How to care for sago palm (Cycas revoluta)

Cycas revoluta · Japanese sago palm, King sago palm

Sago palm (Cycas revoluta) — a very slow-growing, palm-like evergreen cycad (not a true palm) with a short trunk and a rosette of stiff, shiny, deep-green feathery leaves up to 1.5 m long; RHS gives 1–1.5 m in height and indoor plants stay smaller. It makes cones, not flowers. Sago palm needs partial shade. Water it about every 10 days while it grows and about every 21 days in the winter rest.

Checked against sources: November 5, 2026

Watering and repotting sago palm through the year

It lives indoors all year, so it has no sowing or planting dates: it grows from March to September and rests from October to February (the other way round in the southern hemisphere).

Repot it about every 36 months.

When to plant sago palm?

Plant or repot sago palm in spring, as it starts into growth; early to midsummer also works. It is a houseplant, so it has no outdoor planting date and no frost decides it: just avoid autumn and winter, when growth slows and fresh compost stays wet too long. After that, move it to a slightly larger pot about every three years, or sooner once roots circle the pot or grow through the drainage holes.

Watering in the growing and resting halves of the year: Watering and repotting sago palm through the year.

Sources: RHS: How to repot a plant · Penn State Extension: Repotting houseplants

Quick facts

Type	Houseplant
Latin name	Cycas revoluta
Family	Cycadaceae
Also called	Japanese sago palm, King sago palm
Light	Partial shade
Frost	does not tolerate frost
Repotting	every 36 months
Grown in	At home

Sago palm care by growth stage

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 10 days	—	—
Winter rest	every 21 days	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Bright but indirect light, for example 4 to 6 hours of filtered sun a day indoors; hot, harsh sun damages the leaves.

Soil

Moist but well-drained soil, slightly acid to neutral; RHS suggests loam-based compost with extra leaf mould and grit.

Care

Water moderately in the growing season and sparingly the rest of the year; it is drought tolerant once established but cannot stand overwatering or poor drainage. Moderate humidity suits it. No pruning is needed beyond cutting off dead fronds, and suckers that form at the base can be used to make new plants. Frost damages the leaves, and under glass it may get glasshouse red spider mite. Repot only every few years. Every part is poisonous; the ASPCA lists it as toxic to cats, dogs and horses (vomiting, liver damage, possible death).

Pests and diseases of Sago palm

1 problem is recorded for sago palm; it has a page with symptoms, treatment and prevention.

Pests

Two-spotted spider mite

Plant lists it is in

Part of: Houseplants · Houseplants you rarely repot

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.