Question
How often should one water and how much water is need for sago palms in Orange County  Calif area.

Second question, when is the best time to remove the pups from the mother,

Answer
Hey, Jerome.

Sago palms do quite nicely down here in San Diego with nothing but the rain that Mother and Father Nature provide, which is about 10 inches a year. However, when the hot, dry Santa Ana winds arrive, or several days of extreme heat, I do like to water mine some, like a couple of summers ago when we had ten consecutive days of 100癋 weather.

They are pretty adaptable, but keep an eye on the lower branches/fronds. If several of them start turning yellow or brown, especially if they are mushy, then you're watering them too much.

An individual one turning yellow or brown is okay; it's just an old branch that is being shed, but if you get, say, three or more at a time, beware.