Need some Sago palm advice

She has all kinds of ideals and will answer questions.

http://www.sky-bolt.com/garden/

I'm checking it out now. I was hesitant to look on the web, because of our weird climate.  I didn't want someone from Oregon trying to tell me what might work in FL. Since she's a local, I'll trust her experience here.

:o) KC 

And it seemed very simple to follow and comprehensive. Who knows? Maybe in a few moths I'll be selling some Sagos. I'll let y'all know when they're big enough!

http://www.rhapisgardens.com/sagos/sagopups.htm 

I know I said I didn't want to use non-local websites, but this one was so comprehensive I couldn't resist. Now I'm heading outside with a sharp shovel to get me some pups!

BTW- after a bit of reading, I think the palms in need of moving are too big/heavy for me to handle, so I have a phone number of a pro I'll be calling...

:o) KC 

Here are some more sites.  I use the floridata.com site a lot for the reasons you mentioned, being relevant to Florida.

http://www.emilycompost.com/sago_palm1.htm

http://www.floridata.com/

http://www.floridaplants.com/trees_fl.htm

I use www.gardenweb.com.  There are tons of forums in it including Florida Gardening.  You can do a search for Sago information or just create a login and ask your question.  http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/flgard/

I have had a lot of success with it as your fellow gardeners/landscapers are answering with their own experiences. 

Good luck.  That's quite a project you are working on.

JudyB

I had to stop for a bit, it started sprinkling and I needed a breather! I think Sago palm gardening should be classified as a contact sport! I am now the proud owner of 35 pups, ranging in size from a pecan to a small Nerf football. I still have 32 more to remove from Big Mama, and that's just the ones I can see! I found that the more I remove, the more I find behind and below them. I'll have to post pictures so you can see....

Whew! I'm pooped!

Thanks jimmaxie, Read44, and Sunflower, I appreciate the help. I'll be sending y'all some Sagos when they're big enough!

-KC

I have tons, and have given away tons and I can't for the life of me figure out why they cost so much at the store... all you need is one... and I started out with two... I planted them in pots and all around the yard and given them away...

But thanks for the offer...

O.k., I'll see if my landscaper friends could use some.

I agree about them costing so much, seems ridiculous to me. The only thing I can come up with is that maybe it is because they take so long to grow and therefore are taking up space in the nursery. So when we consumers buy a good sized one, we're really paying for the rent of the pot/space they took up while growing in the nursery.

I don't know. Maybe it's the sunburn talking!

KC

Here's a picture of BigMama, you can see some pups at the base:

I have successfully transplanted several over the years and some pups. Don’t wait too much longer to move her or she will not take the move with the heat that is around the corner. She will take a couple of strong men to move her. 

My mother has one at her home that we know for a fact was planted around 1952. It has off spring that has been shared with friends all over the state. I have two pups in my yard that are good size from old grandma. I will have to take a picture of her the next time I am over at my moms and post it.

Maxie you need to get that baby out of the pot so it can grow! 

I only have one sago, and it has been growing quite nicely for years.  A while back, there was an article in the TU about sagos getting a white powder, and it spreading to other sagos nearby and it eventually kills the palm.  None of my neighbors have sagos so I figured I was safe and I threw the article away. 

A little hasty on my part--I now have the white powder covering my beautiful palm. Any body remember what the article said or know what to do?  The only thing I can recall is to cut back the affected fronds, and spray it with something--and I don't remember WHAT the something is

Any help out there?

clayvoter- If it is a regular scale insect, cut back the worst affected fronds and spray the remaining undersides and tops with a lightweight horticultural oil. I've heard of people using a homemade mix, but I don't know what that is. I DO know you don't want to use straight kitchen oil, like corn or olive, because it's too heavy and will suffocate the plant along with the scale insects. Not pretty! Good luck, I periodically have scale insects, and they are quite a pain to get rid of. I saw this in one of the pages I visited yesterday. Sorry for the cut-n-paste, but it was a long page with this near the bottom. I removed the invalid link in the article:

Ornamental cycads (Cycadaceae) in South Florida are highly infested with an ntroduced armored scale insect from Southeast Asia.

Horticulturists and pest control personnel in the area report that common methods of scale insect control with systemic insecticides, contact insecticides against crawlers, and oils have not been effective in reducing these infestations.

Affected cycads are almost completely coated with a white crust that gives the appearance of a layer of fine snow. The scales suck all the juices out of the leaves, and the cycad dies within a few weeks. At this time, this type of scale does not attack other kinds of plants, only Cycads.

To read more about this new scale and the devastating effects it has on Cycads, click this LINK. Several more articles can be found HERE.

If you have purchased Cycads from Florida nurseries (which ship all over the U.S. so they might have shown up in your favorite garden center too), please watch for this scale. It multiplies at a fast rate and can spread to other Cycads in your collection. The only remedy at this point is to destroy the affected plant immediately.

Magnum- Some of the info I read yesterday stated that Sagos were around with the dinosaurs! That Sago in the picture isn't the one I need to move, and I wouldn't even try it, she's very happy there and not bothering anyone. I am thinking of moving 2 different, slightly smaller ones that I planted too close to the sidewalk. They've grown up too big and now you can hardly get by without being stabbed to death- ouch! Thanks for the warm weather warning, I'm gonna have them moved ASAP.

jimmaxie- Bonsai, hmmm. I've never tried it, but now looks like a good time to start. I love the propagation idea! I didn't find anyone in my neighborhood last season who had a mature male cone at the same time that I could try fertilizing her with. I'll let you know when she has another flower. Apparently mother nature took care of it, because she did end up with a few viable looking seeds. I gave them to a friend to try growing, but haven't heard if they were successful yet.

:o) KC

I forgot to mention that in case your Sago meets an untimely demise, I'll give you a new one.....or two, or three... They're still very small though....

:o) KC

I found this information while looking around yesterday.  We have three of the sago palms that someone gave us from theirs. After reading all of these sites, now I know more about them than I did before.  I don't know though which one we have, a King or a Queen Sago.  They are still young and maybe three or four feet wide.  They are in the back of the lawn and I don't really pay much attention to them.

This article talks about the pest problems.

http://cfextension.ifas.ufl.edu/documents/Sago.pdf

your girls look at lot different than my boys.

There are some really old sagos out in front of the Admin Building in GCS, I don't know if they were transplanted. There is also one in Margret's walk just north of Black creek bridge if some on hasn't cut it down yet..

I like the bonsi effect on them, Mag!

Also it is about time for me to cut back one out front if someone wants pups, it is an older male and has always been healthy.

1952! wow it is ancient. Kinda like us, huh....

Actually I was glad she's a girl, the boys look a little, ummm, obscene!

;o) KC 

is a nice word for it!!!

What happened? Looks like mine that is too close to the sidewalk and I have to cut off all the fronds on one side just to get by it.....

KC 

This at home....

It had frizzle and I added maganise(sp) to the soil and cut all the effected branches off and this was last spring. Poor thing still hasn't recovered.

 Nothing like his brother anyway!!! this one is the one that needs trimming of pups and has never been sick.

there are two in the pot closest to you and a sugar Palm

They are all about the same age within about a year or so.

This is fun!!!

it will take me to clean this one out AGAIN. I think they are just big pretty weeds, they seem to grow like em anyway.

Very tropical looking. I was thinking of leaving all the fronds on mine, but there isn't enough circulation and then they start getting scale, so I have to trim them anyway. Maybe in the new location they'll be able to get bushy...

KC

Much better than discussing politics...

KC

 and I know more about my little space in the world than I do about the "bigger" things in life...

We should get them together and have babies!  Mine are a least 12yo.  I have some that I have bonsi-ed? I guess because they are about 5yo and still small. I guess it just depends on the size of the pot.

Gardening and cooking, and I'm much better at those. Maybe I'll start a food thread. Hmmm, must be getting to be dinner time, I'm getting hungry!

:o) KC 

cooking thread I made Chicken Divan last night easy easy and very good!!!

This one's gettin' too long.......

I posted my sagos on the "spotted" pages

http://spotted.myclaysun.com/pages/gallery.php?gallery=306572

Go and have a peek!