Origin, planting methods of Balansa's cycad and solutions for leaves that do not fork

Cycas balansae is a plant in the genus Cycas, named for its broad leaves, and its Latin scientific name honors its discoverer, the French botanist Benedict Balansa, so its Chinese name is also transliterated as Balansa's cycad. So where is its main origin? How do you grow it? What if the leaves do not fork? The details are organized as follows:

Distribution and origin

It is distributed in southern Guangxi (Fangcheng County), southern Yunnan, and Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and other places. Cycas balansae has developed into a potted plant in its native habitat, but it is still relatively rare in other regions.

How to grow

Growing environment

In valley tropical rainforest or limestone mountain monsoon forest, in sandy soil derived from limestone in forests at an altitude of 100-800 m, and in monsoon forest red soil.

Propagation and cultivation

Cycas balansae likes sunlight, prefers warmth, tolerates drought, and can also tolerate partial shade, so it is best placed in a ventilated environment on a balcony. It grows best in an appropriate amount of sandy loam. Cycads are not cold-tolerant. In the Yangtze River basin, a wind-sheltered, sunny balcony can be chosen for overwintering. If the temperature drops below 0°C, it is necessary to cover it with a layer of straw or wrap the stem with straw rope, then remove this when it warms up the following spring. If the leaves are exposed to cold wind or frost, yellow-white patches appear on the leaves and are not easy to remedy quickly. Cycads grow slowly and can live for more than 200 years, producing one new whorl of leaves from the top of the stem each year. Potted cycads flowering is often irregular, and the flowers are not easy to see, hence the saying “a thousand-year-old cycad blooms”, meaning it blooms relatively rarely. If cultivated properly, an old plant 15-20 years old can also bloom once every few years. In the south, when the growing environment is good, it can bloom every year, and the flowering period can last as long as 1 month. Generally, male flowers bloom from June to August, and female flowers from October to November. It is dioecious, and the flowering periods are not synchronized, so it is not easy to obtain seeds in the north.

Potted Cycas balansae can be moved outdoors in April-May, and the soil should be replaced with new soil every 2-3 years when repotting. The best potting mix is fertile, loose sandy loam. When repotting, place broken tiles and coarse gravel at the bottom of the pot as a drainage layer, and apply 2-3 pieces of horse hoof slices and cake fertilizer as base fertilizer. During the vigorous summer growth period, apply dilute decomposed cake fertilizer water once or twice a month. If “black alum water” (ferrous sulfate) is added to the topdressing, the leaf color can become deep green and glossy. Stop fertilizing after autumn.

For watering potted cycads, newly potted cycads should not have overly moist soil; keep the soil neither dry nor wet, maintaining appropriate dryness to avoid root rot. After new leaves unfold, increase the amount of watering appropriately. In summer, the vigorous growing season, watering can be slightly more, once a day. After autumn, growth gradually slows, so also pay attention to controlling the amount of watering. In the rainy season, avoid water accumulation in the pot. After new leaves emerge, prune away the withered, weak, and yellow leaves to maintain the plant's handsome appearance.