I'm in Austin, Texas and my Sago went through a few freezes and is now brown all over. I'm hoping it's not dead. It's about 8 years old and stands 4 feet tall. The new growth on the top has curled brown stalks as well. I've never seen them curl before.
You will need to remove the yellow and brown fronds this spring, but only those, as they will not come back. Just use sharp shears to do so. Do not remove green parts of fronds. These articles will help you as well:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/how-to-tell-if-a-plant-is-dead-and-how-to-recover-an-almost-dead-plant.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/tips-for-saving-cold-damaged-plants.htm
We live north of Houston, Texas. The excessive cold winter damaged all of our Sago Palms. They are huge and most all of the top foliage is brown. How much can be cut out and how close to the stalk do we cut them?
You will need to remove the yellow and brown fronds this spring, but only those, as they will not come back. Do not remove green parts of fronds. These articles will help you as well:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/how-to-tell-if-a-plant-is-dead-and-how-to-recover-an-almost-dead-plant.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/tips-for-saving-cold-damaged-plants.htm
We never covered our palms when we had a freeze and they turned yellow. Do we need to cut the yellow foliage for it to regrow? We live in southeast Texas and we don't get many freezes, but this year we did.
You will need to remove the yellow and brown fronds this spring, but only those, as they will not come back. Just use sharp shears to do so. Do not remove green parts of fronds. These articles will help you as well:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/how-to-tell-if-a-plant-is-dead-and-how-to-recover-an-almost-dead-plant.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/tips-for-saving-cold-damaged-plants.htm
It is hard to say how well they will grow back. Sago palms do not deal well with lost fronds, but they have been known to recover fine.
We just recently transplanted two big sagos and then in about a week or less, they both flattened down. Are they goners, or can they come back? They look like pancakes.
It sounds like they may be in transplant shock. This article will help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/learn-how-to-avoid-and-repair-transplant-shock-in-plants.htm
When it turns brown or looks dead after the winter months, what should you do? Should you prune or not?
You will need to remove any yellow or brown fronds this spring, but only those, as they will not come back. Use sharp shears to do so. Do not remove green parts of fronds. These articles will help you as well:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/how-to-tell-if-a-plant-is-dead-and-how-to-recover-an-almost-dead-plant.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/tips-for-saving-cold-damaged-plants.htm
It is hard to say how well they will grow back. Sago palms do not deal well with lost fronds, but they have been known to recover fine. I would wait a whole season to see if fronds grow back.
We live in central Florida and had the coldest weather in 35 years. Our sago palms are approximately 2. 5 feet tall. All of the branches are brown from the freeze. Yet, in one plant a new set of fronds just opened up. Should I trim all the fronds up to the new level?
You will need to remove the yellow and brown fronds this spring, but only those, as they will not come back. Just use sharp shears to do so. Do not remove green parts of fronds. These articles will help you as well:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/how-to-tell-if-a-plant-is-dead-and-how-to-recover-an-almost-dead-plant.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/tips-for-saving-cold-damaged-plants.htm
A previous owner planted two sago palms too close to the driveway and now they hang across about half of the drive. Can I prune the palm back to the base, or how do I “trim” it so it’s not hanging?
If you prune the fronds off, they will likely not grow back. If you are ok with this, you can remove them with a sharp pair of pruners.
Thank you so much for your response. A neighbor cut back the entire Sago palm several years ago and the entire thing came back just fine. They are not from here and I was astonished when I saw what had been done. However, I am not likely to follow suit since our palms are so large.
Jene Klopp