Sago Palm Care & Issues - Cycas revoluta 

Hey gardening friends! I wrote more about yellowing fronds in the description and will cover them in their own video. If you have issues with yellowing fronds send pics to me on insta or my email(under the about tab) so I can use them in the part 2 video covering deficiencies and troubleshooting. 😊

A lot of videos for a particular plant only address the basics and leaves one searching for more. This was well over that, thank you!!!

This plant has been a part of my life since I was a child. My dad planted about twenty of them on our property before I was born and they're all still thriving to this day and we do nothing for them--they thrive on their own! They're at the age now where the males are sending out cones and the females are blooming, so lots of seeds for me! I live in PC and they completely survived the hurricane; very resilient plants! You are right that they grow slow!! Ours are all about 25 years old now and still only a few feet tall. Pruning them all is always a chore, haha. Very cool plants though! One of the first plants I learned about as a kid, so they're kinda special to me!

Ok just just got a Sago and this video guided me into the beautiful world of Cycads! Thank's😁👍🌴

Thanks Jeff!! Just bought one today and was on the hunt for good video for it's care. I came across yours and was super excited. Thanks for the info love! Wish me luck!! 🥰🥰

went to buy loppers and ended up rescuing one of these palms and instant love....thanks for this video I will make sure to deal with debris so no dog has to

I just found your videos and love your advice on growing Sega Palms. I got mine out of my daughter's trash, planted it and it grew like crazy. I needed great advice on how to keep it thriving and out of all the research I've done yours is the Best!!!! Thank You 😊🙏 Apex, Nc

thank you so much for this! I am from the Pacific Northwest and we moved to Texas. I moved into a house that has a 27-year-old King Sago in the front yard that no one ever properly cared for in all its 27 years of life. I researched how to take care of him. He was a 1 foot tall shrub for all his life because no one cared for him, until 2016 when we moved in and I started caring for him. In that 4 years, he's grown 2 feet and he's given me 14 pups. He's now 3.5 feet tall with a visible trunk! We are in the process of building our forever home and it will be ready in June of this year, but I realized I cannot bear to leave him behind. I decided today that I'm going to risk it and transplant him with all 14 of his pups to my new home. I've been studying transplant videos all day and according to most of the videos I've seen, if done with care, it can be done successfully and Sagos are some of the hardiest plants to transplant even at mature ages. The video I was just watching before yours had three 40-year-old Cycad sisters being moved to a new location and their transplant was a success. And these girls were all over 6 feet tall. Wish me luck! Your video was super helpful. After I (hopefully with success) transplant him, I am going to spoil him and his little family with all the tips in care that I learned from your video.

Thank you! Just had one gifted to me. Massachusetts... Now I know how to care for her.

This was the perfect level of detail i needed for my new sago palm! Thank you~ 😊🙏🏾

I just bought this plant i love it, I live in San Diego so I'm learning about fertilizers. thank you, 😊

1st time trying to grow this plant. It's beautiful n I appreciate all the information you have provided for me. Chances are I'll be calling back. Lol. Have a wonderful day and be safe

Got one of these for a birthday present; however was never told exactly what it was. Went through the yellowing fronds and thought it had died, but it recently sprouted three new growths. This time hopefully after watching this vid, I'll be better able to take care of it.

I JUST bought one this evening! I live in zone 9 here in the East San Francisco Bay area. We get Mediterranean weather here, with hot and dry summers and mild winters (no snow and rarely do we get frost). This tree is very unique. Even though it's not a real palm, it has a palm-lile appearance, which I find extremely attractive. I love palm trees but I live in an apartment, so this is perfect for my porch!

Thanks!😊👍 At last a helpful video that explains how to feed and fertilise these amazing plants...

Hi It's worth mentioning that they like! to be root bound they will grow better in an undersized pot, probably because it will drain more quickly...👍🙂

Thank you. I recently visited a relative and they asked me if I wanted Sago palms. Yes I said. Give me a couple of small ones. After watching 4 videos, yours being the 4th, I learned much from yours. I live in zone 5, so I'll be potting them. I should have asked for one a little bit bigger and one small after learning about the slow growth rate.

Tons of information. Very professional. Thanks for posting

Thanks a lot. I just bought Cycas revoluta. A lot of interesting information here.

Transplanted one of my grandfathers to the edge of my garden makes a nice tropical exotic look for a landlocked yard lol

Great informative video! A friend gave me three pups last year. When they finally leafed out, I gave two of them to my sister but kept my slow pouting sago. It's finally leafed out and living out back in the garden in a pot.

I live in Sacramento and planted a small one in my front yard many years ago and now it’s as tall as I am. It would appear that Sacramento is a good place to grow them.

I try to take your advice but I am still just 5'1" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.... thanks to you my plant knowledge makes me feel 8' tall... great video

Oh my gosh thank you so much your my hero.and my plant guru .i love your videos there vary helpful.ive tryed so hard before i started watching your videos to find help for my sago palm and you cant find any on youtube .till you came along .i watch all your videos and love them all thank you for takeing time to really care about your viewers

Hi Jeff, thanks for the video! I have a Sago Palm I've had for maybe 10 months and it's only put out 2 leaves and I thought this was low glad to hear that's normal (Mine is tiny smaller than your hand) 😊🍃

I live in Northeastern MA and I've kind of been obsessed with palm trees lately since there isn't a single one that normally grows here. I have a Sago Palm in the mail like this one, a majesty palm downstairs, and some Mexican Fan Palm seedlings that are really struggling outside.

Walmart has a lot of their pots on clearance now. Hanging baskets for $5 each. Really big pots for $13 each. I bought several of each. And I got two ferns, my first, also on clearance. A much macho and a sun queen. Will pot them this weekend.

Thank you for the nice hints!

Nice Jeff, but I don't think I want to try this plant indoors, I have two kitties and don't want to chance anything harming them. Plus I don't really have the room for even a small one. Great video Jeff, I learned a lot from this video, they are a beautiful plant but not for me. thanks again, have a great weekend see you soon, bye for now.

Exactly what I was looking for 👌

Love you thanks for your help with my plants

I found ants throughout the root system. Didnt panic. Removed cycas from pot, gently brushed off the loose earth, keeping the root-ball covered by its original earth, i.e. i didn't disturb the root ball. Frankly, i blasted the roots with common domestic soray for ants and bugs, left it lying sideways on the garden table, whilst I totally cleaned out its terracotta pot ( v. important step, this). Ensured decent drainage using smashed up terracotta pieces, then potting soil ( i actually used geranium soil, couldn't find proper palm/ cycas soil) . Gently sprayed the roots with warm ( not hot) water for about 10 seconds, and replanted. No watering for 2 weeks, then a diluted liquid cycad fertilizer once per month till mid August, after which I stopped. I bring it indoors in winter if temperatures are set to go to 4 celsius or lower.

Never knew these weren't palms! Neat

very informative video. am applying some of the concepts in Zimbabwe, Chimanimani

They do just fine in Seattle, rain-wise. Your comment denotes a common misconception about Seattle. While Seattle has a lot of rainy days, the AMOUNT of rain is moderate. Receiving on average 39 inches annually, Seattle's average is behind Chicago and New York City, and far behind the rainiest cities in the US. Mobile, Alabama is the rainiest city in the continental United States, receiving over 5 feet of rain annually.

Hey Jeff! :) I have a (maybe?) nerdy confession to make. When I saw a new video from you on my home page I actually screamed , "YEA!!!!! " so loudly I woke up (and probably scared the crap outta) my 3 cats. lol I'm always so excited when I see a new video from you! I love all of them, especially the long ones. I watch them all several times. Oh! I just remembered! I've noticed that you and I have the same taste in pots. We both have so many of the same ones. I think it was in your last video when you were potting a plant in a turquoise ceramic hanging 'basket' that hung from a rope with beads on it. You said you'd bought it from WalMart several months before. I LOL'D because I have the same one that I bought from WalMart several months ago, also. I planted a spider plant in mine. I've also been meaning to ask you if you are still having problems with ants on/in your hot tub. I have a great remedy for getting rid of them. First make sure there aren't any goodies they're going after. If so, get rid of it and clean the area where it was. Then sprinkle cinnamon on the ants (all of them). Wait for a lil bit then go back, clean off the cinnamon and all the dead ants. Then spray a mixture of water and bleach on their trail to get rid of the scent they follow so no more come back. (You could also just spray the water/bleach mixture on a cloth and wipe it down) This has always worked wonderfully for me. :) Also? I've been wanting to tell you for a while now how happy it makes me to see how happy it makes you to visit/vacation where I spent vacation every summer growing up - PCB and Destin. The reason traffic is like it is there, why there's so much of it and it's so slow is because everyone is checking out and yelling/flirting with the girls and guys walking on the side of the road. At least that's how it used to be. lol My older sister lives in PCB and complains about the traffic all the time. Sago Palms. I love them so much! They're all over the place where I come from and are so beautiful. Thanks so much for making a video on their care. You constantly amaze me on your knowledge! I know this is long...sorry. But I haven't been able to comment for a lil bit and had so much to say. lol I hope I haven't broken any rules. Please keep your wonderful videos coming. I love every one of them. You're so awesome!

I have a sago palm that I bought from my local Homebase which is similar to Home depot, a few months ago the foliage had small yellow dots like all of them for sale and some browning. I have put it in soil that dries after a few hours after watering and have been feeding it miracle gro, the foliage is green but nothing has grown from the middle yet. It gets sun in and off throughout the day and a few hours of pure July sun, temperatures varie from 65-90f averaging around 70-75f.

Thanks! I recently bought a house with one and I have been curious how to take care of it.

Very nice garden 👏👏

Thanks for this informative video!:) my plant currently has new babies but they only seem to be growing “spikes” at the top of the new leaf and not the bottom. Any idea what can be causing this? It’s happened before where once there were fully grown it only has spiky leaves at the top . Also, is it ok to repot during new growth?

I have a love hate relationship with these. There’s a 6 foot sago in my yard, however whenever I do my yearly trimming I always will end up full of cuts. But it’s a beautiful specimen in my yard, and as long as it’s there I’ll deal with it.

Thank you. Fantastic video! My Saga is potted and getting bigger than I want. It there a proper way to safely prune it stay small?

Thank you. This helped me alot

Thanks man. I live in El Paso so this plant is pretty much perfect for me. Love your channel btw.

when you transfer plant to another larger planter do you leave root ball above the surface of the dirt?? I leave in Dallas Fort Worth area so temps are hot with a lot of heat

I have been getting these at Lowes every weekend in the marbled terra cotta pots for 50 cents. Once the fronds have turned completely yellow they discount them for me, down from $7.98. I really like the pots and this particular type of plant has never really been my thing but I enjoy trying to save plants if I can. I planned to just cut all the fronds off, water them (they're completely dry) and set them in a south facing window sill for some rehab time. The first one I got she threw away so I didnt get to try it (i told her it was the pot i was really interested in hoping they wouldn't get too suspicious and refuse to discount 🤣) but this weekend I got another and brought the plant home as well. I was wondering if lack of proper light might be cause of the yellowing? It is happening to them all one by one and they are still inside. I really dont think they have even been watered since being to the store. What do you think?

Quick Question-about How much water should i put in my potted sago palm? Im kind of new to these and i dont want to put too much...

We had 18 leafs sprout last year. It was cray cray.

Thanks for great video. I just had one gifted to me and I love it. I am having a problem with yellowing and according to your video I may be over watering? It is the same size as the one in the video. We have been having some warmer days (70-80) so I've been putting it on my patio during the day and bringing it in at night. I've been watering lightly approximately once a week in a well draining pot. Does that sound about right?

wow, great info. Helps me lot. I have some yellowing on the tips only of my Sago palms. Just moved them outside April 15, near Memphis TN. I am trying to determine if they got sun-scorched or frostbit. We had a couple near freezing temps a couple nights at 35-36 F, but also 2 weeks of hot sunny days. Any thoughts? Should I prune them off? Thanks!

A lot of these growing in savannah Georgia. They like that climate.

One of my Sago’s green fronds is broken, and I’m wondering what I should do? Given the extreme slow growth, I’m reluctant to cut it off fully...

Omg, you definitely got that palm at lowes because, i have that SAME EXACT POT FOR MINE 😂

I'm my experience sago palms preferred light is part shade.

I didn't use any fertilizer when I transplanted mine. The Miracle Grow palm/cactus mix supposed to be already adjusted. I have 2 fertilizers I normally use. Dr Earth & Hollytone. I mix half & half. Both are organic slow release fertilizers.

My sago sprouted beautiful new leaves but some dried & curled . Wanted to know what to do ?

Mine might be dead. Had it for a while, no new growth, use Promix Cactus. I didnt want to overwater so have been keeping it cactus dry. I will try more water see if it helps

Great video, but I would recommend wearing gloves when repotting, because I stuck myself with a frond and the pain was worst than a bee sting, my hand started swelling and the veins in my hand looked like they were going to explode. Just a suggestion. Still a great video.

I have a sago in the front yard, it's under the outer canopy of an oak tree. The "trunk" is about 4' tall. For 2 years now it's not had ANY foliar growth, completely nakey... The year prior it had a white fuzzy coating ALL over the foliage. But to my surprise today I noticed new growth!!! Do I fertilize it now?? (Late June central Florida.) Do I spray it with neem to ward off anything?? I'm clueless about sago's unfortunately, your video helped, but I'm still wondering the above. I have to bring this lil fella back to glory as it was my mother in law's and she passed away a month ago. I know I've left out details, but hopefully you can help.

Nice Video...

Can you tell the gender of the sago tree while it’s still a baby? Or will I have to wait 3-4 years?

I planted one in the ground here in Dayton Ohio about the same size as the one in your video and it survived 2 winters but unfortunately it ended up dying of root rot in early summer

Beautiful..

There is a variant of Cycas Revoluta that develops yellow or golden leaf tips, If so for an individual, I wouldn’t worry to much.

I have some yellow new growth, I cut off all the old growth and now I have all new growth standing straight up in the air and slightly yellow, could it be water or nutrient deficiency? my plant is outdoor in California and the soil is slightly hard.

Hi Jeff! I've always wanted a Sago Palm, just haven't found one at a price I want to pay. Now I'm not sure if I have the right conditions for one. The best light I get is the afternoon sun coming in at an angle on the south side of my house because of a large 2-story house/apts. on the south side. Do they need to be in a bright window in the fall/winter when they're not growing? Thank you for sharing!

Hello! I have had a sago palm also for a year..

Curious as if it it an issue if we grow herbs and things like garlic, lettuce, carrots near these...we already have some growing without knowing these are toxic. They are within 2 ft .

Hey friends: my sago palm was super healthy green (vertical) in the pot early this year (Jan, FEb) and now it has become brown dropping. Not sure what is wrong - can someone help?

I have three new branches coming up and they are now not growing and turned brown. But still feel soft and not brittle. What do I do. My plant is several years old and I have repotted it this spring. Stays in the house in the winter and on my front porch during the summer. I have never fertilized it. Help. Do I cut these new branches off?

funny how I was just looking at a sago palm today at lunch break. I didn’t purchase it and now that I’ve seen your video, I’m glad I didn’t 😝 Too finicky for me. But it’s a really beautiful plant if you are a skilled gardener

I live in Chicago and just bought 4 baby Sagos. What's the best treatment for them in the Chicago/midwest climate?

King sago in full sun. Any special care? Planted 4 king sago in direct sun last year. Frond tops facing sun have partially browned, others good.

I have about 20 seedlings grown together in the same container. When should I separate them into their own pots? They’re about a foot tall!

Everytime my palm shoots out new leaves it turns out to be infested with worms which i dont understand. I've used some pesticite too but doesnt help.

I had a sago palm many years ago. I think it lived a year. It's a beautiful shape, but I just don't have the indoor light and experience (i.e. patience) for it. Thanks for the vid!

I have a sago that has grown wide and it branched out like a Mohawk, can I split it in half and have two? Or will that kill the whole plant?

Sorry, I'm new at this, but how would you define a "light watering," vs. "heavy" or "medium"? Do you put fertilizer in the water and then just do both at the same time? I just bought a few indoor tropical plants, and I'm going to be watching all your videos for tips! :)

I just bought a sago palm and it has 4 new leaves. They're also longer as it wasn't getting a lot of light. Any idea why it's sending out 4?

Mine turned yellow and I cut all the dead off before winter. It stays outside all spring summer and inside winter. It looks so bad with no leaves. I hope it survives. Any tips? My grandparents planted it in a pot 1973 and passed it down to me. I am desperate to keep it alive.

They grew fast indoors I left them accidentally in a dark space after 3days it have three shoots

Question. I live in Florida. I recently had an Asian white scale issue where I had to cut off every single frond. Will it flush again before next spring? It’s almost September now and I cut them all off the beginning of August.

My sago has a huge large yellow ball coming up in center it looks like a basket ball size of new growth. It is a largegrowth..is that normal

My Sago palm is my favorite plant I only feed him with a slow release food once a year should I be doing it more often he is in a south window with sheer curtains i don’t set him outside as where I live we have a lot of stray dogs

I am in zone 6a, BUT, I have a greenhouse, I just got it this past fall, and I am able to heat it up to at the COLDEST temp in winter being 39F, so, that SHOULD be a zone 8b or 9a, right? I can SURELY grow a Sago in a pot, right? I can't seem to find a hardiness zone right now, without leaving this page here online. Finding a Sago will be easy as soon as the spring or summer arrives they will be everywhere in stores. I am concerned about how much sun they can take and heat, my greenhouse can REALLY heat up when the sun is out. I will possibly need to use an AC unit that needs NO outlet to cool it off when it is still too cold to put the plants outside. My greenhouse hasn't got enough vents in it, it can get REALLY hot quickly, just some sun when it is 50F outside can make the GH 100F inside, I am NOT joking. I guess the Sago's can be cheap enough for me to buy another one IF 1 gets "cooked" to death. I MAY need to use "shade cloth" on some plants. I have seen these in stores growing great under store flourescent lights, BUT, I would wonder HOW can they do great in THAT setting? I mean, they could be doing great after 2 months of the store lights. I will try and grow one and hope it doesn't hate being in mostly sun or full sun in my greenhouse until the threat of cold temps is over with. And after THAT I would try it in full sun. Me being in zone 6a Pa, MY full sun would NOT be like a Southern Full sun would be of course. When I said about plants maybe being "cooked to death" I say that because I had a LIve oak potted that WAS 'cooked to death" literally in my greenhouse, I had it in there for about 14 hours before I went in to check on it, IT was COOKED to death. Anyway, I loved your video it helped me to realize that I can grow the Sago palm as far as overwintering it in my greenhouse.

I hear some people put coffee grounds in the soil. Would this be good since they're on the acidic side?

I would like to know if my 2 large Segos are alive after our last extreme winter in Texas. It’s now end of April and the crown is still brown with no apparent new growth. One has 2 pups with new green growth, but the mother plant doesn’t. I see other Segos in my neighborhood with green new growth on the crown. Should I assume mine are dead? Is it possible to have alive pups from a dead mother Sego? Please advise.

I bought one last summer. I still can't figure out if it likes full sun or shade. It seems the one I have doesn't exactly enjoy full sun. I don't know. Someone know?

Do you think I'm able to revive it all I have is just the middle cork??

What is fuzzy white stuff on the trunk of my sago palm thanks

How about using diatomaceous earth for the bug problem!

Mine is tiny and has turned yellow leaves. It's not even grew an inch in onw year!

I have been given 2 fully grown sago palms. When I transplant do I water them until it reestablishes itself?

I have a sago Palm, and the top of it got injured by some means don't know how and it started growing extra heads like one to the left 1 to the right 1 in between around the other side as well, at the top and it looks deformed. I call it my special sago palm . Can you send me information on how I can save it? Fix it, make it look normal. Because I had them side by side in the front of my home and now it looks completely morphed out and ugly

sago palms are everywhere here!! Do u know why my aunt's sago palm has some yellow spots on the leaves??? Could it be scale or spider mites? (my aunt has her sago palm outside all year round, we're zone 10b and really really dry)

My sago did not winter over well at all. The UV light I got didn't work at all. Just put it back outside today and trimmed all of the leaves off (they all looked dead) like an idiot. :( my poor sago probably won't make it. He was 6 yrs old. Also, I live in an apartment complex, so I can't do this rinse unless I try to do it in the shower :(

How low do I trim these ?

My plant leaves are turning yellow all of them. Are they dying? Can they come back?

I CAN'T FIND PART 2 & 3 😭

"...Jeff here, how y'all doing" I feel like there was something missing from that intro........ were those roots chopped off by the nursery to fit in that pot or is it me?