Sago palms in North Carolina?

[happy1892]

Hello.  My name is Nathaniel.  I found some cycads that look like Sago palms (Cycas revoluta) here in Granville County, NC. 

 I am not sure if they are Cycas revoluta because there are other Cycas species from the mountains in southern China that look similar, that are even more cold hardy than Cycas revoluta (http://www.cycadpalm.com/cold-tolerant-cycads--the--short-list-.html).   I love cycads, and would like to raise some here in North Carolina.

 

Also, would anyone know whether Zamia floridana (Florida Coontie) cycad would survive here in North Carolina?  Here it says they survive down to 7F: https://seedrack.com/10.html

I suspect the strain of Florida Coontie would matter very much on cold hardiness.

 

Here, https://www.ebay.com/itm/100-SEEDS-FRESH-2020-COONTIE-PALM-ZAMIA-PUMILA-Cycad-FREE-SHIP/173817396151?_trkparms=aid%3D1110012%26algo%3DSPLICE.SOIPOST%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20190711095549%26meid%3D8ca7c48318634007bfa2009596fb00e1%26pid%3D100047%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D173757438999%26itm%3D173817396151%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSellersOtherItemsV2&_trksid=p2047675.c100047.m2108, there are some Florida Coontie seeds for sale.  100 seeds for $20.  Is that a good seller do you think?

[Palm Man]

Sago palms, aka Cycas revoluta will grow in NC.  The best ones are found along southeast NC coast, but there are specimens scattered throughout the coastal plain and piedmont. They ususally loose their fronds to cold in winter, but regrow them in Spring. The best sites are wind protected on the south side of structures. Some of the nicest ones I've seen often have rock mulch. I think this helps moderate the soil temperatures in winter. Another cycad that I've seen in NC is Cycas taitungensis (or taiwanica). There is a very large old one in Raleigh at Adventure Landing water park on Capitol Blvd. 

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.8251548,-78.5879112,3a,25.2y,345.31h,87.78t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slegKCJHfM9R0Et4vOWJFJw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[RaleighNC]

Coontie is very unlikely to survive for you unless you protect it well and give it really good drainage. It will defoliate nearly every winter and is really late to begin resprouting in summer.  You will have more success with hardy cycas species.

[happy1892]

3 hours ago, RaleighNC said:

Coontie is very unlikely to survive for you unless you protect it well and give it really good drainage. It will defoliate nearly every winter and is really late to begin resprouting in summer.  You will have more success with hardy cycas species.

I thought that might be the case for the Coontie seeds sold by most sellers online.  If they aren't cold hardy enough I would still be happy to put them in pots to overwinter indoors.  I bring in the tropical plants in November when we get our first freeze. I was hoping the northern Florida strains of the Coontie would be more cold hardy.  In Tallahassee, FL the record low is negative 2F, so I thought if there were some from that area that those might do okay in NC.  But I don't know if I can find any for sale that are from northern Florida.

 

Is this a good site to buy cycads from?  http://www.cycadpalm.com/diedrvese.html  The Dioon edule "Rio Verde" were a dollar each when buying ten or more seeds.  Unfortunately, the other cycads are even more expensive.

-Nathaniel Long IV

Edited January 24, 2021 by happy1892

[happy1892]

4 hours ago, Palm Man said:

Sago palms, aka Cycas revoluta will grow in NC.  The best ones are found along southeast NC coast, but there are specimens scattered throughout the coastal plain and piedmont. They ususally loose their fronds to cold in winter, but regrow them in Spring. The best sites are wind protected on the south side of structures. Some of the nicest ones I've seen often have rock mulch. I think this helps moderate the soil temperatures in winter. Another cycad that I've seen in NC is Cycas taitungensis (or taiwanica). There is a very large old one in Raleigh at Adventure Landing water park on Capitol Blvd. 

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.8251548,-78.5879112,3a,25.2y,345.31h,87.78t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slegKCJHfM9R0Et4vOWJFJw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Thank you Palm man, for the information!  Do you think the Cycas taitungensis in Raleigh at Adventure Landing water park on Capitol Blvd would have seeds that I could take? 

Edited January 24, 2021 by happy1892

[amh]

26 minutes ago, happy1892 said:

I thought that might be the case for the Coontie seeds sold by most sellers online. I was hoping the northern Florida strains of the Coontie would be more cold hardy.  In Tallahassee, FL the record low is negative 2F, so I thought if there were some from that area that those might do okay in NC.  But I don't know if I can find any for sale that are from northern Florida.

 

Is this a good site to buy cycads from?  http://www.cycadpalm.com/diedrvese.html  The Dioon edule "Rio Verde" were a dollar each when buying ten or more seeds.  Unfortunately, the other cycads are even more expensive.

-Nathaniel Long IV

I bought some seed from the Tallahassee area a few years ago and they seem more 8A hardy than what is reported.

They have survived the low teens on my porch with no burning or defoliation.

 

There appear to be different ecotypes that may explain hardiness discrepancies.

Edited January 24, 2021 by amh

[Fusca]

23 minutes ago, happy1892 said:

Is this a good site to buy cycads from?  http://www.cycadpalm.com/diedrvese.html 

Hi Nathaniel, I'm not familiar with this this website but I've purchased several palms from TexasColdHardyPalms.com and they are well grown.  He also sells several different cycads including C. taitungensis.  It might be worthwhile to get a seedling than trying to grow from seed if you don't have several planted in the same area.  I'm pretty sure C. taitungensis is like C. revoluta in the fact that you need a male plant to pollinate a female in order to get viable seeds.

23 minutes ago, happy1892 said:

Do you think the Cycas taitungensis in Raleigh at Adventure Landing water park on Capitol Blvd would have seeds that I could take? 

 

[NCFM]

Cycas revoluta seems to be bulletproof in eastern NC, especially along the coast. I have also seen specimens in Raleigh, Charlotte, and even as far west as Greensboro and Winston Salem. I’ve had one in my yard here NW of Greensboro for two years, and it does well - no frond die back in winter thus far. However, it has yet to experience any temps below 18F.

Here is mine:

Edited January 24, 2021 by NC_Palm_Enthusiast

[Joe NC]

5 hours ago, happy1892 said:

Also, would anyone know whether Zamia floridana (Florida Coontie) cycad would survive here in North Carolina? 

I have a couple of Coontie that have survived here in wilmington NC.  They have taken varying amounts of damage over the years.  Have done better now that I have moved them really close to the house. The caudex needs to be underground to survive the really cold events.

[Palm Man]

12 hours ago, happy1892 said:

Thank you Palm man, for the information!  Do you think the Cycas taitungensis in Raleigh at Adventure Landing water park on Capitol Blvd would have seeds that I could take? 

Alas, the cycad at Adventure Landing is all alone and has no mate! So I don't know if it's male or female but in this case it doesn't matter. There will be no fertile seeds. Usually seeds aren't difficult to find on Ebay or Amazon, etc. 

[Joe NC]

17 hours ago, Joe NC said:

I have a couple of Coontie that have survived here in wilmington NC.  They have taken varying amounts of damage over the years.  Have done better now that I have moved them really close to the house. The caudex needs to be underground to survive the really cold events.

[knikfar]

I live in Raleigh and purchased 3 Cycas Taitungensis from N Texas Cold Hardy Palms last spring. They've been in the ground ever since. They've been slow to get going but I think they'll be fine. If you try them, protect them from rabbits. They ate fronds off two of my plants and I know the same has happened to others. I also planted a revoluta late this past summer. It was marked down at Lowes and had no fronds left. It was also in the houseplant section. After about two weeks in the ground, it pushed out a flush of new fronds and looks great. I've been putting a clear, plastic storage container over it when it looks like the temps might drop below 25 degrees. Then I take it off the next day. And it seems to be doing well. 

[Chester B]

3 hours ago, knikfar said:

If you try them, protect them from rabbits. They ate fronds off two of my plants and I know the same has happened to others.

I thought these things were supposed to be poisonous.  The damn rabbits did the same to my Cycas panzhihuaensis.

[amh]

1 hour ago, Chester B said:

I thought these things were supposed to be poisonous.  The damn rabbits did the same to my Cycas panzhihuaensis.

Watch out for feral pigs.

[Chester B]

19 hours ago, amh said:

Watch out for feral pigs.

Fortunately we don’t have feral hogs here, the Sasquatch eat them all. 

[climate change virginia]

im sick of cycads to be honest I see them all the time in houston they are over planted

[Chester B]

2 hours ago, climate change virginia said:

im sick of cycads to be honest I see them all the time in houston they are over planted

Well, not around here.  I've only ever seen one other in the ground aside from mine.

[knikfar]

On 1/27/2021 at 12:50 PM, Chester B said:

I thought these things were supposed to be poisonous.  The damn rabbits did the same to my Cycas panzhihuaensis.

I thought the same thing. I can say that I originally had two rabbits in my yard but after a while, I was only seeing one. So maybe eating the cycad killed the one. 

[jwf1983]

I have 3 Cycas Revoluta potted on my patio year round here in Washington, DC, facing east.  One of them for about 5 years now.  It is fairly large at this point, and has had a new flush the last 3 summers.  One of the other, smaller Sagos had a new flush last year, and all three appear to be ready for more growth in the upcoming days.  Thus far, the smaller Sagos have come out of 2 straight winters without any damage.  The older one has had some lightening of the deep green to more of a light greenish, slightly yellow in spots, but not throughout, and only on the oldest, lower fronds.  

From what I have seen to this point, the city appears to almost always be several degrees warmer than the outlying suburbs here, particularly downtown.  This is most pronounced during the winter, and particularly winter nights.  I think these extra few degrees are crucial to their survival in this area.  That said, I would think that if Cycas Revoluta can survive and continue to grow in Washington, DC with minimal attention or protection, you should likely be successful just about most places in North Carolina, aside of maybe certain Piedmont areas and into the mountains.

I've passed through Raleigh a few times, and spend some time in the Wilmington area, and I recall seeing several Sagos in both areas.  Good luck!

[ZPalms]

So is Cycas Revoluta a good choice for 8a like pretty much fail proof? I'd like to try sago again I had one a long time ago when I was younger and it was a gift but died from neglect since I was a child and kept it in the lowes pot with the pebbles glued to the soil RIP  

[knikfar]

50 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

So is Cycas Revoluta a good choice for 8a like pretty much fail proof? I'd like to try sago again I had one a long time ago when I was younger and it was a gift but died from neglect since I was a child and kept it in the lowes pot with the pebbles glued to the soil RIP  

Pretty much, yes. But I'd still plant it in the ground in very late winter, maybe the end of February. That will give it the longest period of time to establish itself before having to endure any really low temps the following January. And I believe Taitungensis is hardier than Revoluta but it does grow larger. On both plants, you can expect to have the fronds burned off every once in a while but they'll just sprout new ones in the spring. So don't think they're dead if their fronds burn completely. 

[ZPalms]

1 minute ago, knikfar said:

Pretty much, yes. But I'd still plant it in the ground in very late winter, maybe the end of February. That will give it the longest period of time to establish itself before having to endure any really low temps the following January. And I believe Taitungensis is hardier than Revoluta but it does grow larger. On both plants, you can expect to have the fronds burned off every once in a while but they'll just sprout new ones in the spring. So don't think they're dead if their fronds burn completely. 

Thanks! Ill check these out!

[DreaminAboutPalms]

They survived in Texas this winter so should do fine up there 9/10 years. All defoliated this year with 7 days below 32 and 3 consecutive nights below 15 but majority came back, 4 months later for most. Here in Central Texas they'll have some burn every 5-7 years. They won't show any damage unless exposed to temps below 15 degrees 

Edited August 5, 2021 by DreaminAboutPalms

[charlotte palm guy]

I’m in Charlotte and have Sago that I put in a couple years ago next to house.  Grows a new layer each Spring.  Only had 1 layer when I initially bought it at Lowes.  I cover with blanket in Winter each cold night.  Healthiest of all my palms currently!! Super green.  Other palms I have are Windmill, Palmetto, and Mediterranean (which I also cover in cold and it’s very green too)