Dioon spinulosum cycad beginning to flush

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One of the last cycads to flush (start sending out new leaves) here in The Tropical Paradise is my Dioon spinulosum by my bedroom window, under the olive tree. This is really the premium spot in my yard, because of the shade from the tree and the afternoon shade from the house.

The Dioon spinulosum over by the dining room window, which gets much more sunlight, flushed over a month ago. Watching a flush is exciting to a cycad collector. Unlike palm trees, cycads only grow about once a year, sometimes more, and sometime less. And it all happens very quickly, in a matter of weeks. It's an indication that the plant is healthy and growing. During a flush, the best thing to do is to get out there and water it regularly. Don't be tempted to trim away the old leaves, even if they don't look very good, as they provide protection for the new leaves, which are soft and fragile until full grown and hardened off.  In fact, if you do any damage to the young growing leaves, they will remain damaged for the life of the plant, so be careful. Avoid the temptation to touch or get snippers too close.

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