Why does this whole thing with Tom & Bob keep coming up? I have bought stuff from both of them and am glad that the world has both of them. Tom posts on several web sites and always has (free) advice & experiences to share. He is never arrogant or disrespectful - always gracious and helpful. As an amateur cycad enthusiast, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the research he has done (and information published). While some of us may get tired of seeing the 10,000 questions asked about 'sago palms', Tom graciously tries to help and answer questions such as the one posed in this thread (and make a point in his crusade against CAS). Thanks Tom. Anyone interested in buying cycads & not sure who to trust on the internet can rest assured that he's the real deal. I have no problem with people posting links to their businesses as long as they are legit & offer a relevant service to those who are viewing the thread. If he were posting links to V I A G R A or some other BS, then it would be unwelcome and he should be rightly shot or hanged. Bob is also a nice guy whom I have bought a few plants from. Always helpful, always throws in and extra plant or seeds or whatever. His web site is not as informative as Tom's, but he knows his dioons & ceratozamias better than I ever will. Another trustworthy source. BTW - Chip, the sago looks great. You have a nice plant. After it flushes, be prepared for nothing to happen for another year (unless you fertilize regularly & have warm weather). As long as it's green (not brown, yellow or covered with white crud), it's healthy. Cheers & Happy New Year!

i think its normal, my big one has it to.

Unless you have a greenhouse with ideal conditions, probably by next june/july (?) after a few months of good weather, water and nutrition. If you're keeping it indoors, don't try to force new growth with water and food because the weak indoor light will result in uncharacteristic leaves. Wait until the plant can be put outside in the sun next spring. Looks like your plant is still quite young. You may be able to get multiple flushes per year on a young plant. With older specimens, usually you get 1 annual flush with many leaves at a time. For example, I have a Cycas revoluta with about 10 inches of clear trunk and it sent out 26 leaves at once this spring. Unfortunately they are covered with speckled yellow dots as a result of a hail storm we had, but I'll get a new set of leaves next year so I'm not concerned. x

As a veterinarian I see my share of plant toxicoses, and by far the most common is dogs eating this plant... and sadly often with dire consequences. In my opinion cycads are potentially the most dangerous plants to plant in your yard from a toxic-to-dogs point of view... the reason is not because they are the most toxic plants around... not even close... but they do NOT taste bad. in fact, their fruits, which are the most toxic part of the plant, actually taste sweet. I had a puppy in just today that ate all the fruits off a Sago Palm and thankfully vomited most of them up... still needs to be hospitalized and have its liver enzymes monitored. This not-tasting-bad thing is the big problem with cycads... Oleander, Azaleas, Castor Bean etc. are far more toxic, but few dogs are dumb enough to eat things that taste so bad. But sometimes dogs will go crazy and just eat about anything, no matter how bad it tastes (I had a Boston Terrier patient that ate an entire Diffenbachia- not only a horrible tasting plant, but full of painful oxalates... still, it went crazy, ate the hole thing, and died... and Diffenbachias are not known as a super toxic plant). I have tons of cycads in the yard, and occasionally one of my dogs will chew on a leaf, but they have lots of toys that taste better or are more fun to chew on, so I don't get any toxic incidences... I do NOT however let a Sago Palm or Zamia fruit (chop those parts off right away). in terms of danger, however, my spiny plants are more dangerous so I have to keep the dogs from the cacti and spiny agaves.