Growing cycads at 30 degrees latitude

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It's 8:00 o'clock in the morning, Thursday, November 25th, 2010. Here in The Tropical Paradise in Glendale, Arizona, it is 45 degrees F. And even though I've lived here in the Southwest, and California, since I was 19, I never stop marveling at how how beautiful this part of the country is. I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I walked to school for miles and miles in the snow, uphill (yes, both ways!), and you just don't see this kind of weather "back home".

If you are fortunate enough to live inside of 30 degrees latitude (where the dotted lines are on the map at right), you can grow these plants. Cycads need warmth. In fact, they love heat! Here in the desert, they don't like a lot of direct afternoon sun (that's morning sun in the picture above), but they are happy with plenty of heat. And here it can get above 110 degrees F in the summer! What they don't like is cold. And if you live somewhere that has humidity, even better. Here in the United States, they do best in places like San Diego or Los Angeles, in fact, all of Southern California, and also in Southern Texas (especially Houston), and also in Florida. The limiting factor, even here in the Sonoran desert, is frost. Also, our air is very dry (low humidity), which is great for the tourists, but not so good for tropical plants. That's why I use a misting system, in addition to the drip watering system.

If you are fortunate enough to live near an ocean, your weather is tempered, that is, the highs and lows stay close together. Here in the desert, we get extremes. If you live in a very cold desert area, your cycads won't be happy.

The shape of the leaves and the color of a cycad can give you a clue as to what kind of weather it needs. As a general rule, the narrower and bluer the leaves are, the better it will do in a hot, dry climate like Phoenix. All cycads do better with a little bit of afternoon shade here, but especially those with broader leaves. And keep in mind that cycads can take several seasons to get used to their new home. Be patient!

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