E. lanatus is easily grown from seed. Because cycad seeds are toxic to humans one should use gloves when handling or cleaning them.

Hand-pollination is necessary for a successful seed harvest in cultivation. Pollen can be collected as soon as it starts shedding. If a slight tapping of the male cone sheds pollen, then the cone is ready to be harvested. Pollen should be stored at – 15° C for best results. The female cone scales have to be monitored to check when they are open. Individual plants vary in the duration of scale-opening, from three days to two weeks. The wet method, using distilled water in a syringe, has given us at Kirstenbosch a good pollination rate. After female cones have been collected the seed is left to mature for a year before sowing at the beginning of summer.

For best results, seed is sown in river sand on a heated bench at 24–28° C. Germination should start three weeks after sowing. However, some seeds will take longer.

E. lanatus is slow-growing and reported to be very difficult to transplant; plants die easily or take a long time to recover when transplanted. Leaves and cones are prone to scale and mealy bugs. In the spring at Kirstenbosch we apply a mixture of 3. 1. 5, bone-meal and organic fertilizer to each plant. During the year we regularly feed the plant with a generous layer of compost.