Editing Bonsai Cycads

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===Bonsai Cycads===
Cycads are one of the simplest and most
forgiving of all plant genera to bonsai.
It is possible to turn a cycad of any size or
age into a bonsai, although I tend to keep
an eye out around the nursery for plants
that stand out, e.g. those which have
be come multi-headed due to damage or
crown rot. Semi-advanced plants which
have suffered root rot due to fungus or
over watering are also good candidates for
bonsai treatment.

The first step is to remove all the old
foliage and trim any damaged or decayed roots
back to clean tissue. At this stage you
should treat the root system with a
fungicide, or air dry the cut areas. Select a pot
which would appear to be small in
proportion to the size of the caudex, or improvise
by cutting off an old plastic pot to give the
desired "squat" shape and pot with a clean,
preferably sterile, potting media. Don't
worry about buying an expensive "Bonsai
Pot" until you are confident you have a
fully established plant, when you will be
able to make the perfect selection to suit
your specimen.

''Zamia furfuracea''Height: 300mm
Started in 1988 with multi-crowned caudex with roots rotted off.
The next step may be approached in a
couple of different ways. Firstly, you may
simply bonsai the plant by starvation, using a
nutrient poor mix and holding back on
moisture and fertilizer. In this instance it
is not as critical to restrict the roots.
Generally speaking, this method is too slow to
be very rewarding. The better method is
to use a nutrient rich mix, restrict the roots
and water regularly. When you notice a
new flush of leaves starting to push
through, remove some or all the old leaves.
This depends on the species you are
working on. For example, Cycas spp. normally
flush once a year. Zamia spp. tends to get
a couple of leaves more often. If at the
same time that the leaves need trimming
the roots have become too vigorous, reduce
them back and slow down the water
application at least until the leaves have
hardened off. Resume your normal watering
and feeding programme until the next year.
There is another source of cycad material
for bonsai, and that is those plants which
occur as a one in a thousand or more
chance which have a mutation or
dwarfism. These, of course, are the easiest of
all to bonsai.

''Zamia furfuracea''Height: 300mm
Started in 1982 with multi-crowned caudex.
Growing cycads in this way can be very
rewarding as you can fit quite a few
specimens in a confined space or on a unit
balcony. Unlike most other bonsai which need
to be kept out doors, once the leaves on a
cycad have hardened off, you can keep
them inside for quite long periods. It is
essential, however, that as soon as new
growth is noticed they be removed to
stronger light so that the leaves don't
stretch. Whilst the plants are inside, keep
a close eye out for scale and mealy bug and
treat them as early as possible.

''Cycas revoluta''
Height: 400mm Width: 200mm
Started in 1988 from sucker imported from Japan.
Another positive point I have noticed with
bonsai cycads is that if at any time the
leaves become damaged, just cut them off
and they will usually flush a new set
straight away.

===Contributed by:===
Stan Walkley<br/>
Will Kraa<br/>

===External Links:===
[https://www.google.com/search?q=Bonsai+Cycads&amp;num=10&amp;sa=Google+Search Google],
[https://images.google.com/images?q=Bonsai+Cycads&amp;hl=en&amp;btnG=Google+Search GoogleImages],
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[[Category:Cycads|Bonsai_Cycads]]
[[Category:Cycad|Bonsai_Cycads]]