How to Grow Sago Seeds

Put on gloves before harvesting berries from sago palms since they contain a toxic compound that causes gastrointestinal upset and liver damage if ingested.

Harvest a cluster of berries using pruning shears. Place the berries in a paper bag and fold the top. Store the seeds in a warm, dark spot with very low humidity for six months to ripen the seeds.

Place the berries in a bucket full of warm water. Scrub the berries with a scouring pad to remove the flesh. Soak the seeds in the bucket of water for 48 hours. Spread the clean sago seeds on a flat surface to dry off for an hour.

Fill a 3-inch-deep nursery tray with coarse sand. Mist the sand thoroughly with a spray bottle so it is wet through its entire depth. Let the water drain off for 30 minutes before sowing the sago seeds.

Lay out the sago seeds 2 inches apart across the surface of the sand. Press the seeds firmly onto the surface of the soil so they are partially submerged but still exposed to the light.

Place the nursery tray where it will be exposed to very bright light for at least eight hours each day. Apply 80 degrees Fahrenheit bottom heat to the nursery tray with a propagation mat.

Mist the sand frequently since the heat from the propagation mat will dry it out quickly. Keep the top half of the sand moderately moist at all times.

Watch for the first signs of germination in 30 days. Transplant the sago seedlings into 6-inch plastic pots filled with palm-formula potting soil as soon as the sprouts unfurl and grow to 1 inch in height.

Keep the individually potted sago seedlings in a warm, bright place with high humidity until they grow to at least 6 inches in height and have a mature form with multiple fronds. Plant them in spring, in a partially shaded bed with well-draining soil.