Hi Pancakes(great name btw) from what I've read,the leaves should come back.
Anything yellow or brown should be removed to reduce stress on the sago. As long as the trunk and leaf crown is hard wood then it should recover and send out new leaves although it may take awhile. Sagos produce leaves all at once.
There is an article by Lynn McKamey (owner Of Rhapis Gardens) that will be of interest and great help to you. Google for it and take a look.
Hope this is some help.
Grice

Thanks. :) I found the Rhapis Gardens site and read the article I think you are referring to. It was very helpful.

Thanks very much. :)

You're welcome for the response.
Please let us know how the sago does okay?
Grice

Still nothing. It's been about 3 months since the last stalk was cut off now, and there's no sign of anything.

It's just sitting in a small pot outside now, so it's not like it's requiring a lot of work, but how long should I wait before I give up on it?

I just signed up for this site and noticed your post. I had a slightly larger sago loose all it's leaves after a rare snow event here in central texas. I think it was about six months before it put on new leaves. I know that some sagos only sprout one set of leaves per year, so hang in there.

Pancakes, I agree with cj in Austin. Sometimes it's at least a year. Good Luck - don't give up.

I had the same type problem because I placed my sago outside too early in the season - all the leaves got sunburned. Following the advice of the good people in this formum, I cut off all but three in April and placed it in a a slightly shadier spot on my south facing deck. I trimmed all the brown/white from the three remaing leaves (they look funny and stubby) .....and waited.....and waited. This weekend, TEN new leaves sprouted!!!! So hang in there .

I was looking around and came across my old thread.

I think it's dead. :( No new leaves after all this time, and it doesn't look like there's anything going on with the plant.

With trees and plants I know how to tell if there's any life left, but how do I know with a Sago? I'm not very hopeful, but I would hate to think I killed a nearly indestructible Sago Palm. *sigh*

Hello Pancake - I'm a lurker from the hypertufa site - My sago is in a very small bonsai pot at a north window as I'm zone 6 here in WA. The leaves started turning yellow, then brown about 6 mo after I bought it. I let it sit for about another 3 months then finally pulled the leaves off but couldn't bear to throw it out. After a little over a year, lo! it showed signs of little growths on top and now it is beautiful with healty dark green leaves. I just read that the bulbous top absorbs the chlorophyl in the leaves so not to remove until they are completely brown - strange. In all my good plant books NONE mentioned this habit - read it on the net somewhere about three weeks before mine sprouted. :) In your warmer climes it would be O.K. to be outside in summer without sun so a pot would be best (can keep as a medium or so "bonsai" size) because best kept not below 50 degrees. Keep the faith! Maxine

I have Sago palms planted in my yard and each one from the tip to the base measures about 1 1/2ft to 2ft. The leaves are brown in some areas of the plant and green in others and I live in a cold hardiness zone of 8A. If I do not cut the leaves but instead fertilize it properly and treat it with either Iron Plus or Liquid Copper Fungicide, will the leaves that are brown turn green again in the warm months ahead? And if they must be cut, should they be cut at the stem?