How to care for a sago palm? 5 tips to make its leaves lush and thriving

I remember when I was in elementary school, there were always two pots of sago palms placed at the school gate. I would see them once every morning on my way to school and once again in the afternoon on my way home, yet I never once saw them bloom. Many times, Huahua felt they had lost their life and stopped growing, but in reality they were living perfectly well. Even until Huahua graduated from elementary school, I never saw a sago palm bloom.

When I was little, I often heard adults say that a sago palm only blooms once every thousand years, and I always thought what a fortunate thing it would be if someone could see a sago palm bloom with their own eyes.

Today, Huahua suddenly remembered this and wanted to tell everyone how to make a sago palm bloom.

Actually, sago palms, like other plants, have their own growth cycle. It is just that the sago palm's growth cycle is much longer than that of ordinary plants. Grown year-round, it generally takes about 15 to 20 years before it can bloom. The common saying that "a sago palm blooms once every thousand years" simply exaggerates the time to describe how difficult it is for a sago palm to bloom.

So how should a sago palm be grown?

1. Plenty of sunlight

The sago palm is a tropical plant, so it loves light very much. When growing it, we should best place it somewhere that receives sunlight all year round. This is mainly because a potted sago palm may be somewhat large and inconvenient to move. In summer, simply providing it with some shade is enough.

2. Light fertilizer, applied frequently

Even though the sago palm is so big, it still needs fertilizing, and it should not be fertilized heavily; light fertilizer applied frequently is the way to go. During the sago palm's growing season, those who are able can use decomposed cake fertilizer water as fertilizer for the sago palm. Nitrogen-potassium fertilizer can also be used to promote the sago palm's growth and provide the nutrients it needs.

3. Reasonable watering

The sago palm does not like a moist environment. The soil we usually see sago palms in is generally on the drier side. So when watering, be sure to follow the principle of preferring dry over wet, and judge whether to water based on the soil's moisture. In spring and autumn, water at most twice a week, once every 3-5 days. In summer, you can water three times a week. In winter, you can extend it to once every 10 days. The sago palm is very drought-tolerant, so there is no need to worry that it will die of drought.

4. Proper pruning

Sago palms can be pruned appropriately, and spring is the most suitable time to prune them. The main task is to prune away the old branches and old leaves, which not only makes the sago palm look better but also encourages it to grow new branches and leaves, achieving two goals at once. By around May or June, the new growth will have come out, and at this point the sago palm looks even more full of life and vitality!