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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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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Wednesday - October 16, 2013

From: Poinciana, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives, Pruning, Shrubs
Title: Sprout from a non-native sago palm in Poinciana FL
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have two mature (10 years old)sago palms. One of them sprouted a new "head' at the top of the trunk. It is competing with the original one. It is not a pup coming from the root area. Can I cut it off without destroying the whole palm?

ANSWER:

Happily, we found a previous Mr. Smarty Plants answer that deals with almost the exact same problem. Since the Sago Palm is non-native and therefore not in our realm of expertise, you will find several links in the previous answer that give you still more information.
 

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