Plant recoveries: testing my patience and trying not to panic about it...though I must admit, I was feeling so bad seeing them languish for whatever reason it was:
1) Cycad
Been with me for several years already, flourishing nicely as shown in old photo of July 2018
In Dec 2019, I noticed the leaf loss started.
I re positioned it more towards the center, maybe it is not getting enough light/heat at that location, leaf loss continued on. It is winter time too, temps going colder and there have been more rains.
04 May 2020, I have already removed all the dead leaves. Poor thing a bald, prickly caudex remained.
Signs of recovery finally showed up:30 May 2020, so...the plant was actually busy making new pups...new leaf growth now visible. With newer growth, and no more rains, I have to increase watering.
17July 2020: with daily temps always going into the 100F and higher, stepping up watering, better growth on the new pups. Main caudex still bare, but it is okay, mommy plant is nurturing the babies.
2) Zamia furfuracea...exhibited similar tantrums as the cycad did
Flourishing nicely as seen on old photo 04Jan2016
31July 2017 still doing very well
02July2018 - there were still leaves, but not as profuse as before, and new growth is much slower to come by
July 2019- it has recovered by not as profuse like in 2017
04Jan2020 - leaves are holding but the color of the leaves is quite off; eventually gradual loss of leaves
16May2020 - down to just two leaf stalks, the worst I have seen it.
13June2020 - finally signs of new life!
28June 2020 - as we entered into drier conditions and higher temps, better growing, stepping up watering a bit
17July 2020 - finally truly recovered...no new pups, still the two old caudex doing the new leaves. Dally daytime highs now always in the upper 90F's to triple digit very dry heat:
These two plants really taught me to be very, very patient and wait as long as I can. No fertilizers, no disturbance at the root zone, just wait for the return of its favorite hot and dry conditions and then watering as needed when new growth finally shows up.
My Adenium obesum was also so slow waking up this year. I know I deliberately waited till almost mid April before I brought it out from overwintering:
24April2020 - finally outdoors again
13June2020-our temps has already started to soar, finally new Ieaves were showing much better slowly giving it water. I finally see the caudex is actually getting fatter as well. Plant is awake finally.
17July 2020 - a bloom has emerged...really quite ever so slow this year. One better than none for now, there are still some buds ever so slowly forming as well.
Comparing to its blooming period last 29July 2018
Always different from year to year.
To give an idea how hot and dry our conditions go, as it starts to peak towards noon, as the temps stays in that general range all the way to 8pm..no rain, just sun, and heat.
Been watering all of my succulents very often now, at times every other day. I try to do it early in the morning when temps are cooler within the 65F to 80F range. Giving time for the plants to drink up so they can stand our excessively hot and dry conditions. I realized I was making them all too dry. They may be drought tolerant, but not all are heat tolerant so got to help them cool down with some watering to be able to withstand our very onerous dry conditions.
