Cycads constantly produce offshoots, also called 'pups'. Some produce them low, near the ground, while others produce them up and down the sides of the trunk.

Pups are a wonderful source of new plants (the other being seed) and can be harvest each year in late winter and early spring when cycads are dormant, and before they start getting their new summer leaves.

Many pups are barely attached to 'mom' and can be easily popped off, whereas others can be embedded and take a little more effort to remove. Use hand trowels for the small ones and a sharp shooter shovel to help cut and dig larger pups.

Always remove leaves from pups since they do not yet have roots and will no longer have mom supporting them. If the pup does have a few roots, take those off too. (Don't worry, they will grow new leaves and roots in a few months as they start living on their own!) Pups are cleaned in a tub of water, then set aside in a cool, dry place for a week or so to 'harden off' and allow the wound of the cut to dry.

NOTE: Once in a while, you will find unusual pups - 'Siamese twins' and even 'triple heads'. They can grow into very unique specimens and are also wonderful for bonsai.

Once the 'hardening off' process has taken place, sort the pups into sizes: medium and large. Discard small specimens.

Prepare a potting mixture that drains well . Half perlite and half peat moss is a good mixture. Coarse river sand with some peat moss is excellent too. Rooting cycad pups is done in three steps:

Step 1:

Match the size of the pup to a slightly larger pot. For example, if the pup bulb is 4cm in diameter, use a 6 cm pot. It won't need much room or soil at first until it grows new roots ... and the small pot size keeps it from staying too wet which, in an oversized container, with far too much soil, would be difficult. So, do you see the wisdom of pairing the right sizes of pups and pots?

Step 2:

Fill the pot with soil and water well. Then set the pup on top and push down until half the bulb is set into the soil. If you plant it too deep with only its 'nose' showing, it may rot; if you plant it too shallow, then roots may not have enough surface to develop.

Step 3.

Allow the soil to become almost - but not completely! - dry before watering again. Once it starts growing roots it will need more watering (and you may start seeing roots creeping out of drain holes). Water thoroughly, slowly adding water on surface of the soil, and usually water twice - the first time wets the soil, the second watering is done a few minutes later and soaks the soil.

Generally, small pups may put out only one or two first leaves, whereas larger pups can put out three or more. Do not fertilise a pup until it has grown the first set of leaves and a good root system. You hear?!

Eventually, new pups will become root-bound ... and it will be time to move it to a larger container. Move it up to the next size pot, but never in a rather larger one than the cycads, they will grow faster if you keep them in pots only slightly larger than the root system. Whether you grow small or large pups, the experience can be quite fun.

Once in a while, you will find unusual pups - 'Siamese twins' and even 'triple heads'. They can grow into very unique specimens and are also wonderful for bonsai.