Cycads are pretty dormant plants and only put out new growth duirng the spring and sometimes a few more flushes according to the type. You can let it go a little dry out between waterings. I havent watered my sago palm in about 2 months and it is stil as green as can be. It was outside until last week too and saw some 30s with no damage so they are pretty tolerant plants.

Good luck!

You can safely keep your horridus dry all winter. Older leaves eventually turn brown, that is normal. Pretty much all Encephalartos come from habitats that experience seasonal droughts.

Some of the best horridus anywhere are grown in SoCal, you should have no problems. There are so many cycad nurseries in Cali, you may have better luck getting more detailed advice from one of them, especially in regards to local soil and growing conditions.

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do you have any names of cycad nurseries here in so cali ?

Here's one, a big one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jurassic Gardens

You also might try "Jungle Music".