Encephalartos  princeps survives well in full sun, and is easily propagated from seeds and suckers (the young plants that grow around the main stem). The seeds should be collected, cleaned and stored in a brown paper bag for six months or more, at 10-15 ºC, to allow the embryo to fully develop. The seeds are cleaned to ensure that all the flesh is removed since it may contain germination inhibitors and could promote the growth of fungi. The flesh is scraped away with a knife but protective gloves should be worn during the cleaning operation to prevent contact with the slow-acting poisons in the flesh. If the flesh is hard and dry it helps to soak them in water for a day or two before cleaning. Even if the seeds have been cleaned, it is a good idea to soak them for a few days before planting them, preferably with daily changes of water. When the seeds are placed in water, the viable ones will sink and non-viable will float. To germinate the seeds, place the cleaned seeds on their sides half buried on washed sand or potting mix, and keep at 28 ºC. It is necessary to keep the medium moist, but not too wet, for as long as it takes for germination to take place. As soon as the radicles of the sprouted kernels are 10-20 mm long, these germinating kernels can be planted singly in bags containing potting soil or some other suitable medium. Alternatively one can wait until the seedlings develop one or two leaves before transplanting them individually into bags. Because cycad seedlings form long tap roots, it is advisable to use tall narrow perforated black plastic bags with a diameter of about 12 cm and a length of 24 cm for their initial establishment. Place the seedlings under shade for the first few years of growth and development. Initially the seedlings must be watered daily with a fine spray. As their roots elongate, after about a month the frequency of watering should be decreased to once a week. The seedlings can be transplanted into the garden when they are 3-5 years old.

When preparing to propagate from suckers, one must use a clean sharp knife or sharp spade to remove the sucker from the mother plant. The wound should then be treated with a fungicide and dried for about a week before planting into a sterile medium.

Cycads are ideal for a low maintenance garden as they require a minimum of water and are undemanding in their soil and environmental needs.

Pests that are troublesome to cycads are scale insects, beetles and chewing insects. Scale insects cause great damage to cycad leaves by sucking the sap from them. Most scale insects can be controlled with regular and frequent applications of horticultural soluble oil such as white oil. Beetles seriously damage cycad plants by attacking the emerging young leaves. Control can be effected by application of contact or systemic insecticide, or one of the bacterial preparations available.