Mother Sago Palm is nesting ...
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years ago
I say 'nesting' because the frilly bloom reminds me of a nest. In a few weeks red seeds will be visible. Mother Sago is 20 plus years old and has only bloomed once before. The seeds were viable and I have several young plants from that occasion.
Father Sago Palm takes up his station near by ...
Father Sago palm blooms every year.
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Comments (35)
PKponder TX Z7B
8 years ago
TxMarti
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Got a sago palm, have a few questions....
Comments (28)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!...See MoreSago Palm (Cycad) how much water
Comments (2)I am not chumley, but this is my article that I wrote about 8 years ago on this subject. I would give a link to my other articles that cover every cultivation subject you can think of, but if I did, I would be berated by a couple of the people on this forum. How do I remove the offsets at the base of my sago, and what do I need to do grow them into plants? This is probably the question I get the most. I am going to describe the method I use. Most people do not have to go through as much trouble as this, but to make sure that every one has a good chance , it doesn't hurt to make sure to do it right. Cut all the leaves from the offset plants. If you do not cut the leaves off, they will draw moisture and energy out of the offset before it has a chance to produce roots. The secret to all this is the starch content in the offset. It can live on this starch until new roots are formed. This is another reason why the offset does not need to be watered like you would a cutting, I will get into that later. Remove all the soil from around the offsets. After I have removed most of the soil, I like to spray the area with water to wash off every bit of soil so I can see what I'm doing and also to keep everything as sterile as possible. Use a very sharp tool to remove the offsets from the main plant. Make sure to make a clean cut. Do not pull the offset off the main plant. Sometimes the offset will pull out a small, round piece of stem when you do this, and this makes a hole for fungus to get into. Also the more jagged the cut, the more there is a chance to have a place for fungus to get into. Sometimes I have to cut the offset again, once it is removed to make a cleaner, smoother cut. Tools that seem to work the best are very large knives, very sharp shovels, machetes, and if you remove offsets on a regular basis, there is nothing like a reciprocating saw, or otherwise known as a "sawsall." Once you have removed all the offsets, spray or brush the wounds of the offsets, as well as the wounds on the main plant, with a fungicide. I like to use Daconil. You can add a rooting hormone to the fungicide that you use on the offsets if you want. It seems to help a little. Once this has dried, I paint all the wounds with black tree paint, or also known as tree sealer. Once this has dried, the offsets are ready to plant, and the soil can be placed around the main plant once again. "Advanced method" If you have done this before, and are good at starting offsets, you can try this advanced method. When you cut the offset, the more area that is cut, the more roots that will be produced. Most offsets are attached to the main plant by a narrow attachment point, instead of the width of the entire offset. By making another larger cut on the offset you can get at least 5 times the roots. This larger cut also has a larger wound to heal, so it is better to get used to rooting offsets before you try this. This is where the tree paint comes in very handy. Now that you are ready to plant the offsets, place the offsets in containers with the cleanest sand you can find. I use course builder's sand. Any organic material can increase the chance of fungus getting into the offsets. Some people use pumice, or perlite, instead of sand. I try to place an offset in a container that is close to the diameter of the offset. I put the small ones in a community pot. Place the containers in the shade, the sun can dry out the offsets if it is too extreme. The most important thing to remember is that there are no roots or leaves on these offsets. They don't lose very much moisture, and can't take very much up without roots. This means that you don't water these offsets like you would a regular plant, or a cutting. Moisten the offsets maybe once a week or once every other week just to keep them from desiccating. The offsets live from the starch contained in them so there is no need to treat them like cuttings. The offsets will root in faster if it is warm, but even during the warm months, it may take up to 8 months to root in and produce leaves. Once the offsets are fully rooted you can plant them in your normal medium, and put them out in your growing area. Tom Broome President- The Cycad Society...See MoreSago Palm.
Comments (2)The guy is correct in that it isn't a palm, but a cycad. Some people treat them more like succulents and cacti because of their tolerance for dry conditions, but it is best to water them regularly. It probably doesn't need to be repotted, because they don't have huge root systems, and they grow very slowly as well. However, I would remove the glued-together rocks from the top of the soil. They like full sun, but make sure to acclimate it first to outdoor sunlight if that's where you plan to keep it. Otherwise, it will get sunburn and the leaflets will turn brown. Cycads grow in "flushes" where all the leaves come out at once, not one by one. So if it isn't growing, don't worry. Eventually, it will flush a new set of leaves. Not sure what else I'm leaving out...Good luck with your new sago. Don't expect it to double in size any time in the near future though...that could take years....See MoreSago Palm toxic to humans?
Comments (64)oh my gosh......i'm so very very very sorry!!!!! Our other dog got ahold of one too (4 days after my first dog died). It was during the holidays so we could not get our two large sago palms removed for 4 days. Somehow the 2nd dog found a seed that must have rolled under a bush and we didn't see it. Anyway, we got him to the the vet within MINUTES and they made him throw up and ran charcoal thru his system to absorb anything that might have left his stomach. It worked, and he is fine 1.5 years later BUT the seed had not left his stomach. It is my understanding from my vet that had the seed or part of the plant gotten out of his stomach and into his system he would have died too. I'm just wondering if they keep running charcoal thru your cat if they could absorb the poisons? I'm so so very sorry that i can not be more help. Does he/she have black black stool? It's a sure sign of liver failure i was told. Please let me know how your cat is! It took approximately 4 to 5 days for our dog to die (i'm guessing because she really didn't show signs of even being sick for the first day and was just lethargic with black stool until she was completely down)...our hearts are completely broken as i feel i should have known about these HORRID POISONOUS PLANTS! Even now as i tell EVERYONE about them they don't remove them...it is beyond my comprehension. Prayers for you and your kitty!...See Moresodapopsixeight
8 years ago
jolanaweb
8 years agoroselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years agoPam, they aren't too terrible large, but they have long fronds, probably from not being in full sun. This, as you can see, is the mama ...
And this is the daddy. It seems the cone is much bigger this year ...
... from the rain no doubt. Actually there are twin males and both have cones ...
Marti, when the seeds appear it looks like a nest with red eggs. So pretty!
Sodapop, I agree. Cycads were around when dinasaurs roamed the earth!
Jolana, I wondered if someone would mention the anole ... :-) He was laying right on top, but jumped away before I could get a picture.
jolanaweb
8 years agosodapopsixeight
8 years agoroselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years agosodapopsixeight
8 years ago
loreleicomal
8 years agoroselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years agoThe seeds are now visible. It seems a favorite place for the anoles to hang out ...
I'm really enjoying the pretty flower! And it's so large too ...
It looks soft, but like the rest of the plant the petals are fairly stiff.jolanaweb
8 years ago
jhanifan
8 years agoroselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years agojhanifan
8 years agoroselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoUpdate for those interested: The 'nest' seems to have enlarged and now it completely encloses the seeds so that they are no longer visable.
When the seeds are ripe the petals will open to reveal them. I don't remember how long that takes. It may not be until the end of summer. In the meantime I'll enjoy watching it.
Dragonfly Hollow (z7b,North Texas)
8 years agoroselee z8b S.W. Texas thanked Dragonfly Hollow (z7b,North Texas)roselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoFor those who are interested the seeds are swelling and are beginning to peek out. You can see they have a little tinge of red.
Stay tuned for the continuing saga of the sago ... :-)
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years agoroselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoroselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years agoroselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoThe seeds are very red and the petals are opening. Anoles are still enjoying sun bathing while perched on the bloom. This photo was taken in December:
PKponder TX Z7B
8 years agoroselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years agoI don't think they are fully ripe yet, but they are getting there ...
I remember them all being shiny red before they dropped last time. There must be 150 or more seeds.
Sloan Quinn 8b
8 years agoroselee z8b S.W. Texas
8 years ago
Tiffan
8 years agoroselee z8b S.W. Texas
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoMama sago palm has taken almost a year to develop the seeds and now that they are ripe she is growing new fronds and the process is kicking them out of the nest ...
I picked off a bucket full of seeds because of the chance that our new puppy, Alfie, might chew one. They are toxic to dogs. If anyone wants seeds at the fall SAPS let me know now. Otherwise they are going in the green recycle bin ...
The male trees are busy producing their cones as they do every year...
The female tree may not bloom again for 15 or 20 years. It has only bloomed once before.
It's been fun watching the process. Thank you for joining me in the watching ... :-)
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