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Learn when & how to trim your sago palm to look its best
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Sago palms are pretty plants that will add a tropical vibe to any landscape, or even inside your home. In order to keep them healthy and looking nice, you need to trim off dead and damaged fronds in the fall and early spring. It's also a good idea to remove excess pups, or baby sago palms, that grow on or around the tree. Always protect your skin with gardening gloves and long sleeves before you trim or remove pups from your sago palms.
Trimming a Sago Palm: Brief Overview
Put on protective gloves and use pruning shears to trim yellow or brown fronds off the sago palm right against the tree trunk. You can also trim all the fronds from the trunk of the plant if you prefer the trunk bare. For a cleaner look, dig up and discard or replant the pups and remove any cones that grow on the tree.
Steps
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Trim sago palms annually in autumn. This is the end of the growing season for sago palms so it is the best time to prune them since they won't be producing new growth. You will be less likely to accidentally weaken the sago palm by cutting healthy new fronds. [1] X Research source
- Cutting off healthy fronds can weaken the sago palm and make it more exposed to diseases and pests.
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Trim frost-damaged sago palms at the beginning of spring. Sago palms can survive cold winters, but often experience frost damage as a result. Wait until spring, when there will be no more frosts, to prune away frost-damaged foliage. [2] X Research source
- This will help to prepare the sago palms for healthy new growth in spring.
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Put on gloves and long sleeves to protect your skin during trimming. Put on a pair of gardening gloves before you start pruning to protect your hands from the spiky spines. Use a long-sleeved shirt to protect the skin on your arms. [3] X Research source
- The sago palm is toxic to humans and animals when ingested. Keep pets and small children away from the trees.
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Cut off all yellow and brown fronds right against the trunk of the sago. Use gardening shears or clippers to cut off all the old and dying leaves, especially towards the base of the tree where they are oldest. Cut them off as close to and as flat against the trunk as you can. [4] X Research source
- Only cut off dead or damaged fronds unless you absolutely need to cut off green fronds for ornamental purposes.
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Remove all fronds from the trunk of the plant only for ornamental purposes. Cut off all the fronds flat against the trunk if you want to expose the trunk and give it a “pineapple” look for decorative purposes. Don't ever cut off any healthy fronds between the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions. [5] X Research source
- Keep in mind that removing healthy fronds from the trunk can weaken your sago. This is only recommended for landscaping purposes when you absolutely want your sago to look a certain way.
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Remove all the leaf litter and debris from around the tree when you are done. Clear the area around the base of the sago palm to provide more air flow. Safely dispose of the debris in a yard waste bin or at a dump. [6] X Research source
- Always use gardening gloves and long sleeves when you are disposing of the debris. The male plant can be allergenic.
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Dig up sago palm pups or pop them off the trunk with a hand trowel. The pups are offsets growing around the base or along the sides of the sago palm. Dig around them and lift them out of the ground with a hand trowel, or use the edge of a trowel to pry them off the trunk of the tree to remove them. [7] X Research source
- You can also use a knife to dig them up or pop them off the trunk if you don't have a hand trowel.
- You should remove pups in early spring or late fall, before and after the growing season. This can be done at the same time you do annual trimming or are pruning frost damage. Early spring is best if you plan on replanting them.
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Remove cones from the sago palms whenever they form. Sago palms will divert energy to growing cones instead of foliage, so you need to remove the cones whenever you see them to help your sago palm keep growing fronds instead of cones. Slice the cone away as close to the trunk as you can with a knife. [9] X Research source
- Not all sago palms will produce a cone, but both male and female sago palms can produce them. The female cones last much longer than the male cones, and will sap away growing energy from your sago palms for months.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionMy sago is too big. It is blocking my window. last year I cut the limbs in half, and it grew back double the size! Is it bad to cut the limbs?Greenhouse AndersonTop AnswererSago 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.
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QuestionI live in zone 8b. Should I remove the female flower that holds the orange seeds or just remove the seeds and leave the round casing?Greenhouse AndersonTop AnswererNo 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.
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QuestionThe trunk (the area that the fronds are coming out of) is growing and forming a point. Does this need to be trimmed to keep the pineapple appearance? Where do the new fronds grow out of?Greenhouse AndersonTop AnswererSago 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.
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Warnings
- Sago palms are toxic to humans and animals. Never ingest any part of the plant. Make sure to keep pets and small children away from them. Expose properly of all debris after trimming.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Gardening gloves
- Long-sleeved shirt
- Gardening clippers or shears
- Knife
- Hand trowel
References
- ↑ https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/sago-palm/prune-sago-palm.htm
- ↑ http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/sago-palm-freeze-damage/
- ↑ https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/sago-palm/prune-sago-palm.htm
- ↑ https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/sago-palm/prune-sago-palm.htm
- ↑ https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/sago-palm/prune-sago-palm.htm
- ↑ https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/sago-palm/prune-sago-palm.htm
- ↑ https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/sago-palm/prune-sago-palm.htm
- ↑ https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/sago-palm/prune-sago-palm.htm
- ↑ https://arborgate.com/blog/garden/what-is-that-on-my-sago-palm/
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