What's eating my cardboard cycad?

Cardboard Cycad (Encephalartos horridus) is a slow-growing collector's cycad most at risk from cycad scale (Aulacaspis yasumatsui), which can overwhelm and kill the plant. Mealybugs colonize the crown and stem. Its rigid, spine-tipped leaflets discourage many chewing insects, making sucking pests and scale the dominant threats indoors.

Dense white armor on frond undersides and caudex; fronds yellow and collapse; infestations spread rapidly to nearby cycads Multiple applications of horticultural oil spray at 2-week intervals; systemic imidacloprid drench; strict quarantine from other cycads

White cottony deposits in the crown, at leaf axils, and along the main stem; slowed growth Alcohol swab for spot removal; neem oil spray applied weekly; isolate immediately on detection

Fine stippling on leaflet surfaces and faint webbing, particularly in low-humidity indoor settings Raise humidity; shower foliage if manageable; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil spray weekly