Advice - How to root cordyline cuttings.

[darran]

One of my cordylines (my favourite of course) Southern Splendour is not looking too happy. It seems that somehow the main stem has become damaged, and as a result the top of the plant is unstable.

I know that at somepoint it is likely to break off, and I dont think using a stake for support will help in the longterm.

What I am thinking of doing is cutting the top of the cordyline off, removing some of the foliage, and then potting it up in a moisture retentive yet free draining soil. I will then pop it into the greenhouse for the winter.

Has anyone got any advice or experience of taking cuttings from Cordylines? Are there any special requirements?

I will also keep the base of the plant as I do know that cordylines can reshoot from the base and also along the trunk.....You never know, I might end up with a couple of them (but knowing my luck )

[kentgardener]

I will also keep the base of the plant as I do know that cordylines can reshoot from the base and also along the trunk.....You never know, I might end up with a couple of them (but knowing my luck )

Hi Darran

I had a red star die after I moved it a few year ago. I kept meaning to dig out the base but left it in situe to remind me that I wanted one in that position. A few months into the Summer and there was a little ring of about 12 baby ones . If I had left them in place they would be a little grove and look great by now. Unfortunately I thought at the time I would pot them all up and give them away..... everyone of them died in its nursery pot!

John

[Dave Brown]

Darran,

I have found the green australis remarkably resilient. Seedlings several months old, ripped out of the ground as grass weeds she was quite unrepentant Then just shoved in coffe cups of clay and they survived. Anyway that is not the answer in this case. Cordylines have the capability to root anywhere down the trunk, so if you wanted you could cut the trunk into 3 inch sections and plant them as Ti Logs. If you are to cut the top off I would also remove all but a couple of leaves, don't be tempted to think the thing will root with 50 leaves to make a quick plant I think you would also need some heat to get the root sgrowing, a prop or heat mat.

[Adrian]

I have rooted huge lumps of Cordyline, I just poked them in a big pot of compost and tucked them away at the back of a border, new roots arrived in a very short time.
No heat, no additional watering and no pampering at all.

I pulled away a few of the bottom leaves and left the rest up above.

One cutting I have here turned into 12 suckers, another just grew from the main point and another two I gave away to Mark and Bodders ang I think they were growing from the main point too.

[Adrian]

Just to add... John P turned up at the PC after an EPS Kew meet with a sack full of his prunings for me, not for one minute did I expect them to root and only potted them up because John was good enough to bring them down for me.
How wrong was I....again .

[Dave Brown]

Ade, did yours root over the winter? or was it a summer thing? I suggested heat if they are to root now. Wouldn't bother with heat in summer.

[Adrian]

Mine would have been early spring time so not cold but not overly warm, I cant remember fully as it was spring of last year.
Maybe a good idea to give bottom heat to small cuttings but big stuff Id just treat as hardwood cuttings, donk em in mud and forget them
The spring or summer would definately be the better times to take these cuttings though.

[Palmer]

If ever in my job as a landscape gardener we had to dig up and move a large cordyline we would have to retain as much of the tape root as possible, it rarely worked because the tape root goes a long way down, the cordayline would survive with a damaged tape root but we would have to anchored it to the ground for the rest of its life otherwise the wind would blow it over, I wonder if cuttings produce a tape root like seed grown cordylines, if they don’t they would remain week and susceptible to the wind. You get the same problem with eucalyptus if their tape root is damaged.

[MarkD]

What a shame to hear Darran Only a few months ago you made a post on your Southern Splendour and how it has done well for you. I'd still give this a try though.

Good timing as well as I uprooted an australis with a two foot and half trunk, as well as our Cordyline 'Ty Tawhiti'. All of them became rocky and unstable too, and is bound to fall off anytime as well so I've removed.

On inspection only one side of the bottom trunk had roots coming out from it instead of symmetrical from the centre. There's no soft areas but maybe some sort of rotting has happened on the base before.

I'll try to reroot all of them, in the hope that they'll be saved, especially the ty tawhiti.

[darran]

Thank You for the tips so far.....

I have not got anything to lose as the plant has become unstable at the point of damage and I think with a strong gust of wind the trunk will snap.

It is still in the pot so I will leave the base as it it and pot up the top, both of which will go into the greenhouse for the winter.