"SAGO PALM" what should i do about this arangment of growth!?

McMaple

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View attachment 25470 Not too sure what to do here, this palm has recently grown 3 new branches, and the arrangement is kind of off. should i let it grow the way it is or how would i go about "balancing" it out. cut the BIG mature branch or...? not to sure here any input would be great! Thank You
 

edprocoat

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What are you trying to do with this palm? I have never seen one used as a subject for Bonsai. They make a decent potted plant though. I have kept them, if you trim off the stem, they do not have branches they are called stems from what I remember, if you trim one off they usually grow back. If you attempt to cut the leaves, or fronds, they turn brown and die back to the stem. I do not see how you could do any sort of bonsai with one except for maybe the base form of a plant in a pot.

ed
 

McMaple

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http://www.easternleaf.com/Bonsai_Sago_Palm_Bonsai_p/800870-03.htm
^VERY happy with everything i order.
Well i got it from "eastern leaf" for a bonsai, it seems to be doing VERY well. its happy indoors and grows very fast when left outside for any amount of time. A potted plant i guess is what im trying do do with it i guess. its just in its original ceramic pot i purchased it in. i guess ill just let the thing grow out. thanks tho, i am fairly new to the art of Bonsai...
 

Brian Van Fleet

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I really like sago palms, but they cannot be trained using traditional bonsai techniques (pruning, pinching, wiring). First, they have no branches, they grow fronds, from a central rhizome(?), so even the "trunk" isn't a trunk. Now, they can be grown in a bonsai pot, probably with bonsai soil, out on the bonsai benches, and they can look really nice. But, that's as close to bonsai as it's going to get.
 

Attila Soos

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Sago palm is great to evoke the feeling of a tropical landscape. Using some rocks and various ground covers, it can make an oustanding miniature landscape. I have a very large one, with a main trunk, and 7 or 8 auxiliary trunks (or "babies), some bigger than others. It probably weights over 70 pounds. You don't prune them, or "balance" them. Just work with what you have, and be thankful every time a new "baby" is born. That's because a sago palm bonsai gets better as its structure gets more complex. Having just a single bulb is not much of a bonsai, so it's basically useless.
And yes, traditional bonsai techiques are useless. You have to use techniques specific to this species, such as the annual leaf-pruning.
 
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Ron Dennis

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I have always liked the Sago. While it is commonly called a palm it actually is not a palm tree but rather a cycad. Very interesting and very old plant.

http://www.sunpalmtrees.com/Cold-Hardy-Palm-Trees-Sago-Palms.htm

When we moved to Birmingham from Florida we left a double specimen sago in our landscape as well as a triple roebellini palm. How I have missed those two plants.

Enjoy your sago.
 
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