Help Save my Sago Please!!

[RoboSky]

Hi,

I am hoping someone can help me. I have a palm that is yellowing and the axial bud looks dead. I am not sure what is going on. 
 

For some background. This current palm was transplanted around February or March of this year. It replaced a little bit larger sago that died in a similar manner. The old sago showed the exact symptoms and declined somewhat rapidly until all fronds turned brown and died. I replaced that palm with this and now this one is doing the exact same. I am not sure if it is nutrient deficiency or root rot. It seems very confusing to evaluate these problems as most info I find says it can be from overwatering, underwatering, nutrient deficiency or too much fertilizer. 
 

Anyway, the last palm was inherited when I moved in and I didn’t do anything but water for 7 years before it died. Therefore, I am thinking nutrient deficiency as it has never been fertilized. However, before the last one died it was pushing 3-4 flushes and several pups a year and really healthy. Unfortunately one of the pups pressed up against the drip line and either reduced or increased the level of water. It was difficult to tell since I noticed it in the winter and the soil was moist constantly but not flooded. 
 

So, I am not sure if the old palm died of a fertility issue or accidental overwatering that led to root rot and now the new one is either under fertilized or suffering from potential pathogen load in the soil from a previous phytophthora infection. 
 

Last week I gave it a foliar application of manganese sulfate and put a cup around the base along with some slow release palm fertilizer. I watered the fertilizer in but tried not to give it too much water in case the roots have started to rot. 
 

I plan to use some mefenoxam and oxathiapiprolin in a soil drench in case of root rot (I am an ag chem researcher). I don’t think it will hurt but not sure if it will help or if it is actually rot. 
 

I’m sorry this is a long post but any help is greatly appreciated!! I am dying inside thinking that I am going to loose this palm. 
 

thanks in advance,

Ray

[amh]

Where are you located?

[RoboSky]

Central Valley California, near Fresno

[RoboSky]

10 minutes ago, amh said:

Where are you located?

Central Valley California, near Fresno

[amh]

I'm seeing a little sunburn and possible nutrient deficiency.

Has the plant flushed recently?

Is the soil constantly wet or too dry?

Was a previous phytophthora infection confirmed?

 

Stick around, there will be others with more experience and that are familiar with your area.

[RoboSky]

Thanks for your reply! The palm has not flushed since it was transplanted. The growth terminal looks like the old one did before it died. I’m not sure if this is how it’s supposed to look though. My other sago across the yard has flushed and is pushing pups. 
 

as for water, I have no clue if I’m giving it too much or not enough. No prior infection was actually confirmed, however, it seems like a lot of websites talk about root rot being a problem and causing these symptoms. At this point I’m sort of afraid to water it too much but also concerned because it’s 95F degrees and low humidity here. 
 

I’m just at a loss as to what to do…. 

[amh]

Okay, stick around for others to respond. I personally do not see anything to be alarmed by, but I could be missing something obvious.

Probe the area with your finger and see if it is muddy or dry.

[Tracy]

46 minutes ago, RoboSky said:

 

This looks pretty normal for the center of the caudex.  I didn't see anything that was that alarming in the yellow of the leaflets for something that was transplanted a few months ago, as this could be a little delayed transplant shock and it just hasn't flushed yet.  If you had an irrigation problem in the winter and were over irrigating the prior one during the cold season, that could have been the problem.  What did the caudex of the old one look like when it was removed?  If it was soft and mushy, that's your most likely answer.

On a go forward basis, it would be worthwhile to figure out what is happening with your irrigation.  It's also worth asking if it gets significant amounts of pool water at times to supplement your irrigation (splashing / sloshing out of water from pool activities).  Someone already mentioned check the soil to see whether its dry or muddy which is a good recommendation.  This species, Cycas revoluta, is one of the hardiest species of cycads (not palms despite the common name).  Good luck.

[RoboSky]

42 minutes ago, Tracy said:

This looks pretty normal for the center of the caudex.  I didn't see anything that was that alarming in the yellow of the leaflets for something that was transplanted a few months ago, as this could be a little delayed transplant shock and it just hasn't flushed yet.  If you had an irrigation problem in the winter and were over irrigating the prior one during the cold season, that could have been the problem.  What did the caudex of the old one look like when it was removed?  If it was soft and mushy, that's your most likely answer.

On a go forward basis, it would be worthwhile to figure out what is happening with your irrigation.  It's also worth asking if it gets significant amounts of pool water at times to supplement your irrigation (splashing / sloshing out of water from pool activities).  Someone already mentioned check the soil to see whether its dry or muddy which is a good recommendation.  This species, Cycas revoluta, is one of the hardiest species of cycads (not palms despite the common name).  Good luck.

Tracy,

I really appreciate the comments!! 
 

I am really starting to wonder if the soil has just become very nutrient deficient. As you can see from the pictures, it is sitting in a location that is basically like a pot in the ground. I have not, until last week, ever put any type of fertilizer in that location. I moved in summer of 2014 and I am guessing the prior sago that died last year had been there at least a couple of years before. 
 

As for the soil, it has been mostly just moderately moist. There was about a two to three week period in late April early May where it was getting watered for about 10-15 min a day as I was on vacation then out of town and didn’t notice that the irrigation was set to run every day. The soil never got “muddy” or pooled with water necessarily, but not sure if that could have been a problem? Since then it has been kept fairly dry as the climate here is fairly warm and dry and I have only given it a little water about once a week. 

as for the center caudex of the old palm, it looked identical to this with the brown sharp tips, but never flushed. Once the fronds eventually died I could put my finger in the center of the growth and it was soft. So far the current one seems firm. I’m just not sure what they are supposed to look like?

No pool splash out gets into the sago as my kids are grown and it’s mostly mellow adults who enjoy wading in the pool. 
 

At this point I am leaning toward lack of nutrients, of which I have added so hopefully that will do the trick and it’s just a matter of getting over the transplant shock. 
 

My main concern is whether or not to water it or try to keep it fairly dry if it does happen to be rot? Also, from a precautionary standpoint would it be worthwhile utilizing fungicides while watering, just in case?

thanks so much again for your kind input!!

[JohnAndSancho]

Anecdotal, and purely useless information as it literally zero applies to your situation, and I own literally zero sagos. But there's a good sized unit in my apartment complex that survived Feb 2021 here in Texas. These things are tough. 

[Merlyn]

Generally it looks normal to me, maybe a touch of sunburn.  Here in FL they can take full sun and 50 plus inches of rain per year, mostly in the summer.  But it is humid here with sandy soil that drains really fast.  Most cycads don't want wet feet, as it can cause root rot.  If rot gets into the taproot then it can easily get into the starchy trunk, killing the cycad.  I am not sure about CA temperature and humidity, but your issue could be root rot, lack of nutrition, too much sun, or a combination.  A lack of manganese (not magnesium) can cause "frizzle top" but I don't see that in your photos.  I use granular manganese sulfate and generally avoid foliar sprays because of the risk of leaf burn.  Any "palm special" is probably good for a Cycas Revoluta aka Sago.

One way to see if it is preparing to flush is to take pictures of the center of the caudex a few days apart.  If the spiky cataphylls are moving around then it is working on new leaves inside.  If it is static then it is not working on a flush.  That isn't always a problem, it could just be rooting in and not have enough starch reserves to flush.

[Tracy]

3 hours ago, RoboSky said:

I’m just not sure what they are supposed to look like?

Here is an example of a perfectly healthy Cycas taitungensis, a close relative to the Cycas revoluta.  You can see that the rigid cataphylls like yours has.  This species tends to be a little more fuzzy than C revoluta however it makes the point as to why no one has expressed concern that yours looks anything but normal at this point.

[Merlyn]

I looked at the first photos again, I would guess that this plant had recently flushed, maybe not long before you bought it.  The newest set are still held fairly vertical, meaning they are reasonably new.  It looks like it is holding 3 ranks of leaves, and the oldest (the lowest set) are the only ones yellowing.  That's pretty normal, cycads and palms will "eat" the oldest fronds for nutrients.  Going into summer I'd expect that lowest rank of leaves to continue to yellow.  The fact that it's keeping 3 ranks of fronds is a good sign for overall health.  I'd leave the oldest fronds on there until they are fully yellowed and dessicated.

As far as root rot goes, keep in mind that cycads have corraloid roots that use nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria.  If those are healthy then the cycad is getting nutrients even if there are no leaves.  So be cautious about fungicides and antibiotics.  They might help kill off phytophthora or other rot fungi, but might also kill off the helpful cyanobacteria.

[PalmatierMeg]

What you have is a cycad, not a palm. They look similar but are not related. Cycads are coning plants dating back 300 million years and more closely related to pine trees. Palms are flowering plants going back 70+ mya. Here in FL, many sagos are afflicted with Asian scale so we must stay on the lookout for that. I eventually lost all my sagos to scale and won't replace them. There are better cycad species to grow. But you may not have a scale issue in Cali

[Jim in Los Altos]

This Sago is in soggy soil year round. I’d drains pretty well but always very wet nonetheless. Potted specimens need more frequent watering and feeding. If the soil mix in your planter area drains well, it will be very difficult to overwater. In hot blazing sun, it’s going to appreciate frequent thorough waterings. Feed your Sago a time release fertilizer every three months, spring, summer, autumn. 

Edited June 4, 2022 by Jim in Los Altos