Cordyline protection Question

GoggleboxUK

Re: Cordline protection Question

Post by GoggleboxUK »

I'm not protecting mine because there was one about 300m as the crow flies from me that survived 2009 but was killed off in 2010.

It was about 20ft tall so I reckon that Cordys are ok round here unless we get one of those 1 in a 100 year winters and we're in credit for the next 98 years.

;)

If it does get fried I'm replacing both ofthem with large Butias even though the one on the right of the greenhouse seems to be about 3c warmer than the more exposed one on the left.
joolz68

Re: Cordline protection Question

Post by joolz68 »

Can i ask which cordylines are hardy for outside with fleece please,ive bought a baby bronze,the pink passion and also have a brown coloured one(no name soz) which cordylines are the the hardiest ? thanks julie x
shanks

Re: Cordline protection Question

Post by shanks »

joolz68 wrote:Can i ask which cordylines are hardy for outside with fleece please,ive bought a baby bronze,the pink passion and also have a brown coloured one(no name soz) which cordylines are the the hardiest ? thanks julie x
my green ones survived most winters and reached about 14 foot with no protection, lost it though to the virus that took most around the country, i cut it doen and now has 5 shoots of about 4 to 5 foot in one year, my purples never last even with fleece protection
RogerBacardy

Re: Cordline protection Question

Post by RogerBacardy »

Codfather,

get to minus 10 and you can lose the whole plant. Down to minus 5 and there should be no damage, providing it's a regular green australis we're talking about. So, I only protect if we're going to get really cold nights.

In my 13 or so years experience with growing them, the best course of action is to stop the trunk from freezing through. Lose the growing point and it will resprout from further down the trunk. Lose the trunk and it has to start from the roots (= years of growth lost).

What I do is try to slow down radiation frosts by allowing the cordylines to have the biggest heads of leaves possible (no pruning old leaves in autumn), and I tie up half the leaves with rope so that the growing point is protected, but allow the older leaves to hang down like a skirt, channeling the rising warm air to the trunk. Think of the leaves as built in insulation, the more leaves your cordyline has, the better its ability to cope with subzero nights.

As you're further north, you would probably want to wrap some fleece around the trunk too.


See in pic from Feb of this year:

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greendragon

Re: Cordline protection Question

Post by greendragon »

You do realise Cordylines get this big right? How will you fleece the trunk then? :lol:

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RogerBacardy

Re: Cordline protection Question

Post by RogerBacardy »

They only get that big in milder climates, such as New Zealand / Australia or coastal areas of Ireland, Wales and SOuth West England. To get that sort of size you're looking at over 50 - 100 years, by which time Coddy won't care!

Also, at that size, the thermal mass of the trunks is much greater, so they take longer to freeze though and don't need so much protection.
flounder

Re: Cordline protection Question

Post by flounder »

I'm sure we've had this conversation before, but heres the view from coastal sussex. Never had to protect. Minimal damage to australis with just occasional heads mushed, red star and purpurea cut to the ground in those winters but re grown from ground level. Self sown weedlings flattened by snow, but majority still going strong. Biggest problem here is picking up the leaves when they're frozen to the path
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The Codfather
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Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2010 6:02 pm
Location: Darlington, C.O. Durham

Re: Cordyline protection Question

Post by The Codfather »

Surely a thin bit of horticulture fleece around the trunk will not protect much.....
AKA - Martin

Wish list - Big Palms or Dicksonia antarctica's but open to anything really.....Cash Waiting !
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