Caring for your cycads in the winter

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Even though it's still pretty warm here in Glendale in November, winter is definitely on its way. Many people are surprised at how cold it can get here in the desert. Of course, it doesn't snow here, but it can get below freezing. The coldest temperatures happen in the wee hours of the mornings in January, and it can get into the teens (F).

There really isn't anything that you need to do for your cycads, especially if you have plenty of Dioon Edule, var. palma solas. Of course, you want to cut back on the water for all of the garden, and hopefully, you have planted your cycads on a slope so that water can drain if we get a lot of winter rain.

Cycas revolta (Sago Palm) at the LA zoo with Brad
Cycas revoltas (sago palms) also do fine in the winter. You may see some tiny spots or some cold burn at the tips, especially if the plant is fairly small, but it won't harm the plant. When a new flush appears in the spring, you can trim away the last season's flush completely if the damage is very severe. The only time I've needed to do that here is after the nasty freeze of January 2007. If you were living here in Glendale at that time, you know that it killed a lot of Ficus trees and tender tropical plants. The only plants I lost were a few very small Phoenix roebellinis (dwarf date palms). The larger ones lost some leaves, but came back just fine. But I have been in this house for 17 years and that's the worst it's ever been. I lost my big sago a couple years ago from over-watering. I didn't realize that it was sitting with "it's feet wet" - that is, poor drainage, until it was too late, and the plant rotted.

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