A friend of mine has a mature cycad in a pot. She thinks it is a Queen Ann Palm, but it doesn't resemble the one in the DG files, so I really can't identify it. It looks like a cycad to me. The trunk is about a foot in diameter and the height of the plant is about 4-5 feet.
It has several babies surrounding the trunk. She said I was welcome to them if I could get some information about how to separate them. Anyone know how to do this?
Cycad or palmhow to divide babies?
I found this site, nice photo gallery, maybe you can ID it there. Sorry, I know nothing about them. http://www.cycad.org/
Thanks, Sue. So many of the pics look similar that I have no idea. It is definitely green though, as opposed to some of the greyer cultivars. From looking at the pics, I'd say it is definitely a cycad. But, which one, that is another story.
Unfortunately common names are totally useless in the cycad world, as all cycads are identified by their 'true' names (genus and species)... without a photo or that info, it will hard to help you. In general, most cycad pups can be simply cut off the stem with a sharp knife, left to dry out a week or so (remove all the leaves first) and then put in slightly damp pumice or perlite until they root out (keep warm, too). Some species are much hardier than others- some will easily root out, while others will more likely rot. Some need to be kept on the drier side, while some need a lot of moisture... need to see the plant to know which.
So, the pups don't already have their own root system when you cut them off from the mother plant? I was hoping I could dig the small plants out and just pot them up.
This site provided me with good information when I separated mine.
http://www.rhapisgardens.com/sagos/sagopups.htm
Thanks, ardesia, that site is really helpful.