A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2003 Sago Palm

If I can't find palm fertilizer (I am in Canada) so what should I use? I read I need magnesium and manganese supplements as well. I understand people use epsom salts for magnesium, but in what strength? Would I mix it with the other fertilizer? Also I don't have a clue about manganese...

Despite their popular name, Sago palms are not actually palms. They are in the Cycad family and are more closely related to conifers than to palms.

Why does this matter? Because the fertilizer information you have is related to palms, not Cycads.

Sago palms are very slow growers and use correspondingly little nutrients. They can do just fine without any supplements. If you do fertilize, do it only if it has been in the same pot of soil for at least a year and is healthy. Then use any standard complete fertilizer at quarter strength.

Thanks for the advice. The sago has sprouted new leaves and I have been turning it daily to help keep the "fronds" growing evenly, as it recieves directional lighting from a single window. I even gently (very) shifted a few of the stems before they could "set" when they were mishapen slightly. The stems are set almost to the tips now, and the needles are unfurling at the base. I heard these are slow growers, but these leaves sprouted over night and are only a week old at the stage they are at now! I guess they grow fast in small increments. What an interesting little plant...