Q&A for How to Trim a Sago Palm

A sago palm is not a real palm. It just looks like one. Your plant is a cycad. It does not get tall like a palm. The leaves will always be generally horizontal. It will be 15 feet tall when it is 50 years old.

Yes, you can cut off the yellow leaf tips if you wish. Be sure that the plant is in a sunny location. Direct sunlight should fall on the leaves three or four hours every day.

The appearance of the new leaves is telling you that the plant is not getting enough light in the current location. A Sago should get direct sunlight for three or four hours every day for normal growth in the home. The leaves will not change when you move it to a better light situation, but next year's leaves will be more normal.

The leaves froze, so your plant probably needs better winter protection. Don't remove the old leaves until new leaves emerge. Be sure the plant has plenty of light so the new leaves will be normal.

Sago palms have been around for thousands of years. The pineapple appearance of a young sago disappears in a few years as the trunk develops. The new leaves grow from the top of the stem, just like most plants. It's a low-maintenance plant. Just clean up what drops. No trimming is needed if it's grown in a sunny spot.

No need to remove any reproductive parts until they fall off. Sago palms are low-maintenance. Remove old leaves when they are brown and dried, long after the new leaves are completely formed.

Sago palms are low-maintenance. You should not cut the leaves in half. Sago palms get pretty big. In the right location, leaves will be three or four feet in length, so the plant will be up to eight feet wide. Although they grow slowly, they increase in height three or four inches a year. So you need a new location if you want to keep your Sago.

Generally, no. However, older plants sometimes produce pups on the lower trunk, so you could remove the top and allow the pups to grow.