flows into the sump. Here the water should not stagnate, immediately after watering it should be removed. Note! All varieties of palm trees in question require such a selection of soil so that water spills into the pan immediately, without stagnating in the roots. If the planting mixture is improperly selected, an excess of moisture will occur and the plant will die.
How to feed
Since the cicas of the revolution is growing very slowly, it must be regularly fed. For these purposes, complexes for cacti and orchids are suitable. The frequency of use is once every 3 weeks, but the concentration should be lower than indicated on the label. Fertilizers with potassium and magnesium salts should be avoided. But the nitrogen in the composition is very useful for cicas.
In the fall, the sago palm is fed less frequently, and in the winter months, feeding is stopped altogether. In addition, it is not carried out if the plant is sick or has recently undergone a transplant.
A few additional nuances of care
Often, consultants in stores hear the question: “I have a sago palm. Does her care include leaf pruning? ” Keep in mind: cicada is not a garden apple tree. It does not need pruning. Leaves are removed only if the plant is sick. Even drying up and yellowish ones are not immediately removed, since the plant can use their trace elements.
Spraying for sago palms is an optional procedure. Dust can be removed with a damp cloth. If the owner wants to put a cicada in the shower in the summer heat, then the top must be protected from moisture.