Sago Palm Cycas revoluta

The Sago Palm dates back to the early Mesozoic Era and is nicknamed as ‘the living fossil’ because its appearance has changed very little since then.

Light: bright indoor light (a couple hours of morning or afternoon light is fine) to full outdoor sun

Water: let the soil dry before watering again.  In full sun and warm climates, the sago palm might need to be watered once a week but in lower light and/or cooler temperatures watering may be needed more like once every few weeks.

Easy, easy, easy and hardy, hardy, hardy.  Despite its name, the living fossil is not truly a palm.  It is related to conifer and behaves a lot more like a succulent.  Treat it as such (letting the soil dry first before watering again) and there will be no problems.

The Sago Palm grows very, very slowly!  Sending off just one set of new leaves per year.  This makes it  a PERFECT bonsai plant.

When that new set of leaves emerges, it appears all at once in a circular pattern.  The new leaves are very tender so do not disturb or repot the plant at this time.  Keep in bright overhead light and the new leaves will harden several weeks later.  Low light will produce longer leaves reaching towards what light they can find and bright light will produce shorter, sturdier leaves.  During this time, do not allow soil to dry out completely, water when the top 2″ of soil becomes dry.