The Sago Palm, otherwise known as the Cycas Revoluta or Cycad, Japanese Sago Palm, Sago Palm, King Sago Palm, Cycas miquelii, Cycas sexseminifera, is a rather well known palm plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and slow growth, this palm will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, taking care of your Sago Palm is not too difficult – as long as you follow our guidelines in this Sago Palm Care Guide. Now let’s get started.
In order to take proper care of your Sago Palm you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Sago Palm needs water regularly until established, but more in hot weather conditions.
- Light: Keep your Cycas Revoluta in an environment where it can receive partial to full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Sago Palm in soil with moist but well-draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of loam.
And that’s practically it! If you keep these three factors in check, your Sago Palm will likely have all it needs for it to survive and even thrive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Sago Palm belongs to the Cycadaceae family, the genus Cycas and the species Revoluta, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Cycas Revoluta (SI-cas re-VOL-u-ta).
As with other Cycas’s, the Sago Palm is an evergreen plant, which means it will be present year round in your garden.
Growing Region
The Sago Palm is a plant native to Japan (Kyushu) ato Nansei-shoto.
As a rule of thumb, we recommend to always keep in mind your plants’ native region and environment, since these are the conditions that your Sago Palm is most accustomed to, thus where it can most favorably.
With this in mind, the Cycas Revoluta will be most used to the heat zones in the 6 – 11 region, and in climate zones that range between 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, H1, H2.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Sago Palm is a relatively slow grower, which makes things easy for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, what size of Sago Palm are we talking about? What can you expect in terms of height, spread and spacing? Let’s dig in…
The Cycas Revoluta can grow up to 3′ – 10′ (90cm – 3m) in 3′ – 10′ (90cm – 3m) and 3′ – 10′ (90cm – 3m) in 3′ – 10′ (90cm – 3m).
These dimensions make the Sago Palm a relatively large palm compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 120″ (300cm) free so the Sago Palm can spread to its best extent.
Watering
In terms of watering, the Sago Palm is a fairly simple plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Cycas Revoluta needs water regularly until established, but more in hot weather conditions.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Sago Palm in soil with moist but well-draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
But, if you want a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to watering your Sago Palm then you should consider the famous ‘finger’ test. To perform this test, you just need to put your finger in your plant’s soil and determine if it’s moist or not. If it is, then don’t water; if it isn’t, then please do. In any case, this test will allow you to know if your Sago Palm needs or does not need water, every time.
Soil Mix
The Sago Palm’s ideal soil potting mix is made out of loam.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably neutral to acid soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Sago Palm requires partial to full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this palm will do well as long as you keep it in partial sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Cycas Revoluta in
Season
Being an evergreen plant, the Sago Palm will be present year round in your garden. But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (early, mid, late), the summer (early, mid, late), the fall, and during the winter.
Foliage
The leaves from the Sago Palm have a beautiful green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a compound (pinnately, bipinnately, palmately) arrangement in its leaves.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Sago Palm is well known for its tolerance to drought conditions, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Cycas Revoluta will be fine.
Garden
How should you then organize your garden to include your new Sago Palm? Here are some recommendations by expert gardeners.
Most Cycas Revoluta owners agree that this palm will look great in most mediterranean, asian/zen contemporary, and tropical gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of gravel and rock garden, and in mediterranean garden styles.
In particular, the Sago Palm’s best location within your garden is in beds and borders, and in patio and containers, others use it for landscaping in a specimen, rock garden, container, coastal exposure, houseplant, poolside, or a urban garden.
Companion Plants
Sago Palm’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Canna, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Plumbago will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
And we’ve come to an end. Fortunately, that’s everything you need to know about your Sago Palm to keep it safe and sound in your garden or home. Enjoy planting!
