Japanese Sago Palm - Symbol of Longevity

In short: The Japanese sago palm (Cycas revoluta) is a slow-growing cycad, a plant group that appeared 250 million years ago. Specimens in Japanese gardens are estimated at up to 1,100 years old. The trunk grows about 3 cm per year and the plant needs a permeable substrate, plenty of light and warmth, and infrequent watering.

Japanese Sago Palm - Symbol of Longevity

Japanese Sago Palm (Latin: Cycas revoluta) is a plant from the cycad family (Latin: Cycadaceae). It is the most suitable cycad for household cultivation and also the most popular one. The plant grows very slowly and is decorative. It is often referred to as a living fossil. Cycas is a long-lived plant that existed in nature as early as 250 million years ago. This species is now listed in the Red List of Threatened Species, and trade in its seeds is controlled and falls under the protection of the international CITES convention. These plants are extremely long-lived. In Japanese gardens, there are plants up to 1,100 years old. Some calculations indicate plants as old as 2,000 years. Their age cannot be simply determined as with trees from growth rings; in cycads, age is estimated based on average growth rate and the number of leaf scars.

Japanese Sago Palm is a dioecious plant that in older age visually resembles a palm. The trunk reaches 3-8 m in height. However, it grows very slowly, approximately 3 cm per year. The trunk diameter grows to a width of 45-95 cm. In older plants, the trunk may also branch. The leaves are at the top of the trunk and are 50-180 cm long, consisting of 100-240 leaflets (which are 8-18 cm long and 4-7 mm wide). These leaflets are leathery, stiff, dark green, slightly rolled under, and when young are covered with orange felt.

Inflorescence in cycads is male and female. Male cones have spirally arranged scales under which pollen forms, and female plants have approximately 20 cm megasporophylls covered with dense brown felty covering and bearing 2-3 pairs of ovules in the lower part. The seeds of Japanese Sago Palm are ovate with orange-red seed coat.

Cultivating Cycads

Japanese Sago Palm - in the wild, it grows on slopes with limestone substrate in sunny locations. In nature, it can also occur in forest stands, but always on limestone substrate. It requires well-drained soil and tolerates waterlogging poorly. Cycads thrive in subtropical weather - summer temperatures of 26-33°C and winter temperatures from 7-20°C. Similar temperatures can be achieved when growing at home on a windowsill above heating. Cycads withstand frost down to -10°C. The trunk is resistant, but leaves fall off from frost.

Cultivating Japanese Sago Palm is not demanding. However, it is necessary to find the key to making the plant happy in your household.

Cycad seeds that you purchase have a colourful - orange-red coating. This must be completely removed, as it protects the seed until it decomposes. The woody Cycad seed should therefore be soaked in lukewarm water for 1-2 days. Only soak it in water when you know you will be sowing the Cycad. There is no need to remove the coating several days in advance. Once the seed has absorbed water, place it into the prepared substrate. The most suitable options are expanded clay or coconut fibres. The substrate - expanded clay should ideally be pre-heated in a microwave and kept warm. You can mix an anti-fungal treatment into the substrate to prevent seed mould. Don't insert the entire seed into the substrate, but only up to half of it. Keep the substrate warm and moist. For germination, you can use a mini greenhouse, or cover the seed with a glass jar, or a roof cut from a PET bottle. The seed also needs adequate ventilation to prevent mould growth. The ideal temperature for germination is around 30°C.

Cycads germinate over several weeks to 6 months. Seeds germinate by longitudinal splitting of the seed. Once the first leaf emerges, provide the seedling with plenty of light. The first leaf usually appears only after the main root has grown, so be patient. Carefully check the seeds during germination to ensure they are not rotting.

Cycads need:

• A taller pot, because they have a powerful and deep main root. Don't fill the soil right to the edge, leaving space for the surface, coral-like roots.
• A breathable and permeable substrate that drains water quickly whilst keeping the soil moist. The substrate can be mixed with pebbles, perlite, pumice or other coarse material. You can also use substrate for palms or cacti. The roots don't tolerate wet conditions, which can cause them to rot.
• Watering - doesn't need to be particularly regular. Complete drying out of the soil during a typical week-long holiday won't harm the plants, provided they are not very young specimens. The plants tolerate neglect and lack of watering very well. They are therefore suitable even for busy growers and those who can't even grow a single leaf. Cycads will certainly live with you for as long as possible, you won't defeat them easily.
• Plenty of light and warmth, if this is maintained, the plants will produce a flush of leaves once a year, which grow from the centre of the plant and unfurl their leaflets similarly to ferns. It is therefore advisable to place the cycad in a warm and bright location as early as March and water it more generously. A warm location should be ensured even at night. In the UK/Europe, it is very difficult to ensure constant temperature at night, especially if you have your Cycad in an outdoor location. Therefore, it is advisable to place the plant on a windowsill above a radiator.

Cycads are harmed by:

• Excessive care, overwatering, over-fertilizing and nutrient-rich soil.
• Cold environment - cycads stop producing leaves.
• Lack of light - the plant produces long leaves that dry out and don't look aesthetically pleasing.
• Heat should not be provided to the plant from January onwards, when the heating season is in full swing in apartments, as the plant could prematurely develop leaves which might become stunted due to lack of daylight.

Cycad seeds are edible. Sago is made from the trunk. Sago is a starchy powder. Sago is a staple food in the lowlands of New Guinea, where it is consumed in the form of flatbread with fish.

Cycads are cultivated in many areas of the world. They originate from southern Japan. The original habitat of cycads is the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu archipelago. They are also found in China, in Fujian province. The Netherlands is a major exporter of cycad cuttings.

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Author: Hana Michalíková