Potting and Displaying Sago Palms Around the Farm
It's a bit cooler here this week at my Bedford, New York farm - temperatures overnight dipped into the high 30s - but we're still carrying on with our spring gardening tasks.
My gardeners have been busy potting up some of our outdoor containers. I have a rather sizable collection of tropical specimens. During the winter, they are stored in special greenhouses. Once the warm weather arrives, they are all brought out for display around the farm. Ryan and Brian just potted up six sago palms, or cycads, which were cut as pups from a mother sago some time ago. They are displayed in six beautiful new pots I purchased from Michael's Garden Gate in nearby Mt. Kisco.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- I have many, many cycads. The sago palm, Cycas revoluta, is a popular houseplant known for its feathery foliage and ease of care. Native to the southern islands of Japan, the sago palm goes by several common names, including Japanese palm, funeral palm, king sago or just plain sago palm.
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- In warmer weather, I display these and other tropical plants around the farm. This photo taken a couple years back shows large sago palms in my Winter House courtyard.
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- I also like to cut the pups, or the “babies,” from larger sago palms and nurture them. This photo shows a group of young sago palms which were cut right here at the farm several years ago.
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- Recently, I bought six large containers to use around the property. This week, I asked my gardeners to pot them all up with sago palms.
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- The first step is to line the inside of the vessel with some industrial weed cloth.
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- The cloth is placed into the vessel to protect its interior. This also makes it a lot easier come fall when the plants are removed from these pots and returned to their designated greenhouse where they live during the colder months.
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- Then we fill about a third of the pot with compost. This nutrient-rich compost is made right here at the farm.
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- Here is Brian pouring some of the compost to the bottom of the pot, weighing the cloth down in place.
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- This will provide level ground for the plant and keep it at its proper height inside the pot. It will also allow for good drainage.
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- This is actually one of those smaller sago palm pups now. Although sago palms are slow growing, this has grown quite a bit in the last five to six years.
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- Also to save some effort later, Ryan and Brian insert the potted plant into the larger container. The black plastic pot is also the perfect size for this sago palm. These plants prefer to be slightly root-bound, so it’s best to choose a somewhat snug pot for growing them.
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- And of course don’t forget the food. We use Organic Palm-Tone which is long lasting and provides slow-release feeding with special microbes.
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- Here, Brian and Ryan fill the rest of the pot with soil to cover.
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- Ryan cuts the excess weed cloth hanging over the side of the container and then tucks the ends into the soil.
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- He also tamps down on the soil to ensure good contact with the plant. And he looks to see that the plant is straight from all sides and makes adjustments where needed.
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- Notice the sago palm’s trunk. It is a rough, symmetrical trunk which becomes leafless as it ages and gives way to its evergreen crown of upward pointing fronds. When pruning, only cut off the old and dying leaves, especially towards the base of the tree where they are oldest. And cut them off as close to the trunk as possible.
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- Sago palm fronds resemble those of palm trees The glossy, pinnate leaves are typically about four to five feet long at maturity, and up to nine-inches wide.
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- Here is one all potted up outside my gym building. I think it looks so handsome in this new pot. The frond tips are quite pointy and sharp, so it’s best to plant it away from lots of foot traffic.
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- Here’s another near my long and winding pergola. Although they’re tropicals that can take full sun, sago palms need part shade to prevent their leaves from burning.
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- It sits across another sago on the other side of the carriage road. When watering, water so the top inch of soil is moist (check it with your fingertip if you need to) and let it dry out between waterings about once a week.
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- And here is a view of the same pair – I think they look great here and will thrive through the warm months in this location.
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