I never bring in my cycads indoors, they always stay outside, and our temps had gone down to 28F in winter, so 54F is okay. I use just tap water in watering them..no harm done either. When I water them I do a thorough watering, water draining out the bottom, and allowed to dry before next watering. The plants like the moisture but do not like wet feet, that is why good drainage is important.

If you fear that your fluoride level is high in your tap water (1 ppm is NOT high), either filter the tap water to remove the fluoride or alternate with rain or distilled water to flush out the fluoride. I am not sure the cycads ar sensitive to fluoride, but you can probably find that answer with some web search. Ken

If they were outdoors before they came to you they should be ok to stay outside.

To be honest with you Ken, I didn't do any research regarding the fluoride level in our area, it's just hearsay around here. I will go online and see what the water dept. has on their website.

Dutchlady and Tarev, the cycads slept outside all night long and I haven't heard any one of them knocking at the door to get inside. They look fine now and I hope they will be OK.

Mima, thank you so much for contacting our master gardener coodinator and letting her know that I am following the master gardener's creed of volunteering my time and providing information and education to further the art and science of horticulture. Ken

It was my pleasure Ken. I thank you for your help. And also want to thank to all that gave me their advice.

I am not sure that we have the right perlite proportion in the potting mix, so here are a few pics. We've used approx. 50% perlite, 30% cactus/palm potting mix (the one without any fertilizer) and 20% wood chips. Any type of specific wood chips to be used for cycads?

Mima, I will let one of the more knowlegible ATP members anwer this question, perhaps Hetty, Sandi, or Tarev. My expertise is in tropical plants and I just don't know about using a 50% perlite mixture. Ken

It's OK Ken. The grower told me to use 50% perlite since it gets hot here during summer and they will probably need a bit more water, therefore the drainage should be better. They are all green cycads, most of them originally from sub-tropical or tropical Africa.

can't go wrong with perlite for drainage.

Hetty, oddly enough, I only add perlite, and that is coarse perlite, to my Phal. mix, never to my cattleya alliance mix. I use perlite, not for drainage, since my equal amounts of Douglas fir bar, horticultural charcoal, and coconut fiber gives me great drainage. I use the perlite to make the mix more dense, thus filling in the spaces that the other mix has. Phal. simply don't need the super aeration that cattleya's need. I do use perlite, at 1/3, for my terrestrial tropical plants' potting soil. Ken

I guess I could have used coconut fiber and the others you are using too, but I got this list from the grower so I just followed it since I am new with cycads. I mean new at starting all over again, and hopefully successful this time!

Hi Mima, I remember the soil I used for my cycad, I got it as well from Home Depot, Supersoil Palm and Cacti soil. Good for palms, succulents, cacti..on its own it is okay already, but as I have mentioned earlier I just added off hand some perlite. I just do that whenever I am handling my succulents and other drought tolerant plant for good drainage. What is important too is that when you plant that cycad, the caudex must be above the soil line, so that when you water it, it is exposed to dry fast.

Oh btw, be mindful of the tips of the leaves..they are pointy sharp.

Thanks for the tip with the... tips, I've felt them on my own fingers LOL.

That's exactly the type of soil I've bought, LOL. Just put some more perlite as per the grower's advice.
Thanks for the tips.

Following potting, and travelling before that, is it necessary to water the cycads a bit more than usual? I've read this somewhere on the internet.

Hi Mima..as with most of my container plants, I allow the soil to dry after watering..same application most especially to Cycads, they do not like wet feet..so do one heavy watering, and let it dry. These plants are quite drought resistant.

OK thanks Tarev. I was just wondering, since they are kind of still adjusting to their new home.

Regarding watering the cycads: I've purchased a water/light/pH meter and it shows the soil is moist, not yet to the lower limit. I haven't watered them for 2 weeks today. Should I wait a few more days? I don't want them to get thirsty in their new pots but I don't want them to have wet feet either. What is your advice?
Also, I haven't fertilized them yet, waiting for them to get fully acclimatized to their new home. Maybe I should feed them this coming weekend? Would fish emulsion be better than Osmocote? Both are grower's suggestions but I wonder if using both is too much for them.

Thank you in advance for any opinion.

So right, I wouldn't use both. The Osmocote will release slower, which is good for slow growers like cycads. and you won't have to re-apply it every few weeks, so I'd go with that.

As far as watering, cycads grow in the ground here, and in summer sometimes get rain every day, so once established, they can take lots of water as long as the drainage is good. But a newly potted one, you might want to hold back a bit until you start seeing new top growth, indicating the roots are growing.

It also depends upon the air temperature, humidity, and how sunny it is. You might want to spray the foliage sometimes if the weather's hot and dry, and especially if it's windy, hot and dry. If you're getting that 'marine layer' fog, well nature's doing the misting for you.

on the Osmocote.