I would let the leaves grow and mature indoors. When you get ready to bring the plant outdoors, make sure it is acclimatized so the leaves don't burn completely. Then fertilize with high Nitro and water regularly, and if all goes well, a new flush will form later in the summer. After that new set matures, you can then cut off the older, uglier leaves. I have over a dozen different cycads and I have never had them flush leaves out of season. I keep them outdoors until frosts are regular, then they go into the garage and stay cool and dry until they are back out in the spring. I only fertilize in the spring and early summer. Feeding late in the growing season may encourage unwanted results. I do not live in Cali or Florida, so I have to manipulate the growth. I have a big C. rumphii that stays in the dining room during the winter, but it seems to behave and has never flushed while indoors. It does stay pretty dry and does not get fertilized. I suppose that because it is large and has many leaves, it shunts resources towards the existing growth rather than into new growth. My revoluta (Sago) stays out until temps dip below the low 20's. At that point, mine starts to show leaf damage. Just keeping your plants dry in the winter may not be enough to curtail new leaf growth. Except for the tropical varieties from Central Africa and Indonesia, it must also be cool (room temperature is too warm), and the mix should be devoid of nutrients. I use a completely inorganic mix which gives me control. x

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!

Hi my name is Misty and I do not have a green thumb my mom and dad have a sago palm in their yard and I got out all the seeds I am wanting to plant them but I have no idea what to do with them I know that I can Google all this information but I was just wondering if there was someone out there that could tell me all about it and what I need to do thank you very much

I had a garden with over 200 cycads in it (all toxic similarly) and I know of at least a dozen other cycad growers with far larger collections... all have dogs in their yards (I have dogs, too). Not a poisoning case among the lot. Yes they are poisonous (though not nearly as poisonous as something like an Oleander, Azaleas, Yew, Castor Bean, China Berry or even a Coral Tree). Problem with cycads is they don't taste that bad so are sometimes ingested by manic dogs. However, unless you have a manic dog that munches plastic-like foliage all the time (eats, not just chews on), or you have fruiting cycads (this is the real danger most often, and my friends with dogs do keep them away from maturing female cones) there is not necessarily too much to fear. I have never heard of a Yorkie eating a toxic plant, but it can obviously happen. Usually when I see cycad toxicities in practice, it's a large dog like a lab as they are the ones that like to sample foliage most often. The cycad fruits taste pretty good to dogs which is the main concern with them, though a Yorkie couldn't reach a cone. So if you ever end up with another cycad, and it cones, just chop the cone off and there will be no risk of fruits falling to the ground. As for the leaves, a yorkie would actually have to eat one of the leaves to get a toxic dose. So if you have a plant that is old and large enough with leaves that start higher up than a foot, you might be safe there anyway. My dogs ignore my thousands of toxic plants- most hold no interest and most of those are bad tasting.. cycads are sharp and plastic-like, so my dogs are very uninterested in them.. but I have no labs or large dogs that might chew on something like that out of boredom. But if i had a Castor bean or coral tree in the back yard, I would probably have to move it, since seed of those fall to the ground and are extremely toxic. Seed may not be interesting, either, but they are small and super easy to eat, so I don't feel comfortable with that situation. Oleander is just too horrible tasting for dogs to even nibble on it, and frankly not heard of a toxicity in dogs with that one...