Cycads can appear to be very annoying plants to watch because they pretty much do nothing at all for ages then suddenly spring into life with a new set of leaves (the bigger the cycad the more leaves you get).In their native countries they grow relatively quickly but in temperate climates you will need a sweaty greenhouse to get these boys moving.
Many people make claims of “cold hardy to -7, -10” and other ridiculous numbers for C. Revoluta. Trust me, unless your garden is desert dry in Winter your cycad will defoliate at 0 degrees. Wet Winters really stress this guy out, which is a real pity.
However, cycads in general are real tough guys. I annually defoliate mine (for storage really) and they will not be bothered by this as they push out new leaves the following Summer. I pile them into the greenhouse to help them along, so I’m not sure how long it would take to produce new leaves at say... room temperature?
Cycas Revoluta does seem to attract its fair share of pests. Mealy Bugs tend to sit in awkward to reach places so it is a real battle to eliminate them. Scale can be a real pig as they colonise the cycad within days. The only real remedy for scale is defoliation and a good soaking of systemic insecticide.
C. Revoluta is very commonly found in your local DIY store, but try and get a good sized one from a specialist as they are very slow to expand and you’ll be drawing your pension when they do.
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