FAQ'S About The Sago Palm

• “Do I have a Sago Palm?” 
  The best way to tell this is to look at photographs of Cycas revoluta and see if that is your plant. There are other species of Cycas that look similar to the Sago, but this species is easily identified once you become familiar with it. If it looks like the photos of a Sago Palm and you didn’t actively seek out a rare species when you bought it, the chances are that you have a Sago Palm. If you bought a new property and it happens to have a cycad in the garden, and it looks like a Sago, the chances are once again that it is a Sago Palm. Other species are more rare, but there’s always a chance that it could be something different. Look at our Cycad Photo Gallery. That might help you determine this.

• “How fast does a Sago Palm grow?” 
  The answer to this question depends on where you live, how much sun it gets, and overall culture. This species is much faster growing in tropical areas of the world. Contrast this to a plant that is being root restricted in a small container, and one sees a whole gradient of growth rates. However, under most conditions, the Sago Palm is a good grower. It can put on a foot of trunk in eight to ten years. Typically plants will not cone until they are over ten years, sometimes much longer. If you live in our locality in California, a plant that has three to four feet of trunk is typically about 20 years of age or older.

• “Can I dig and move my Sago?”
   The answer is yes. One would preferably dig a very large rootball, giving ample distance from the trunk. This would optimally be done during the Spring or Summer. Care should be taken not to cut through any sizeable roots (greater than one inch) or rot could set in. It is also advised to remove a good portion of the leaves before attempting to relocate the plant, especially if a smaller than desirable rootball is unavoidable. Water it adequately after moving, making sure not to over-water the plant. The Sago Palm is quite durable. As a nurseryman, it is quite easy to reestablish plants that have had all of their leaves and roots removed. But, common sense would lead you to avoid damage to existing roots if possible.

• “Can I remove the babies on my Sago Palm?”
  Yes. It is best not to remove the basal suckers until they are at least 10 to 15 cm in diameter. We recommend removing most or all of the leaves. Clean equipment must be used. The sucker is removed at its base, without scaring or damaging the mother trunk. This is best done with a somewhat curved saw blade or a sharp chisel. Protect the mother trunk by moving dirt away from the point of attachment and letting it callus over for a few weeks after removal of the offset. Many people will treat the cut surface of both the offset and mother plant with a fungicide and some type of sealing material such as tar or wax. The removed offset can also be treated with growth stimulants. It should be place in the shade in a rapidly draining mix. We prefer to use pumice (ground lava foam), although people often use sand, perlite, or other materials. Water just to keep the pumice slightly damp. Avoid watering the offset; rather water the soil. The pup should root out and leaf within six to twelve months. Failure will be discovered if the offset collapses or becomes very soft on squeezing. Once rooted and leafed, gradually move the young plant can be repotted into a regular cycad soil and moved into brighter light. A greenhouse environment may speed up this propagation process. Bottom heat is usually not necessary, but can be used.

• “Can I grow plants from my seeds?” 
  The answer to this depends on whether or not you have fertile seeds. Did the cone get pollinated? Remember, females can produce seeds that look good but are infertile and will never germinate. If you have a male that is coning, the pollen can be collected from the male and put into the female cone. This can be done dry or with a solution of pollen. Multiple attempt should be done to pollinate a receptive female. If you do have fertile seeds, the red fruit should be removed and the seeds allowed to dry and age for about three or four months. One can actually cut open these aged seeds and look for a maturing embryo inside the seed. It will appear as a ribbon like structure or a cream colored band in the center of the seed when the seed is cut on a longitudinal basis (along the long axis of the seed). As the seed matures, this embryo starts extending toward the end of the seed where it will eventually emerge. To germinate cycad seeds, most growers utilize bottom heat or a greenhouse. However, this is not mandatory. Use a well draining mix like a peat moss/perlite mixture and water about every third day. Frequent misting is not necessary. When the seed has established and put up one firm, opened leaf, the seedling can be removed from the germination mix and potted into a small container.

• “Do I have a male or female plant?”
  You can only tell if your plant is a male or female when the plant is or has shown its reproductive cones. In many types of cycads, the male cone looks like a yellow-cream colored corn cob and the female looks more like a cabbage head. When ready, the male cone will dump out a powder like white substance called pollen. This pollen needs to be transferred to the female cone. The female cone is usually larger than the male, especially after it has been pollinated and is setting seeds. However, with the Sago Palm and other Cycas species, the female cones appear different. It does not look like a pineapple. It emerges from the central area of the crown and sort of look like a round mass of twisted and compacted tiny leaves. You might say it looks like the plant is having a “bad hair day”. The female sporophylls (reproductive parts) of this reproductive part are cream colored and circular. The male cone is upright, somewhat bristly, and looks like a long rough torpedo. Pollen is released from the male and is transferred to the female when receptive. When receptive, the female can be seen to open up slightly between the many sporophylls. Sagos typically cone during the Spring or Summer. If a plant cones, it might not put out new leaves that year. Also, it is not unusual for the leaves of a female plant to lay down in a near horizontal plane when the female plant blossoms. Even if the plant is not actively in blossom, one can often tell if it’s a female because of the frilly sporophylls that lay down on the upper outer side of the trunk near the leaves (see photos). Or, you might see an old brown male cone laying on it’s side inside the crown of leaves, showing that you have a male plant.

• “Are the seeds on my Sago Palm good?”
  If you have a male plant nearby and you live in the tropics, it is possible that insects could have transferred pollen to your female. But, if there are no male Cycas nearby and you didn’t artificially pollinate the cone, then the chances are that your seeds are no good. Infertile seeds won’t show an embryo inside when you cut open the seeds. They also will often have an empty central cavity (where the embryo should be) and consequently float in water. It is possible for some Cycas seeds to float and still be good, but ideally your seeds will sink in water.

• “When can I pick my Sago Palm seeds?”
  Do not harvest your seeds if they are not mature. As the seeds form, they increase in size and change from a cream or yellow color into a bright orange color. Mature seeds will turn a colorful orange color, are somewhat hairy, and are mixed among the female sporophylls. It is best to collect them when they fall on their own from the sporophylls or can be removed with a minimal touch of the seeds. Sometimes the seeds will actually get hung up inside of the female blossom and must be coaxed out with an instrument. If you have to “yank” them off the blossom, it is best to wait until they can be removed easily. Remember to clean off the fruit, allow them to dry, and store them for several months (in a sock or woman’s nylon for ventilation) as this type of cycad has an “after-ripening period” that is needed before the seeds will germinate. The fruit is firmly attached initially. One can soak the seeds for several days (changing the water daily) to soften up the fruit. Typically it can be removed with a knife or other implement. After you store the seeds for a few months, hydrate them with a 24 hour clean water soak before potting them up. 

• “How do I germinate my seeds?”
  After storing and hydrating the seeds as above, place them on their side in your growing medium. We usually use about three parts perlite to one part peat moss and put many seeds into one container (a community pot). One can use other mediums including sand if you wish. Although not space efficient, you could place one seed into a tiny pot for initial germination. The seeds should be submerged about half their depth into the soil mix. Place the container in the shade in a warm location. One can use a greenhouse to get faster results. Water to keep the mix damp. Don’t over water. The seeds will germinate out of the end of the seed, first showing a growing radical (tap root) which will go down into the mix. Following this by a month or two will be the leaf. It is quite fragile when young and can break if handled roughly. Once this leaf is firm, the seedling can be carefully removed from the germination container and potted up individually. 

• “My Sago Palm hasn’t put out leaves for several years. What’s wrong?” 
  Failure to put out new leaves can be from many causes. Perhaps your plant is not in enough sun or your locality is too cold for good growth. It could be that there is an unrecognized root problem or rot. It could be the plant is nutritionally starved. Or, the plant may be getting ready to put out its reproductive cone. We usually recommend correcting cultural problems and giving the plant time. Most plants grown well will eventually put out new leaves.

• “The leaves on my Sago Palm look bad. What’s the problem?” 
  This is a complicated question. You might want to read our article “My cycad is in trouble”, elsewhere at this website. The plant might be stealing nutrition from the old leaves in preparation for production of new leaves. Or, you may have a cultural problem. If you have total discoloration of the leaves, check the caudex or stem. Is it firm and hard? Or, is it getting soft or mushy. The latter almost guarantees that the plant will die. If there’s just a big of brown tipping on the ends of the leaflets, this can mean a lack of fertilizer or can appear before the plant throws new leaves. We recommend fertilizing the plant and waiting. If the problem is new leaves are coming, time will explain the observed leaf discoloration. If no new leaves appear for a year or more, your problem is probably some type of cultural deficit. 

• “Are there other types of Sago Palms?”
  The answer is a definite yes! We do sell Sago Palms, but our real love is for the whole family of cycads. We are presently growing over 150 species or varieties of cycads. There are over twice that many that are known to exist somewhere on this planet. Cycads vary in size; some are quite small, others get massive. The colors of the leaves are quite variable; some are green, others gray, and some as blue as the morning sky. Some a prickly, others soft and touchable. Some are quick growing; others are slow and never get big. Some like sun, others like protection and shade. Some like tropical conditions; others like it hot and dry. As long as your area doesn’t get really cold, there is probably a species of cycad you can grow. Cycads are truly a remarkable group of plants and great for any landscape areas. But, I must warn you of one thing. Cycads are addictive. Once you get hooked on them, they are like the lure of a beautiful orchid. You just want to try a few more. Look in our Cycad Photo Gallery and you will see why cycads are becoming on of the fastest growing collector and landscape plants.

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Last modified: August 04, 2005

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