Sago Palm

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Best behind a sheer curtain at an east, west, or south window, with 4-6 hours of soft sun a day. It gets by on less light, just slower, while harsh sun on bare glass can scorch the fronds.

NC State Extension suggests filtered sun for four to six hours a day indoors. It tolerates a little less light, but grows even slower there.

Moving it somewhere brighter, or outdoors for the summer? Do it gradually (per UW–Madison Extension): a sudden jump in light burns the fronds.

A soak every 10-14 days in summer and every 3-4 weeks in winter, with the mix drying well between; too much water is the usual way it’s lost. The exception: keep it evenly moist while new fronds open.

Water until it runs out the bottom, then empty the saucer. UW–Madison Extension says overwatering is one of the most common causes of death for cycads, so when in doubt, wait. The exception is while it’s pushing new fronds: then keep the soil evenly moist until they firm up.

Gone for a while? Three weeks is fine if it’s watered the day you leave; once settled, it takes drought in stride.

A stiff rosette that slowly reaches 2-4 feet tall and about as wide indoors, over many years. New fronds tend to arrive all at once from the crown, and some years not at all.

Growth is slow: NC State Extension says it can take 50 years or more to reach 10 feet outdoors. Indoors, new fronds come all at once in a flush from the crown, some years not at all and in good light more than once. Cut old, lower fronds off at the base once they brown.

The ASPCA lists every part as toxic to dogs and cats, the seeds most of all, with liver damage among the effects, so it suits a home without a chewer. Treat it as dangerous for kids too: its toxin, cycasin, damages the liver (Merck).

In published case series, 32-64% of dogs that ate it died (Albretsen 1998; Ferguson 2011; Clarke 2017)

Every part of it contains the toxin cycasin, and the seeds carry the most (per NC State Extension). The ASPCA’s list of signs runs from vomiting (sometimes bloody), dark stools, jaundice and bruising to liver failure and death. If a pet chews any of it, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center right away, even if your pet seems fine.

People too: NC State Extension rates it high severity, and says eating it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, seizures, liver failure, permanent internal damage or death. Seeds form only on female plants after pollination, which is rare indoors, but the fronds and trunk are poisonous as well. Wear gloves to handle it; the leaflets also have sharp tips.

1. ASPCA: toxic for dogs.
2. Merck Veterinary Manual: toxic for dogs (rates the whole genus).
3. Pet Poison Helpline: dangerous for dogs.
4. ASPCA: toxic for cats.
5. Merck Veterinary Manual: toxic for cats (rates the whole genus).
6. Pet Poison Helpline: dangerous for cats.
7. Merck Veterinary Manual: toxic for kids.

Dogs: Case series: 32% of 60; 50% of 34; 64% of 14 died.

Cats: A leading source reports deaths, and none calls them rare.

Kids: Its toxin, cycasin, damages the liver (Merck, ASPCA); no child poison-centre listing found.

Comfortable anywhere from 50-80°F, and dry indoor air down to about 15% humidity doesn’t faze it, so there’s no misting to do. Outdoors it survives frost to about 15°F, though frost marks the fronds.

Temperature

50-80°F

Humidity

15%+

Scale is the one to check for: small bumps stuck to the fronds, often underneath, and stubborn once settled. Mealybugs, like tufts of white cotton at the frond bases, and spider mites turn up now and then.

• Scale
• Mealybugs
• Spider mites

Scale is the one to watch, and UW–Madison Extension calls it hard to control. Mealybugs and spider mites turn up now and then too, and root rot if the soil stays wet.

Scale looks like small bumps stuck to the fronds, often underneath. Lift them off with a fingernail or a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol (gloves on), check every week, and spray insecticidal soap if they keep coming back. NC State Extension warns that one kind, cycad aulacaspis scale, can do serious damage.

Mealybugs look like tufts of white cotton at the base of the fronds; swab them the same way. Spider mites leave fine webbing and a dusty, speckled look; rinse the plant in the shower, undersides included.

Root rot is the common killer. Let the soil dry between soaks and empty the saucer; fronds yellowing all over while the soil stays wet are the warning.

A light feed while new fronds are coming is plenty, since too much fertilizer can harm it, and old lower fronds come off at the base once they brown. Repottings can be years apart, gloves on.

• Feeding2× a year
• Remove old yellow fronds1× a year
• Repotevery 4 years

Cactus mix, or potting mix cut with plenty of perlite or pumice, in a pot with a drainage hole. It doesn’t mind being root-bound, so a snug pot is fine.

Repot only when it has clearly outgrown its pot, in spring or summer; it grows so slowly that repottings may be years apart. Wear gloves for the job.

Food is optional: a light feeding while it’s pushing new fronds is plenty, and UW–Madison Extension warns that too much fertilizer can kill it.

Stiff, glossy fronds of needle-like, sharp-tipped leaflets arch out from a short, shaggy trunk. New fronds open soft and pale, then firm up over several weeks.