Most frequent pests and diseases of Cycas revoluta

Our Cycas rolled They are very easy to grow plants. They grow slowly but surely. For this reason, she is not prone to having problems throughout her life. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have them. In fact, there are although it has few enemies, when one of them becomes a plague, it is necessary to take measures in order to try to get him to recover as soon as possible.

Let’s see the most frequent problems they have in cultivation, and their treatment.

Problems and diseases that the Cycas rolled

Burnt leaves

It happens often if we have brought it from a nursery and we have placed it in full sun. In any case, these spots will appear overnight, and they will be brown in color. If protective measures are not taken, these spots will increase in size, spreading throughout the affected leaf.

The burned leaves will no longer be green, but if we place it in a place where it receives filtered light, and gradually we place it where it receives more light, over time it will produce more resistant leaves to the sun. We must not neglect irrigation; It will be convenient to water it when the substrate is dry or almost dry.

It is important to be patient, and never expose it to the star king directly if it has not acclimatized before. Nor should we start to get used to it in summer, since it is when the sun’s rays reach us more directly, and therefore the more damage they can do to our scar.

Leaves with burnt tips

It is common when kept indoors. It is due to the lack of ventilation, or on the contrary to a constant and / or frequent draft of aircaused by the close passage of people, the air conditioner, and / or fan. It is not a plant that should be kept indoors, since it is also a plant that, on the one hand, needs to feel the passing of the seasons and, on the other, withstands frost.

To avoid having its ends burned, the ideal is to have it outside the home, in an area where people can pass near it but without touching it.

Leaves with yellow spots (like rounded spots)

It is usually due to cold, or sudden changes in temperature. Withstands frosts without problems, up to four degrees below zero; However, in young specimens or that have been with us for a short time, it is common for yellow dots to appear on their leaves due to the cold. In this case, you do not have to do anything, except protect it, for example, with anti-frost cloth if there are strong frosts in the area.

It can also be due to a lack of potassium, if the spots appear more expensive in summer. With a fertilizer that has a high level of potassium, the problem will be solved in a short time.

Lower (old) leaves yellow

It may be because, simply, have reached the end of their life, due to excess water, or also by mealybugs in the root system. To know if it is the first, we have to check that the rest of the leaves are green and the plant looks healthy. In addition, it is important that the substrate has good drainage, to avoid waterlogging. It should not have a plate underneath either.

If the general appearance of the scar worsens, we will remove the plant from the pot, carefully remove all the substrate, and plant it again in a pot with adequate substrate, in a semi-shady place until it grows again.

In the event that it is planted in the garden, we will suspend the waterings until the soil dries completely. Meanwhile, we will treat it with a fungicide, since when there is excess humidity, fungi can appear.

If we suspect that the plant may have mealybugs, use an anti-mealybug insecticide following the manufacturer’s recommendations.
If it doesn’t improve, we could prune all the leaves. The following year it will sprout again.

Fallen, wobbly leaves

It is a problem due to the lack of light. All plants need light to a greater or lesser degree, so that their leaves grow firm, and in the case of our protagonist, also so that they are leathery (‘hard’).

To correct this problem, the Cycas rolled in a sunny place, gradually.

Pests of the Cycas rolled

Mealybugs

We have discussed it before, but we are going to talk more about it since mealybugs are a very frequent pest. These can be of several types:

• Cottony mealybug (Planococcus citri): it has a more or less flattened body, white in color.
• Corrugated mealybug (Icerya purchasi): its body is white, with a brownish tip. It also resembles cotton.
• Red louse (Chrysomphalus dictyospermi): they are almost flat mealybugs, with a rounded shape, and brown in color.
• California red louse (Aonidiella aurantii): similar to the previous one, but red in color.

Symptoms and treatment

The symptoms are the rapid yellowing of the leaves, as well as an increasingly worse general appearance of the plant. Fortunately, they are easy to identify when they affect foliage, since adhere to the underside of leaves and feed on them. To eradicate them, you can remove them with a cloth, water and neutral soap, or with diatomaceous earth (on sale here!).

On the contrary, when they affect the roots, it will only be seen that the scar turns yellow. If it is in a pot, you can take it out and see what happens. Carefully remove the soil, and soak its roots with water and a little anticochineal (add the dose indicated on the container to the water, and stir to mix well). If you see any, take them off.

If you have it planted in the garden, as a preventive / curative measure you can treat it with anticochineal, especially during the summer. If you do, you must fill a container with water, and add the indicated dose of phytosanitary product to it. Then water.

Red weevil

It is not nearly as common as mealybugs, but it is an insect to watch out for, especially if we have palm trees in the garden. The cica is not a palm tree at all, and it is not the favorite delicacy of the red palm weevil, but… what has been said: it does not hurt to keep an eye on it to keep it under control.

The red weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is a weevil (like a beetle, but with an elongated and thinner body) that comes from tropical Asia. The adult specimen does not hurt, beyond leaving its eggs in the center of the plant. But when the larvae emerge, they feed on the inside of the stem (false trunk) of their victim.

Symptoms and treatment

The main symptom that you will see in your cica will be a crown of leaves that has lost its natural ‘order’. Its leaves may fallas the larvae were eating the petiole that holds them attached to the stem. Fibers could come out of this stem, through the holes made also by the plague.

To avoid problems, It has to be treated with Chlorpyrifos and Imidacloprid, one month one and the next the other month. They are not to be mixed. Of course, you have to bear in mind that for the use of these products in Spain it is mandatory to have a phytosanitary product handler card.

In case you don’t have that cardor that you do not want to use chemicals, since the cica is a relatively small plant, there are things you can do:

• In summer, when you water, direct the water jet to the center of the plant for a moment. With this you will get the larvae to die by drowning.
• Once a month, after watering, top with diatomaceous earth. In this way, you will also achieve that if you have mealybugs, you stop having them.

We hope we have been of help to you.