Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta)

Taking the seeds from the adult plant itself----Does THAT prevent all those little plants from spouting out at the bottom of the plant???????
hcdauphinet@cox-internet.com

CDauphinet. I believe that the sago palm has offshoots from its tuber which grows into new little sago palms at the base of the plant. It also can be propagated from seed. If the sago palm has bloomed and the seeds matured, some may sprout and grow into baby sagos. So pick the seeds up from the ground (or from the seed "basket") if you do not want any more to grow in that area. The little plants that have sprouted from the tuber may be removed by cutting them away from the mother plant's tuber. Thanks for asking and I hope I was of some help. :o)

htop, you seem to have some knowledge about the sago palm seeds. I have collected a few and would like to propagate them. Which ones do I start with: the dried ones on the ground or the red ones in the "nest"? Any additional information would be appreciated.

put the seeds in a bucket of water after 48 hours theb ones that did not sink and are floating are no good

A friend once sent me Sago Palm 'seed' from Florida. I still have a Sago as a houseplant... about a foot tall. It is not a rambunctious grower. There is new growth (flush) once a year, i.e. mine has one or two leaves..... and I am a patient sort. Yes, I planted the nuts sideways, half in in the soil, and waited a while for them to germinate.

rqballer, the seeds slowly develop during the summer and turn from yellow to bright orangey pink, red or whatever color one can think of to describe them in the winter. The ones I photographed were brightly colored at the end of October; however, they were not ready to gather yet. The dried ones on the ground are probably not any good. You need to harvest the reddish ones from the "nest" (isn't it really s fascinating object?) . Harvesting of Sago seeds in South Texas starts about mid-February and extends into early March. The seeds are ready to be taken from the mother plant when they are walnut-sized and easily pulled. . The "good" seeds are only viable for about 3 months. They must be soakrd for at least 48 hours. As phicks states, the ones that float will not germinate. Usually, if they are not walnut sized, they will not germinate either. Change the water everyday. After the soaking period, peel off the outside skin and make sure all of the residue is cleaned from them. It is best to wear gloves when cleaning them unless you want stained hands. They should now be an ivory/white color. Next, permit the seeds to dry out for a couple of days. Then, plant them.

Below are 4 links that provide information about the Sagos and may prove to be helpful to you.:

Concise info:
http://www.rhapisgardens.com/sagos/

More info and steps to follow to grow them from seeds:
http://www.rhapisgardens.com/sagos/sagoseed.htm

Growing Sagos from pups:
http://www.rhapisgardens.com/sagos/sagopups.htm

A Texas site which provides general info and discusses seed collecting, germination and propagating pups
http://www.texasriviera.com/gthumbs2/sagoimagepage2.html

aguy1947, how long did your seeds take to germinate?