Question Hi. I live in Slidell, La. and I have a 14 year old female sago palm that has recently, perhaps 4 -6 weeks ago, shown it's center cone. Around the same time it stopped producing leaves/fronds. It continues to hold a laver of fronds that stay green and have been green since the plant stopped producing more. It is on the other side of a 4 foot sidewalk from another sago (sex unknown) that continues to grow as vigorous as both have for 14 years. Can anything be done to return it to the vigorous plant it was just a few months ago. Thanks.
Answer Hi Larry, The Cycad you mentioned, may have what is commonly referred to as Asian Cycad Scale. It is very common unfortunately on the Sago especially. There is no known cure for this and the University of Florida is currently doing many studies on the proper treatment.
One of the products Dr. Robert Stamps is testing with is called Atomic Grow. It is a foliar spray and will dehydrate the scale immediately. Atomic Grow is a non-toxic product and works very very well on scale of all kinds. As it dehydrates the insects it loosens their ability to adhere to the plant. They can literally be washed off with a gentle pressure. At the same time Atomic Grow has a stimulating effect on the Sago and will actually increase the growth rate. I have personally used this product in many commercial landscaping applications and it is simply fascinating. It is also non selective so you can use it on your other plants as well. kathy
