The Cycas revoluta is a palm fern and is also called the False sago palm. This palm fern also grows particularly well in our climate, despite its very slow growth.
In Africa, people eat the inner part of the trunk, from which Sago flour is extracted via a specific procedure, because the Sago flour (starch) that comes from the trunk cavity is not edible and poisonous.
The maximum height that a Cycas revoluta can reach is 3 meters and this takes a very long time. This palm fern will probably outlive you and become more than 100 years old.
The leaves are pinnate and hard, they can grow to 25 cm long and the petioles 1.50 meters. Young Cycas revoluta plants should be in half shade, older plants can be in the sun.
Cut off the dead leaf stalks 2 cm from the trunk and only then when they have mainly turned brown.
It can be placed on a terrace from mid-May to October and then it should spend the winter in a frost-free, cool place despite its reasonable winter hardiness.
The Cycas revoluta can also be brought indoors in the winter.
Overwinter indoors as a precaution that the roots of the plant will freeze to death. If the Cycas revoluta is now in a large container, the chance of the roots freezing is zero and certainly not if the container is wrapped with, for example, insulation foil.
Cycas revolutas have been seen in the open ground, but one should use well-drained soil and in a sheltered place.
In the wild, cycasses can withstand fairly low temperatures down to -0ºC. However, in those climates, the winters are drier than ours. Therefore, advice is to keep it as a container plant and overwinter it in a frost-free space.
Overwinter it in a large container, for example in an unheated garage or under a roof. The full soil of the palm should not be soaking wet and the roots will not survive prolonged exposure to wet soil.
If in the full soil, heat it in the winter and wrap the plant with climate cloth. The soil should therefore be well drained and slightly moist (just not dry out). It is a very easy plant to keep and it also does well indoors or in the office.
Winter hardiness zone 10a (+0ºC).
