Sago Palm Care
Common Name: Sago Palm
Scientific Name: Cycas revoluta
Lighting: Moderate to Bright Light
Water: Low
The Sago Palm is characterized by its plastic like foliage. The green, feather-like branches of the Sago Palm make it a great addition for any room. This houseplant is a great plant to start out with for beginners. The most interesting thing about the Sago Palm is that it really isn't a palm. It is a Cycad. Sago Palms (cycads) are a group of plants that lived during prehistoric times. Cycads are a long-lived group of plants so with little attention your plant should last a very long time (many years).
The Sago Palm prefers bright light, but will also tolerate moderate levels as well. Try to keep the plant near light or else new growth will dramatically lean towards the light. It also is a good idea to turn the plant slightly every couple of days to keep the plants shape.
You should allow your Sago palm to dry out in between waterings. If you are successful at growing cactus, watering this houseplant can follow the same schedule. Their watering also should follow according to the amount of light they receive. If it is placed in an area with lower light levels, you may only need to water it every couple of weeks. If matured foliage begins to yellow you are probably over watering the plant.
This houseplant is pretty hardy. It doesn't seem to have a real temperature preference and do not have any humidity requirements. During dry months, a daily misting may add some extra lift to your plant. The only downfall to this houseplant is that they are extremely slow growers; so do not be discouraged if your plant doesn't appear to be growing.
One downfall to this gorgeous palm, is that it is poisonous to animals and humans. Like so many other plants, it is included in the list of poisonous houseplants.
Please share your comments and experiences with other readers.
Labels: palms, poisonous houseplants
posted by drayas @ 10:32 PM
20 Comments:
Don't ever throw away a "dead" sago. I was able to obtain a "dead" sago. After cutting off all the fronds, I placed it under a plant light behind other plants. I had forgotten it until a month or so later when I noticed new green furry shoots comimg out. Cold weather will brown these palnts out, but they put out new fronds pretty quick once they warm back up.
Thanks for the tips!
I've had a sago plam for about 2 years and every time new leaves start they turn brown and die without ever opening up. What am I doing wrong?
Hello,
Are the new leaves coming from the center of the plant? Your palm may be lacking some nutrients. Try giving it some houseplant food once a month and see if that corrects the problem.
Thanks,
drayas
I have a sago palm for about 6 months...the leaves are turning brown/yellow and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I keep the plant inside becasue of the high wind and extreme temps where I live. Have any ideas on what I should do?
Sunshine,
Are you properly watering the plant as recommended above? Also, try giving it some houseplant food once a month.
Thanks,
drayas
My black-thumbed sister in law received a sago palm as a gift. She gave it to me when it had turned brown and stiff, asking if there was any way to revive it. I trimmed off all the dead fronds, and fortunately there were four small green ones left. The bulb was "sealed" into its container by a layer of small stones glued together like a hard mat. After chipping them away, I discovered about 2" of water in the bottom, which I poured off. I'm letting it dry out now in a sunny window. It seems much happier already! Any other suggestions-soil, container size, etc?
My Sago Palm is starting to turn brown at the bottom of the fronds. I'm not over- or underwatering it and am giving it plenty of sunlight. It's in my house by a big glass patio door and its been really cold lately so would that have anything to do with it turning brown? I'll try to post a picture of it soon. Any suggestions???
sunshine,
Does your patio door / window it's near get quite cold? If the plant is getting exposed to a cold draft, that could be the cause.
-- drayas
Hello, I've had a Sago Palm for about 9 months now and it seems to be doing quite well. It is sitting in an East/West Bay window and I water it once a week regularly. I have noticed that it produces some beads of sap that have crystalized and just sit on the palm fronds. Does this harm the fronds and should I remove the beads of sap?
If you can easily remove them with say rubbing alcohol then go ahead.
Thanks,
drayas
Are the droplets of sap that the plant produces harmful as well? I noticed mine is producing some droplets.
Also, are there any recommendations on transplanting or how much space a sago needs?
ok, so i have a sago i bought about a week ago from walmart. i've looked into it and its shooting out new fronds right now so i know i cant repot it but should i when the leaves have waxed over? who knows how long its been in that pot. oh, um whoever posted the comment about the sap on the leaves, isn't that a sign of asian scale? it can kill the plant. they had a problem with it in florida a while back, they found an organic solution. putting coffee grounds around the base of the sago kills the asian scale, gives the plant a boost of nitrogen that it needs during growing season, and maintains the nuetral ph that it loves. you get pounds of it for free at starbucks.
We recently bought a small Sago Palm. It was so perfect you could hardly tell it was a real plant. We set it on a small table in front of a window where it receives indirect sunlight. It has sprouted three fronds that are threenns times as long as the other fronds. It now looks funny and misshaped. Any suggestions?
i have a sago with new growth. the plant shot out 8 stems from the center 30 " long and then they never got green. They are a yellow with a lime green center of the stem and with the tips are turning brown. What is up ? Did I kill the little guy ? I water when the dirt is dry ?
I have had a sago palm on my desk at work for approximately three months. I have fruit flies reproducing in the rocks around the plant. What would be causing this and how can I get rid of the flies without killing the palm.
Yes, I'd be interested in finding out more about the centre shoots that don't seem to grow into real leaves. This seems to happen a couple times a year. So far I've just pruned them back.
Do I clip long growth from a saga polum to keep it small or just let it grow? I need some tips on transt planting this tips of plant in to a biger pot. Can any one help thanks
I bought a Sago Palm about a month ago from Home Depot. It was in a shallow square pot and has small
pebbles about 3/4 inches deep. When I bought it there were 5 long stems coming from the center. They
looked different from the Sago's leaves. More fern-like. I am concerned because the little curly "leaves" are turning brown. I feel I should trim them to the base, but I don't want to hurt the plant. Is this what is
supposed to happen or is it because in the store they
were not getting any sun. I am also concerned that the pot may be too small. It looks like a Bonzai tree as it is and it's lovely, but should I move it to a larger pot?
I had another about a year ago and it did well and then the "bulb" rotted. I really would like to make this one flourish. Thanks for any help you can give.
Hello!!
I have a giant sago in my home and I was watering it the other day when I noticed little brown spots all on the underside of the leaves. Are these bugs?? How should I go about this? Also 2nd question; There are several off shoots, but they have gotten quite large and look like they are part of the plant. How would one go about digging those up to transfer to another pot without hurting the mother plant?
Thanks!
Beth
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