Sago Palm Not Growing Well? These Home Care Tips You Need to Master
Care Tips:
1. After years of growth, the old leaves at the lower part of the sago palm's trunk tend to fall off, making the overall plant look worse. So it is generally best to prune the trunk in late spring, leaving 20 cm above the base and cutting off the upper part of the trunk, which can prompt the dormant buds on the trunk to sprout and grow new branches.
2. The cut-off trunk can be used for cutting propagation. Remove the leaves from the cut trunk and check it; the cutting should generally have 3 buds, and it is inserted into a clean substrate mixed from peat and river sand. It will take root in 3-4 weeks.
3. During the growing period, too strong light easily causes the leaves to age, darken and fall off. Liquid fertilizer should be applied regularly; if the fertilizer is insufficient, old leaves easily fall off and new leaves are small.
4. The sago palm likes high temperatures, and dry air in the environment easily causes the leaf tips to dry out or the edges to turn yellow. In winter, when the temperature is low, the sago palm enters a dormant period; during this period it should be watered less to avoid root rot.
Common pests and diseases:
1. If disease spots appear on the leaves and there is a sparse mold layer on the leaf surface, especially more serious under high temperature and high humidity, this is leaf spot disease. Improve ventilation, cut off the diseased leaves, then spray a 1000-fold solution of thiophanate-methyl 2-3 times, and it can be cured.
2. If the areas between the veins of new leaves turn yellow, and in severe cases the leaf margins and tips scorch inward, this is yellow leaf disease caused by iron deficiency in the plant. Spray the leaf surface with a 0.2% ferrous sulfate solution, once every 5 days, and about 3 times can relieve it.
3. The common pests and diseases of the sago palm are mainly scale insects, caused mainly by poor indoor ventilation and dry air. You can spray water on the leaf surface or wipe it with laundry detergent water. From February to July, red spider mites may appear; you can use Gaoximan (bifenazate) or Huhuashen according to the instructions to kill the insects.