Know anything about bonsai plants: sago palm?

I bought this cool bonsai plant about two weeks ago. when i looked it up on the internet there was a picture like the one i have called sago palm. It looks like a half planted pineapple w/ the four leaves, branches, whatever, growing out the top, the same as the pictures i've seen. BUT, there is also for other stem type things growing from the middle, that honestly, i'm finding hard to describe. o.k. maybe they sort of look like(ha ha) a back bone w/ 1/2" ribs w/ the very tip of each one curling in. Now none of the pictures i've seen have any thing like this. and the description states that this plant grows very slow. WELL, the spine looking branches growing from the middle are growing at a phenominal rate. 2 weeks ago they were about 6" tall. today they are almost two feet high! that's about an inch per day! what is this and what the heck do i do w/ it? it's actually making my plant look really silly?

Know anything about bonsai plants: sago palm?
Whoops. Don't trim that plant. The growth you are seeing is a new set of fronds unfolding. This is called a flush. It will happed once (or twice in good conditions) a year. This is how the plant grows.



This plant can't be trained by pruning. You can keep it small by letting it get and stay pot bound, but eventually it will get big and burst the pot. In their natural state these are trees which can achieve 15 or more feet in height.



While popularly called a Sago Palm, it is neither a palm nor does it produce Sago. It is a Cycad, one of the earth's most ancient plants. You probably have a Cycas revoluta or Cycas circinalis.



Sago, an important food starch, comes from a tree called Metroxlyn sagus. In its native countries, the natives infect the trees with maggots which eat the Sago and then the natives eat the maggots. Tasty, no? Have a bite.



Cycads don't like a lot of water so be sparing. They do like lots of light. Fertilize once or twice a year. Follow label instructions. Mostly leave it alone.
Reply:If your sago gets 8 feet tall like mine and begins developing multiple heads you can remove them and also the a lot of the dead brown material around the heart. The multiple heads can actually be bent and shaped but take a long time. Report It
Reply:Yes, you probably have a sago palm, however, there's not enough room here to give you good care instructions. Send me an email directly to:

wchoat@american-bonsai.com and I'll send you care instructions.

You may also want to check the Bonsai Care page of my website:

http://www.american-bonsai.com
Reply:You need to trim your bonsai tree. Trim the other growths off. Trimming keeps it at its small size. Use sharp scissors.