Digging up small cycad advice.

[Stan]

A E.lehmanni hasn't done a damn thing in ground the last two or three years. When I dig it up- is it better to knock off all the native soil its root ball will have,or maybe just remove all that and go with cactus mix on a then near bare root cycad?
My nicest cycad in a way- its blue. But it's not much larger than it was four years ago when I got it. Very disappointed as I thought they were the fastest growers of the blue Encephalartos there are.
I haven't gotten many cycads to grow fast or large. It's just not hot enough. I know there are people in the bay area with nice cycad collections..but with me its part shade this and crowded that,and they are not capable of overcoming either without the boost of high heat.

[Meangreen94z]

Encephalartos seem to like heavy light intensity, moderate heat, and low rain levels. If you don’t have a spot in the garden, maybe put it back in a pot. Put white rock around the base to reflect light and increase intensity.

Blue Encephalartos can’t handle direct Arizona level heat/intensity, and don’t like areas of heavy rainfall. The few I have left are doing better here than Houston. They are definitely a Mediterranean/Southern California cycad. In comparison the blue Cycas from Australia can handle Arizona heat and Texas rainfall. I have several that are repeatedly flushing this summer.

[Stan]

Haven't gotten it out of the ground Mean- but it needs to go. Even other slow plants are covering it up. I will update on whether the root ball was holding,or it does the cycad carrot thing. But back to black nursery pot again.
Just wondering why nobody makes a good looking black nursery pot- with the commercial proper drainage cutouts and with a shapely pot and lip? So you get the science of a hort pot,and looks that don't resemble a plastic can.

[Paul S]

I had an E. lehmanii planted out here. It actually grew quite well but lost its leaves each winter, relacing them with a new flush regularly each summer. Fine for maybe 4 years. It was quite a big plant with a melon-sized caudex and a friend was aghast when visiting that I was preapred to risk a potantially vaulable plant - he persuaded me to dig it up and pot it. I am pleased he did as the next winter was our long killer winter of 09/10 and it would have surely died as I was in 'don't protect anything' mode back then.

Anyway, finally getting to my point , the next year I left the pot outside in summer and the badgers that I am blessed with here overturned the pot and raked through the roots, ripping most of them - including the coralloids - off. It took maybe 4 years before it regrew so I would say they hate excessive root disturbance so advise keeping the rootball as intact as you can.

Planted another one this year in a new, sunnier, hotter piece of garden. It will get protection in winter this time.