Strange Growths in Center of Sago Palms

Question

What do I do with the strange growths that have come in the center of my beautiful Sago palms? The male sago has a big ugly growth and the female has a large pretty growth, but will not allow leaves to come in.

Answer 1

These growths are flowers. On the male, you can remove it. You also have the option of leaving it as is and will not harm the plant either way. We do not, however, recommend removing female blooms. The flower grows very close to the plant and you risk damaging the plant by removing it and it will not hurt the plant to leave it. You may see slowed growth while it is flowering. This is normal and growth will resume once the flower fades.