The first step in planting a sago palm

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The Phoenix, Arizona area is a great place for sago palms (cycas revolutas). They can take the heat, with a little shade if possible, and they can take the cold. The only thing that they can't stand is the heavy clay soil. So the first step in planting a sago palm is to get rid of the native soil.

If you don't have access to heavy machinery, and you need to dig a sizable hole by hand, I recommend this trick - dig, fill with water, dig. You start by digging a little bit and when you hit dirt that is as hard as concrete - and you don't have to dig very far, fill the hole up with water and wait a day. Yeah, this takes a while. The clay soil must be removed from the hole, not only for the width of the roots, but to allow the plant to grow. If you can dig a nice big hole, and fill it with potting soil and volcanic pumice, the plant has a good chance to live and flourish. If the hole is small, it will probably still live, but it really won't do very good.

Sago palm waiting to move into its new home
I have taken a lot of soil out of my backyard (just ask my back!) and replaced it with potting soil. I get volcanic pumice at Baker Nursery in Phoenix, by the way. When you plant a sago palm, plant it as if it were a cactus. Give the hole plenty of material that will allow for free draining, and plant it on a bit of a hill. Never, ever plant a sago palm at the bottom of a slope. It's roots will rot and the plant will die. It may take a couple of years, but you will just see it slowly fade away.

There is an old expression, "dig a $100 hole for a $50 tree." In the case of a sago palm, especially a big one, make that a $200 hole. It will take time, but it's worth it.

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