Please help! my sago palm is dying and I don't know what else to do :(

[jucab]

Hello, everybody!

I'm writing here because I don't know what else to do to get my sago to improve his health.

This dear plant was given to me by my late father, so I am very attached to it. For a couple of years now it has not given off any new buds and little by little its leaves have been turning yellow and withering. The plant is about six years old so I thought the cause was its small pot, so two months ago I transplanted it into a new, more spacious pot.

I have also taken great care with its lighting (it receives direct sun in the morning and then indirect sun, which I have reinforced with a special UV led for plants). I have also taken care of giving it the right watering and I gave it some fertilizers to stimulate its growth (late autumn around here). Unfortunately, one by one its leaves have been withering and I only have two healthy leaves left, and I can already see that one is starting to lose its coloration so I don't know if it will last much longer

Here are some pictures of how the plant looks now. I would be very grateful for any advice to improve its condition. Thank you!

 

[Tetters]

Welcome to the forum @jucab glad you joined us Don`t panic those are pretty tough plants. Have a look at the video link ..............

 

[jucab]

Thanks a lot Tetters! I am afraid to take it out of the pot after transplanting it recently, is it okay if I do it to cut the roots?

 

[Tetters]

When you repotted your plant what did the roots look like - were they white or darker coloured, and how wet were they?

 

[jucab]

I was so nervous that I tried to do it as fast as possible so that the plant wouldn't suffer. What I remember was that they looked grey, dark so to speak. I have always been careful not to water the plant too much, now I do it by pouring plenty of water on it once every two weeks.

I used new soil in the transplant and now, watching the video you sent me (it's very good!) I bought some pumice sand to improve the drainage. It will help if I take it out of the pot, cut its roots and make the new soil mix with the sand I bought?

Another thing I've noticed is that the trunk has a white color, it looks like a fungus, but the weird thing is that the leaves don't show any sign of being infected.

 

[Tetters]

Those roots should have been nice and white, and with the grey/dark colour, and the fact that the trunk has a fungus, I`m afraid it seems like it has been overwatered, or maybe over fertilised.
If it does have root rot, I`m afraid I don`t think there is much more you can do about it, but wait until you are certain before you think of throwing it away. You can cut off any leaf that is brown, but leave the green or even yellow ones alone as they may help.
Being nervous around your plants will not help them. Take your time with them and look carefully. Very often they will tell you what they need.

 

[jucab]

Thanks a lot Tetters, you have been very helpful, tomorrow when the new soil arrives I will check the roots again and if I see that they are white I will cut them as in the video. Anyway this experience has helped me a lot to learn how to take care of these beautiful plants.