Software
Houzz Logo Print
mycubsx3

sago palm help

17 years ago

bought a sago palm from walmart, which I understand is actually a cyclad.

The leaves are turning yellow/brown and are curling in. When I first got this plant, I was moving it in and out of the house for sunlight until I accidently forgot it 1 night and we got a drenching rain. I dont think it got too cold, just too wet. I let it dry out after that before watering it again, but am wondering a few things

since the leaves are in such sad shape, should I cut them off and let it send new ones? Its in a very shallow pot, should I replant? Im letting it dry out completely between waterings, is that right?

Thanks in advance for help!

Comments (2)

  • 17 years ago

    I don't think a drenching would hurt it every now and then. I would repot it with a light potting soil (not Miracle Gro) or you could get a package of perlite and mix that in to lighten your potting mix. Sagos are very susceptible to scale infestation, so you'll want to look at the undersides of the leaves and see if there are fuzzy white scale insects sucking the life out of it. If so, you can treat it with horticultural oil, or many people have had success with coating the plant with a "tea" made from water and used coffee grounds. I use it on mine and it has kept it scale-free.

    Otherwise, it's not too unnatural for them to start looking rough until they flush out a new set of fronds. The repotting should help, and some plant food high in Nitrogen with at least a little Manganese.

  • 17 years ago

    A few points to consider:

    With any plant in a small or shallow pot, it is very difficult to control the conditions in the root zone - among other things, the soil is typically too hot in the sun (roots are cooking) and unless watering is very consistent, the substrate dries out very quickly as well.

    The end result is dead roots. Some plants can overcome this and recover, others cannot. Slow growing plants (like Cycads) have a more difficult time with unfavorable root conditions.

    A healthy "Sago" potted appropriately can easily be watered daily during the warm months. I water almost all my Cycads in pots daily. But I have them in large deep pots with a very coarse substrate so the oxygenation is excellent.

    My recommendation is to repot your cycad into a larger container, preferably deep. Use a high % of coarse substrate like perlite. Inspect the roots. If they are healthy they will be a light color. Water once and keep the plant in the warm shade without water for about 2 weeks. Then bring it back out into the sun, and fertilize with a high Nitrogen fertilizer. NEVER LET THE SOIL DRY OUT COMPLETELY! This will kill the roots. Depending on the size of pot, soil mix and exposure, watering every few days from the spring to the fall should be adequate. In the winter, depending on where you keep the plant, watering may be reduced significantly, but never to the point of desiccation. I can't give you any more specifics without additional info on your end.

    Good luck! Cycads are survivors and can put up with lots of abuse. Hopefully with some coddling, your plant will flush a new set of leaves later this summer. Read up on the care of cycads on the internet.

    x

Sponsored