Watering your cycads in the winter

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Don't water your cycads in the winter. At all. Here in Glendale, Arizona, I turn off the automatic watering system in late November. It will go back on when the soil temperatures begin to go up in May.

The biggest enemy your cycad has is you over-watering. In the winter, when the soil is cold and your cycads aren't doing any active growing, over-watering can cause their roots to rot. It's OK to water a bit with the hose, to rinse the leaves off of bird poop, but don't get carried away. If you have annuals, you will need to selectively water them for the first few months. Annuals really can't be over watered, so if you feel that you must water, you can water them as much as you like.

Where I live we get gentle rains in December and January, and that is plenty for The Tropical Paradise. By the way, it's December 7th and it's 73 degrees (F). Life is good in Arizona!

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