Editing Zamia pseudoparasitica (section)

===Culture:===
Because these plants are epiphytic, they need a very different potting mix
to normal Zamias. Here are couple of recipes which came from a discussion
on the Cycad List in late January 2000.

Mixes are an interesting thing and are usually tailored to the plant being
grown and the PERSON GROWING the plant. It is about as easy to tell someone
how much to water a plant as it is to tell them what kind of mix to use.
Thus the vagaries (vagarity often sounds like condescension). There are a
million variables not the least of which is how you tend your plants and
what potting materials are available to you. Any plant can live out in pure
air with no substrate around their roots as long as they receive the correct
amount of food and water.

Using materials such as tree fern, charcoal, pumice, perlite etc. will
maintain the necessary air pockets and will not break down. Materials such
as ground or long fibred sphagnum moss, fir bark (orchid bark), peat moss
chunks, etc. will hold the moisture you need.
 
My pseudos are planted in wooden slat baskets. The mix I use for my epiphytes
is from the Atlanta Botanical Garden and they use it for their ''Nepenthes''
(asian pitcher plant) it drains instantly and has great water retention.

2 parts milled sphagnum <br/>
2 parts fir bark <br/>
2 parts shredded tree fern fibre <br/>
1 part charcoal <br/>
1 part peat <br/>
For larger pots and baskets I use parts of chunkier peat, larger sized
charcoal and fir bark.

Note there is no nutrition in this mix. But that is ok for nepenthes and
cycads. You can always feed.
The important thing is you find a mix that will hold the plant in position
and keep moisture and air around the roots.

ANY material can be used that is not toxic to the plant. Some materials I
have seen include styrafoam packing, peanut shells, cork, wine corks, shredded tires,
cypress chips, redwood fibre, coconut fibre, various plastic and foam pieces etc.
It is important that the mix fits you and the plant.

'''Neil Carroll'''
 

I have had good success with ''Zamia pseudoparasitica''. What I found to
be true was what I had always heard was true. "Grow them in a basket!"
I ignored that advice at first and used standard pots with less than stellar
results. In the basket, they flourished. However, the other key is to use
the right mix. I take my regular cycad mix and supplement it with an equal
amount of shredded course sphagnum moss with some chunky redwood bark and
perlite. I mix it up like a salad. Then I pot the plant into this mix.
I use a metal basket with sphagnum moss holding in the mix at the perimeter
of the basket. You should see results. They are flourishing

Also, remember that ''Z. pseudoparasitica'' will tolerate some cold but
not a freeze. Good luck.

Phil Bergman, '''Jungle Music Palms and Cycads''' San Diego, California

 
Always repot your ''Z. pseudoparasitica'' on a regular basis, because the mix will break down over time, and it can lose the free draining and well aerated properties that the plants require.
This can result in the plant growing happily for several years, and then suddenly dying for no apparent reason. Also be very careful when repotting, as this species roots are easily damaged, and seem to rot more easily than other Zamias, again causing plant loss.

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[[File:Zamia_pseudoparasitica.jpg|frame|Figure 2. ''Z. pseudoparasitica'' leaf detail.]]
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[[File:Zamia_pseudoparasitica02.jpg|frame|Figure 3. ''Z. pseudoparasitica'' in open wire basket.]]
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[[File:Zamia_pseudoparasitica04.jpg|frame|Figure 4. ''Z. pseudoparasitica'' female cones.]]
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[[File:Zamia_pseudoparasitica05.jpg|frame|Figure 5. ''Z. pseudoparasitica'' in habitat, Panama. Note the abundance of epiphytic plants.]]
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