Who we are
We started as newbies. The name stuck.
Cycad Newbies began with a handful of seed trays, a lot of bad advice off the internet, and several expensive plants that did not make it. What we learned the slow way is the whole basis of the nursery: grow the plants hard, keep the range small enough to actually know, and never let anyone leave with a plant they have not been told how to look after.
Today we run tunnels and open beds in Gauteng, growing cycads from seed alongside aloes, succulents and a rotating shelf of exotics. Most of what we sell has been in our care for three to six years before it goes anywhere.
Come and see the nursery
How we work
Three things we will not compromise on
Seed-grown, not stripped
Every indigenous cycad we sell is nursery-propagated with the paperwork to prove it. Wild-collected plants keep the trade in trouble and we will not touch them.
Honest about difficulty
If a plant is going to struggle where you want to put it, we say so before you pay. We would rather sell you a R400 zamia that lives than a R2 000 horridus that does not.
Advice after the sale
The WhatsApp line stays open. Send a photo of a yellowing leaf a year later and you will get a real answer.
Permits
The legal bit, briefly
Indigenous South African cycads (Encephalartos) are protected under national and provincial legislation. Buying, selling, transporting and even keeping them requires the correct permits, and larger plants must be tagged and registered.
Everything we sell is nursery-propagated and comes with the documentation you need. We will walk you through what you have to apply for in your province before you buy — it is straightforward, but it is not optional.
Aloes, succulents and non-indigenous cycads such as Cycas, Dioon, Macrozamia and Zamia carry no such restrictions. If permits sound like a hassle for a first plant, start there.