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When to Prune a Cycad

Whether they create a tropical or prehistoric landscape, cycads enhance the scene with their feathery, fern-like fronds. Cycads are members of the Cycadaceae family, a group of up to 300 species that vary greatly in shape, size and locations, found in rain-forest and semi-desert habitats. It’s considered a living fossil, known to have grown millions of years ago when dinosaurs roamed. This graceful, slow-growing plant requires minimal maintenance but benefits from occasional pruning.

  1. Sago Palms

    • Stiff, palm-like evergreen leaves also appear fern-like.

      Cycads grow slowly, with similar growth habits and palm-like evergreen fronds attached to thick trunks. The most commonly grown cycad in North America is the sago palm (Cycas revoluta), also known as king sago palm, which thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10. A single flush of light green leaves appear in spring or early summer. New leaves dramatically open by slowly unrolling away from the leave’s midrib. Premature pruning doesn't force the leaves to appear or open earlier.

    Cones

    • Sago palms produce cones on mature plants. They are dioecious, which means plants are either male or female and their cones differ. Male cones grow vertically up to 12 to 18 inches from the frond cluster’s center, and generally only one is produced. Female seed cones form a golden, basketball-sized structure also at the center of the female plants. The attention-getting male cones are often pruned off when the cycad is grown only for landscape value.

    Cold Damage

    • Lengthy cold spells can occur in USDA zones 8 and 9, injuring exposed sago palms; damage indicators include yellow or brown foliage. Mild freezes harm the edges of leaves, while lengthy hard freezes cause the entire leaves to turn brown. These leaves will not green up again in the spring; if left on they provide some winter protection. Homeowners often wrap their cycads with protective blankets during short periods of cold weather.

    Pruning Guidelines

    • Prune winter-damaged sago palm leaves in the spring after all danger of freeze has passed and new growth has resumed. Remove dead, damaged and loose leaves when they happen, using clean pruning tools. Do not remove healthy leaves. Be aware that all parts of the sago palm are toxic to pets, so be careful to keep any plant debris from pruning out of areas where your pets go.

    Aulacaspis Scale

    • If the cycad aulacaspis scale appears on the plant, immediately remove entire leaves that are heavily infested. Aggressively prune the infected cycad and attack the pest using an appropriate chemical or biological control. This pest spreads rapidly, and an adult female can lay 100 eggs that hatch within seven to 14 days.

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