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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Monday - January 24, 2011

From: Gonzales, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Transplanting non-native sago palms in Gonzales, TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

How to harvest Sago palm pups. I have 2 very old sago palms and they have loads of new starts (pups) coming off of the plant. I want to cut some pups and start some new plants without harming the parent plant. How do I do that?

ANSWER:

Since Cycas revoluta, Sago Palm is not native to North America, it falls out of the expertise of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. From Floridata, here is an article on Cycas revoluta,

From this article, especially note this paragraph on propagating the offsets or "pups" of this plant which, by the way, is not a true palm:

"New plants can also be obtained by removing suckering offsets from the base of the trunks. Remove leaves and plant in moist, well drained soil. This technique is most successful when performed in the winter when plant is dormant (root growth is still active during this period)."

 

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