Homemade Fertilizer for Sago Palm [Complete Guide]

In reality, Sago Palms are not exactly palms but are cycads. Cycads are an age-old variety of ferny plants. Cycads require the same fertilizer as palm trees to remain green and healthy.

Sago Palms are tropical and evergreen with feathery leaves that are dark green. Despite being a Cycandaceae family member, Sago Palms leaves strongly resemble palm fronds.

These leaves are produced through offsets called pups. Pups usually develop along the Sago Palm’s base. Before the arrival of spring, you can extract these pups and plant them. Two to three after planting, the pups will develop roots.

Both fully grown Sago Palms and pups benefit from good fertilization and soil conditions. Sago Palms and pups that have not received adequate fertilization develop rather anemic-looking leaves.

Homemade fertilizer for Sago Palm is a great idea to ensure your Sago Palm remains well-nourished.

About Palm Trees

Usually, palm trees require adequate fertilization to grow well. If proper nourishment is not provided, they can develop nutritional deficiencies. When growing palm trees at home, you need to determine how much nutrition the plant needs.

Feeding synthetic fertilizers is not always the best option; you can also easily make your fertilizer at home. Homemade fertilizers can be made of basic ingredients you can find at home.

A healthy diet of both nutrients and micro-nutrients for palm trees to prosper. Since indoor palm trees are grown in soils that mostly lack nutrition, such as sand, fertilizing them is vital.

It’s important to use fertilizers that contain iron, nitrogen, manganese, potassium, and magnesium.

Creating fertilizers at home for Sago Palms is not very complicated. Sago Palms absorb nutrients most when grown in a little acidic, thoroughly drained, rich soil. The ideal pH balance should be between 5.5 and 6.5.

The palm can develop magnesium or manganese deficiencies if not grown in these conditions.

In a Magnesium deficiency, older leaves start turning yellow. In a Manganese deficiency, younger leaves turn yellow and start shriveling.

It’s also vital to remember not to lay lawn fertilizers too near Sago Palms. These fertilizers can imbalance the Palms’ nutritional levels. To prevent this, give lawn fertilizer at least thirty feet away from the Palm. Or you can give palm fertilizer to the entire area.

Read: Sago Palm Leaves Curling

Feeding Sago Palms

Homemade fertilizer for Sago Palm should be provided throughout the growing season. It should be provided in even, spaced-out intervals between April to September.

It’s best to feed your Sago Palm thrice a year. It’s a good idea to fertilize it at the beginning of April, June, and August.

If your Sago Palm has recently been planted, avoid feeding it. This plant will be too stressed out and won’t have an appetite. Wait until the plant is established in 2 or 3 months and shows new growth. Then you can try to fertilize it.

The Right Fertilizer for Sago Palms

It’s best to choose a slow-release fertilizer for your Sago Palm, like 12-4-12-4. The first and third numbers should be close or the same. The first and third numbers indicate potassium and nitrogen. The mixture should also contain micronutrients such as manganese.

Homemade Fertilizer for Sago Palm

Organic Fertilizers

You can easily create organic fertilizer for your Sago Palm at home. Feeding your Sago Palm fertilizer has many benefits. Organic fertilizer neutralizes soil that is too alkaline. It also gives lost-lasting nutrients to your Sago Palm and the pups.

You can also maintain the soil’s moisture level and temperature by adding compost material and rotted manure to the plant. Adding mulch and other organic products, such as leaf mold or bark, also helps.

Adding organic materials helps the soil produce microorganisms, which boosts healthy growth.

Don’t add fresh manure, as that can cause damage to the coralloid root. It will also stop the plant’s ability to absorb nitrogen.

Slow-Release Fertilizers

Slow-release fertilizers for Sago Palms give the plant consistency.

Blood and bone meals are good options when making fertilizer at home. They decompose gradually, providing the plant with stead nutrition.

If purchasing a slow-release commercial fertilizer, choose one with nitrogen levels between eighteen and twenty-five.

Apply slow-release fertilizers once or twice a year to your Sago Palm. This will feed your plant consistently and make it healthy.

Applying this fertilizer during the spring when temperatures touch 70 degrees F is best. You can reapply a second time later in the year if needed.

Also, make sure not to overfeed your Sago Palm or the pups. Overfeeding can kill the plant quickly.

Ability to Self- Fertilize

The Sago Palm also has the qualities to survive naturally. It doesn’t do this by naturally producing nitrogen.

These plants have a coralloid root system; their roots resemble corals. They contain algae that derive nitrogen from the air for the plant.

In their natural habitat, Sago Palms are cycads that grow slowly. This is because nitrogen is the only source of nutrition they have.

When growing Sago palms indoors, adding organic materials or more nitrogen can boost the plant’s growth. It also contributes to lush green leaves.

Ph Levels

Sago Palms require minimal fertilization when planted in the right soil conditions. This should include ample nitrogen.

The best pH level soil for this plant is slightly acidic. This should be around 5.0 to 7.0 pH. This is also the type of soil required for the plant to convert nitrogen and self-fertilize.

If this plant is grown in soil that is high in salt and alkaline, it will grow slowly. Tap water is also relatively alkaline. That’s why adding a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer is recommended to boost the Sago Palms and pups’ growth.

Growing the Sago Palm

Growing the Sago Palm is possible in the United States in hardiness zones 8 to 10. This includes many southern states in the US, such as Arizona, Texas, and California.

This Palm grows well in both sun and shade and requires adequate drainage so it doesn’t rot. It is also said that once the Sago Palm matures, it becomes drought resistant. However, it does require watering when young.

You can avoid damage to the Sago Palm through the following steps.

• Remove any diseased or damaged fronds by cutting near the trunk.
• If any surrounding plants use this Palm for support, prune or remove them.

Homemade Fertilizer for Sago Palm Recipes

Want to create a slow-release fertilizer at home for your Sago Palm? You can use these easy recipes to do so:

Kelp and Bone Meal Fertilizer

You will need the following:

• Five cups of seed meal
• one cup of dolomite lime
• one cup of bone meal
• one cup of kelp meal
• one cup of used tea leaves

This organic mixture can be prepared in various portions for up to two years. Mix all the ingredients for half an hour to an hour. You can also add some black coffee

 to prevent the mixture from drying out.

Your Sago Palm will receive phosphorous, nitrogen, and potash through these ingredients. Through this homemade fertilizer, you can save up on money and make a positive impact on the environment. Your Sago Palm will also become healthy and grow well.

Vegetable and Eggshell Fertilizer

You can easily use kitchen leftovers for this recipe. The mixture will require the following:

• Leftover, wet leafy greens
• one-liter water
• One tablespoon of Epsom Salt
• Eggshells

Put all these ingredients in a gardening bowl and mix well. Keep mixing for thirty minutes.

We are using Epsom Salt instead of regular salt because it contains Sulfate and Magnesium. Eggshells contain potassium and calcium, which is excellent.

You can also add some milk to the mixture if you want. Your Sago Palm will receive more proteins that help create nitrogen through milk.

This easy-to-prepare mixture is rich and inexpensive. It also provides excellent enrichment to your plant hence no need to purchase commercial fertilizers.

Fertilizer from Organic Kitchen Waste

You can easily create fertilizer for your Sago Palm using kitchen waste. As long as the ingredients contain essential minerals, they can be used.

Soybean meal or cottonseed meal can be used to increase levels of nitrogen in the soil.

Other organic waste products such as kelp, whole grains, and leftover leafy greens can be used. If you have orange peels, feel free to use them, too, as they are rich in iron.

Mix all these ingredients and let the mixture be for an hour.

Concluding Thoughts

As discussed above, you can easily create organic fertilizer for your Sago Palm at home. There is no need to purchase commercial fertilizers when organic kitchen leftovers can do a great job.

These fertilizers are also great for the environment. They provide your Sago Palm with all the vital nutrients and enrichment.

Slow-release fertilizers work well with Sago Palms as they provide them with stead enrichment. You can apply slow-release fertilizers once or twice a year.

This provides enough nutrients. Overfeeding your Sago Palm can lead to death, so it’s best to provide as required.

Read more:

• Parlor Palm vs. Majesty Palm
• Sago Palm Leaves Drooping
• Why Is My Sago Palm Dying? (And How Can I Save It?)