Were your sago palms damaged by the two 21-degree days this winter? Here is my pruning advice for regaining a beautiful plant.
Sago palms are not really palms at all, they are cycads and date back to prehistoric times. Their striking sculptural form makes them a dramatic landscape addition.
This winter was just a little too cold for some sagos – damaging some leaves on many plants around town. But don’t give up yet, unless the center crown turned to mush, you can just prune off all of the leaves because fresh new ones really will emerge again. If there are only a few remaining undamaged leaves – they’re not necessary — just cut them off and the new ones will lower and fill in beautifully!
Ok, I’ll try this. I have spotty leaves….partially yellow but it’s pretty healthy looking otherwise.
Very cool! I didn’t know Sago palms were so hardy!
Great tip! Thank you!
What if center crown did turn to mush?
Kenny – a mushy crown means the plant is dead. Your may have a pup or more coming up from the base, and if so, you can leave that there if you’re willing to wait a long time for it to grow. Otherwise, it’s a goner. So sorry.
Can I shave the base of my sago palm so it will look neat?
Hi! Thank you for this. My sago was damaged in a hurricane. A tree fell on it and the remaining branches are off -balanced on one side and kind of beat up by the wind. Since it is November, should I wait until spring to cut it all the way back? Or can I go ahead and just cut them all off? I’d really love to move it. I didn’t want to shock it all at once, so it’s been about a month since I took off the majority of the damaged fronds.
The poor thing got crushed by the cold last winter and made a stunning comeback! I did cut all the fronts off last year, but it was in the spring