"Not wet all the time" is sort of hard to figure out - do you always wait until a certain amount of the soil is dry between waterings, or forget sometimes, or do even if maybe most of the soil is soggy even if the surface is dry? And where is it kept light-wise? What about temps and humidity? You're in zone 2 (where?) but are you sure it wasn't meant to live outdoors in maybe just a slightly warmer zone and would never have lasted indoors beyond a couple of seasons? Would be nice if you could ID it somehow. Some plants do have short lives, but without knowing more about yours, it's hard to say what happened. Sorry, though.

Last year I went on 3 weeks vacation. I took all hoyas and other plants from the deck to downstairs near the window and hang them (or put on the floor) on the expandable coat rack. Then I covered the whole thing with clear plastic - losely, but completely. Kind of a temporary greenhouse. I watered everything a few days before that, so the plants were moist, but not soaked. Works just fine! A lot of hoyas grew airal roots, because of the moisture. The small cuts I put in clear plastic jars or covered with clear baggies. Did't loose anything.

Yes I agree, definitely not a sago palm (although date palms are very similar looking to some cycads when young (sago palms are cycads, not palms despite the common name)). I would give the newest frond, the spear, a firm tug. Dont pull too hard, but if it flies out with a firm tug then it is already too late to save the tree because it has died. If the center spear will not pull out no matter what then it is still alive and has a chance. If its alive, cut off all the dead fronds so you can see if the damage is continuing. Water it well but make sure it does not get too wet. Date palms can handle a lot of drought when older but they do prefer some extra watering during the first year so they can get a good root system. If you got it from a nursery, I suggest you take these pics and show them what is happening. They may be able to help, maybe even give a refund (although most wont). If you got it from Home Depot and can find the pot it came with and the recipt, you can actually return it to the store for a refund. Good luck! I hope it makes it! Date palms are very easy to grow once they are established as long as they are disease free! -Alex

What I mean is if you are going to put it in 511 mix without bare-rooting you end up with a plant that has to now deal with two different mediums in its root zone. Not a good thing at all. You will end up in one of two situations: The inner core is always wet and the outer layer of 511 that is dry. This will lead to root rot. And if the old soil had fungus gnats or other pests they will have field day indoors. Or if the inner core dries up for some reason then it becomes hydrophobic (if it is peat based which is quite likely) and it will have a hard time wetting again. Water will find the fastest path in the outside 511 and the inner core will remain dry. This will lead to root death. So no matter what you choose the entire soil mix should be of similar type. The best evidence of above mismatch happens when inexperienced landscapers plant a tree in the yard. They dig a hole, put a plant with a tight root ball of a different mix, fill the hole with another soil mix, and call it done. In this case the plant is now faced with three different soil. In practice, I have seen countless trees die in such a situation. May be you are already familiar but here is a repot process. Water the plant well before you repot. Wait a day if you can before you start. Have your pot and mix ready. Mix should be just moist not dripping wet. For tropicals June is considered the best time. They are the strongest then. But I have done it in April through September. When you repot, keep the roots moist at all times. Have a bucket of water and/or mister ready. Work the soil out with a chopstick, a screwdriver, etc. Every few minutes mist or dunk in water to keep the roots happy. Citrus roots are a bit fragile and some will just break off. Just keep going.The plant will be OK. If it is hard to tease out the soil then use a hose at flat/jet setting and go very easy on the trigger. You want to wash the soil off gently. I usually mound up the soil in a upright cone form in the new pot. Then place the plant on top of the cone of soil and have the roots spread out like a big "skirt" nearly flat and hugging the cone. Add handful of mix at a time and use a chopstick to push around the roots. Work the centre first and then the outer edges. Do a jiggle test to make sure the plant does not move around too much. Once done water well, keep in a shaded, warm spot protected from wind. I prefer to do when it is cool (below 70F), calm and cloudy if I am doing it outdoors. Many times I have even left the plant in the bucket of water half bare-rooted overnight and finished the next day without any problems.