How To Care For Sago Palms
Sago palm is one of the easiest houseplants you can grow, and it’s no wonder. This plant is a living fossil, dating back to prehistoric times. If sago palm has survived thousands of years relatively unchanged in nature, it should be a good candidate for your living room!
Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta)
Sago palm is one of the easiest houseplants you can grow, and it’s no wonder. This plant is a living fossil, dating back to prehistoric times. If sago palm has survived thousands of years relatively unchanged in nature, it should be a good candidate for your living room!
Showing off dark green leaves that look feathery, the fronds top a swollen stem that almost looks like a scaled bulb. Sago palm is perfect for adding a touch of the tropics, but also looks right at home with contemporary, country, and other home design styles.
Sago Palm Questions?
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Sago Palm Growing Instructions
Grow sago palm in medium or bright light. It does best in bright spots, and sago palm can take direct sun on its foliage when grown as a houseplant, even in hot summer areas.
Water sago palm when the top inch of the soil dries out. This drought-tolerant houseplant doesn’t need a lot of water, so take care not to overwater it. Most of the times when sago palms die, it’s because they’re overwatered.
Discover more low-water houseplants.
Sago palm doesn’t require any pruning except to remove old leaves as they fade. Fertilize sago palm a couple of times a year in spring and summer to keep it growing its best.
- Water Low water needs Medium water needs
- Light Indoors: High light Indoors: Medium light
- Colors Green
- Special Features Purifies the air Super-easy to grow
Complement your Sago Palm
Snake Plant
Snake plant and sago palm have contrasting textures, but the same care needs so they accent each other beautifully.
Ponytail Palm
Ponytail palm, another Plant of Steel, looks and grows perfectly with sago palm!
Colorful Aglaonema
Add a splash of color to your home by growing sago palm with gorgeous red aglaonema.
My sago palm seems like it has glued gravel over the top. How do I know when to water?
Your best bet is to gently remove a small section of the gravel (if you like its look), or all of the gravel if you don’t care for it. It’s relatively easy to do that if you moisten the gravel with water; this makes the glue softer and more pliable. See more on caring for plants with pebble mulch.
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How To Care For Sago Palms
The sago palm (Cycas revoluta) is a popular houseplant known for its feathery foliage and ease of care. In fact, this is a great plant for beginners and makes an interesting addition to nearly any room. It can even be grown outdoors. While the name might imply that it is a palm, this plant is actually considered a cycad, one of the oldest groups of plants dating back to prehistoric times — hence the plant’s hardiness.
How to Care for Sago Palms
Sago palms are easy to care for but do require special needs, such as bright light, although they will tolerate low-light conditions. What they will not tolerate, however, is too much moisture. Sago palms prefer to be situated in well-drained soil, and like other cycad plants, they do not respond well to overwatering. In fact, too much water can quickly lead to root rot and eventual death. Therefore, it’s best to allow the plant to dry out some between waterings.
Sago palm plants also require regular fertilizing monthly to ensure vigorous health and encourage sago palm blooms. However, these plants might take 15 years before they bloom in containers (if at all), at which time the sago palm blooms only about every third year (on average). This often takes place in late spring.
Problems with Sago Palms
While sago palms, for the most part, are problem free plants, you may on occasion encounter problems with sago palms. One of the most common complaints is sago palm yellowing. However, as is the case with most cycads, this is a normal reaction as the plant conserves nutrients — with older leaves turning yellow and then brown.
On the other hand, if sago palm yellowing occurs with new growth, this could signal a nutrient deficiency. Insects can be another factor, as these plants are well known for harboring pests like scale bugs. Newly planted sago palms that suffer from yellowing may be the result of improper planting or poor drainage.
How to Treat Sick Sago Palms
Once you have determined the cause of sago palm yellowing, you’ll need to know how to treat sick sago palms effectively. For nutritional deficiencies, try feeding sago palms houseplant fertilizer regularly, about once a month. Regular balanced fertilizer is important for healthy maintenance of sago palms.
If scale infestations are a problem, try using the tips found in the following article: How to Control Plant Scale. You could also try handpicking them off or placing them outdoors to allow their natural predators to help eliminate the problem.
When problems with sago palms are due to improper planting or poor drainage, you’ll need to repot the planting as soon as possible in suitable soil, not too deep, and with adequate drainage available.
DISCLAIMER: It should be noted that all parts of this plant are considered toxic to both humans and pets if ingested, so caution should be taken if you are growing sago palms around small children and pets (specifically cats and dogs).