My Sago Palms, which were planted at the corner of the driveway and the street, have now grown to 5' to 6' feet tall. They, of course, block the sightline of on-coming traffic and is dangerous for me and my wife and much more dangerous for visitors. I want to prune them to approx.three feet tall and let them continue to delineate the corners but not harm the growth or the beauty of the plant. I'm from Atlanta but retired to the coast and clueless about tropical plants --red clay is MUCH DIFFERENT from Georgia coastal sand! Please help me solve this troubling problem. -
It is generally not recommended that you prune sago palms for height as this will most likely kill the plant. For your situation, however, you may want to consider stripping the lower fronds so that they do not block the line of sight to the road.
I live in Middleburg, Fl. In one section of my yard, I have two sago palms. One started getting white spots that looked similar to a mold. I sprayed it with Immunoz, but it continued to spread and got on the one next to it. The prongs of both plants did touch each other as they are only four feet apart. Anyway, it spread to the other one as well. I read your how to prune sago column, unfortunately, after I had already pruned them. The worst infected one has no prongs left and they all had the spots; the other has four prongs left. Help !!!
It is probably powdery mildew. This article will help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/powdery-mildew-homemade-and-organic-remedies.htm
You can treat it with either a chemical fungicide or neem oil. Both should be available at any store that sells gardening supplies.
What is the easiest and cheapest way to separate baby sagos from the host plant? What tools and equipment are required? What about infection and disease control?
This article should help you with that: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/palms-trees/propagate-palm-pups.htm
I have read articles describing the removal of the pups from sago palms. They have described removing the pups and allowing them to dry for a week, or 'harden off' before planting. However, none of the articles indicate if anything should be done to the 'mother' palm after removing the pups. Should the 'open wound' where the pups are removed be protected in any way? If so, what are the recommendations?
You do not need to do anything for the mother plant. The wound will harden off on the mother the same as it does on the pup. If you try to cover the wound, you can actually create an environment where disease and fungus can grow.
Do we cover sago palms when it is below 32 degrees? We live in Orlando.
It would be helpful to do so. You can get some other tips here: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/protect-plants-in-freeze.htm
Can sago palms survive a freeze? How shall I protect or cover my sago in cold temps? I live near San Antonio, Texas.
They can survive short bursts of cold, but not for very long. I would cover the plants if possible. This article can help you with protecting your plants during an unexpected freeze: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/protect-plants-in-freeze.htm
What do you do with sago palms that have gotten frost bit or frozen?
This article may help you with that: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/tips-for-saving-cold-damaged-plants.htm