"Cynthia" wrote in message
u...
I re-potted a Revoluta Cycad two weeks ago and it is losing it's colour
fast! It was the healthiest specimen in the garden centre, growing in full
sun among other plants and now it's looking sick.

I now think that I may have been over watering it a little. It's at a
north
& west facing position in full sun on a paved terrace and over the last
two
weeks it has been *very* hot and windy out there. I was watering the plant
every three days and over the New Year, I didn't water it at all on the
two
very hot days we had down here in Sydney. the temperature was up in the
40's. When I next looked at it on the 2nd Jan, it looked drastically
different. The leaves looked much lighter, as though they were slowly
turning yellow, and the stems of the plant are definitely going towards
yellow.

I panicked and immediately watered the plant as I thought that the hot
weather had done it some damage. Since then we've had rain every day and
if
I've been over watering the plant, there's no chance of it drying out for
the next week as we have rain forecast.

I checked with the garden centre who sold it to us and they reckon that
the
peat we have used to replant it with is fine, but they are unsure as to
why
it has become yellow so soon.

Is it too late for me to save it? It would be such a waste if it dies. It
puts me off trying another one so soon as it wasn't cheap.


Cynthia.
Don't panic!!!!!!
Its OK. Its prolly not dead, just in survival mode which is something
cycads are very good at.

Now is it in the garden or in a pot? ... it'll do best in a well-drained
garden spot so now's the time to put it where you want it as they don't like
being moved.
Just make sure the soil is moist for the next little while but don't
overwater.
You'll have to wait for a while as it looks dead for the next few months or
even up to spring, but I reckon you'll notice a new whorl of leaves appear
eventually.

We transplanted a reasonably large one last year and also its 3 pups to
where we wanted them in the garden as opposed to the bizarre and
disorganised planting style of the house's original occupant. The large
cycad immediately went into the death throes of turning yellow and looking
dead for a few months ...before a lush new whorl of leaves appeared. It has
since had a second whorl appear in spring which is decidedly healthier than
the first.
Of the pups, 2 had leaves on them and one was just the base bit. The leafy
pair of pups put out a couple of new leaves within 2 months (the original
leaves died) and the other one took almost a year to show signs of life, but
its now the healthiest of the pups.

Just be patient .... it will take a while, and you'll think its dead but
just leave it be for a while and I hope it recovers.
Cheers
Amanda