Well, what will you do with next year's crop, and the one after that? Why not let this one be what it is (eventually today's smaller leaves will be balanced by more large ones), and get a smaller one to start out, and work on bonsai-ing it from the beginning. Though it's not as easy as some others, but do give it lots of light right off the bat and see if it helps.

So you're saying that each successive crop is going to be even larger than the previous year's? Or just that each new batch from now on will be about the length of the leaves that just came, rather than the original leaves from when I got the plant?

I don't know if the original batch were just immature (and then not allowed to grow longer by being confined in a bonsai pot), but sagos, if left in ideal conditions (e.g. planted in the ground in the right climate) become really huge, so if you want to keep it small (and succeeding leaves) you need to keep it in a smallish pot, keep the roots trimmed as with any bonsai, and make sure it gets a lot of strong sun (a.m. preferred) which will help to keep leaves smaller. I wouldn't cut the original ones, just keep an eye on the new ones (they shouldn't get as long as the ones you're worried about - and if you want to cut those, it's up to you). The thing is, only a couple of leaves grow annually, so you have to be extremely patient, and decide carefully about cutting anything (they could always be cut at some future time after all).

Okay, thank you so much, this has really helped me out! I think I'll probably just leave the plant the way it is, and see if I can get used to it for the time being, then see how I feel about it in more like 6 months :)

If it never really seems to fit though, and I were to decided to cut them off, I would have to cut the roots down at that same time, right? I've read that you're supposed to trim them both equally, but also that you should only remove at most about 1/3 of the roots. So how many would be appropriate to remove, being as I would be cutting the leaves down by more than half?

No don't cut roots just hoping to match top growth. In the first place, you'd need a huge amount of experience to know which were the right ones (or not) as it does matter (you can cut 3/4 of them, but if you don't get the right ones, you've wasted your time), plus sagos don't like you fussing with their roots any more than absolutely necessary, plus it's somewhat of a myth that you must always match top growth and roots every time. Obviously a great discrepancy needs addressing, but many plants have tiny root growth and a large head of foliage with no trouble at all.

I have a sago growing in my room right now. Each successive leaf will be bigger. If it only had a small amount of leaves, this change will be extremely noticeable. As the more leaves form, older leaves may fall. I believe that I read once 34 leaves exactly have formed, the sago palm will begin to form a trunk. Thankfully, because sago is eaten as a form of starch (the inside of the trunk), it is considered a food crop and therefore there is a lot of information on it online.

Does anyone know the cold zone for a sago bonsai palm tree? Mine stopped blooming for now and I thought if I put it outside it might get a jumpstart on new growth. (I did this last year when it was growing and it grew even more but it was warmer.) Problem is it's still in the 50's in NYC. Is it still too cold?

Hi, I wouldn't put anything tropical out now. It's quite possible that on any given night up until May the temperature at some point could drop to 40, and a frost form on plants, and unless they have only unopened buds (never mind being tropical), they could easily be killed. Plus I'm not sure why you think suddenly shocking your indoor tree by going outdoors in the cold now will jumpstart anything.

you can trim excess leaves but don't remove all of them or it will take a longer time to grow more leaves. Wait until the new leaves start growing out. When they are a few inches out it will be a spike of many leaves. Cut all older leaves and place out in the sun. the new leaves will be shorter. the reason each progressive group of leaves grow longer is it takes more for them to grow into the sun trying to get past the old leaves. when the leaves start to open the length is set, and you can move to a less sunny location. Slightly trim the roots to keep in a small pot. This will keep the trunk from getting to fat. These grow so slow you don't need to transplant often. Don't overwater. Like a cactus the store plenty of water in the trunk so the soil should dry out slightly between watering..

Sago's can be highly variable based on their surroundings and planting conditions. The Sago you described is usually a Pup that is under potted to give it a Bonsai feel. In the shade the leaves will tend to yellow and elongate. With full sun the leaves will not increase in size as fast, but a healthy sago in full sun will eventually start throwing larger leaves. In the photo I posted this very large Sago is under potted in a 40 gallon. It has been in there for over a year. The leaves are just starting to increase in size and will gradually get bigger.

In the example pictured here we potted up a Sago pup much like the one you purchased at the super market. It is difficult to keep the leaves small but I have seen it done.

Here is an example of a Zamia which is another Cycad much like Sago's. These grow to a smaller stature so it might be a little easier just click on the link. Zamia Bonsai