Advice about my Cordyline ?

Abraham

In that horrid weather we were having back in January, I tied up the leaves of my Cordylines because they were taking such a battering with the leaves absolutely flattened and hanging down miserably. So I gathered them up bunch -o'-flowers style and put a band around them to give them strength and prevent them from getting any more blowing about.
But I seem to have made a bad mistake because the leaves rotted away and fell off at the point where they grow out of the top of the stump and now all I have is a little row of stumps with nary a leaf in sight.

Will they grow again or should I just dump them and head for my friendly neighbourhood garden centre and start all over again ? They were 6 years old, a beautiful burgundy shade and I had done so well with them year on year.
Can someone with more gardening savvy than I plainly have give me a little guidance, Pl ?
TIA.

johno2

Abraham wrote: »

In that horrid weather we were having back in January, I tied up the leaves of my Cordylines because they were taking such a battering with the leaves absolutely flattened and hanging down miserably. So I gathered them up bunch -o'-flowers style and put a band around them to give them strength and prevent them from getting any more blowing about.

Sell them quickly while they're still worth €1,000,000s. Sorry, I couldn't resist. The frost probably killed them. It happened all over the country. Give them another 2 months to recover, and if they don't replace them with something.

johno

Rancid

I've only lost my red cordyline, they're not as hardy as the green.
My 5 green ones seem to be none the worse for all the snow, frost and low temps and they range in age from 2 years to 20 or more, in fact some of them have grown from fallen seeds.

I don't expect my red one to recover, it's in exactly the state you describe yours as being in, I'm going to put it aside, give it 6 or 8 weeks and compost it if it shows no life signs.

pops

It's the same with my red cordyline. Had it about 8 years and it was doing really well. I've already chucked it on the compost heap. Planning to replace it with something more hardy.

goat2

Abraham wrote: »

In that horrid weather we were having back in January, I tied up the leaves of my Cordylines because they were taking such a battering with the leaves absolutely flattened and hanging down miserably. So I gathered them up bunch -o'-flowers style and put a band around them to give them strength and prevent them from getting any more blowing about.
But I seem to have made a bad mistake because the leaves rotted away and fell off at the point where they grow out of the top of the stump and now all I have is a little row of stumps with nary a leaf in sight.

Will they grow again or should I just dump them and head for my friendly neighbourhood garden centre and start all over again ? They were 6 years old, a beautiful burgundy shade and I had done so well with them year on year.
Can someone with more gardening savvy than I plainly have give me a little guidance, Pl ?
TIA.

i have cordyline, and because they got too big i cut them back to within two feet of the ground, that was two years ago, you should see them now they are beautiful, they sprouted new growth out of the sides all around the trunk and they are so full and healthy right now, but cut back now, as they will start budding out the sides of the trunk in the next 6 weeks for you, feed them well after cutting down and you will injoy the fruits of your labour, but cut now and feed right away

Abraham

goat2 wrote: »

i have cordyline, and because they got too big i cut them back to within two feet of the ground, that was two years ago, you should see them now they are beautiful, they sprouted new growth out of the sides all around the trunk and they are so full and healthy right now, but cut back now, as they will start budding out the sides of the trunk in the next 6 weeks for you, feed them well after cutting down and you will injoy the fruits of your labour, but cut now and feed right away

Thanks to all for obs and advice esp Goat2......that's the spot-on advice I was seeking.
Will try that and hope it works. Sounds like it will.
If that sheepfarmer on the side of Bluestack Mountain in Donegal is right (and he was about the harsh Winter !!!)about the late but great Spring then maybe my Cordyline salvation will happen.
Hope so.

Joe Public

Cordylines look lovely but I wish all owners would collect up the large leaves from the footpaths and roads when they fall. I'm not suggesting people here don't clean them up but a lot of owners do not.

casey junior

Joe Public wrote: »

Cordylines look lovely but I wish all owners would collect up the large leaves from the footpaths and roads when they fall. I'm not suggesting people here don't clean them up but a lot of owners do not.

And from next door's garden as well :rolleyes:

Torres 78

We have a palm tree out our front garden, about 5 yrs old. There are no new leaves growing up, only a big lump of wet rot on top.

i cut them back to within two feet of the ground,

How is this done? Just saw straight across trunk??

Thanks,

Kev.

goat2

Torres 78 wrote: »

We have a palm tree out our front garden, about 5 yrs old. There are no new leaves growing up, only a big lump of wet rot on top.



How is this done? Just saw straight across trunk??

Thanks,

Kev.

yes just saw across
feed well and keep fed in the first season, as this will give you alot of new buds, and it will look far healtier, mine are huge now with about 16 to 20 new shoots which turned into fantastic branching

johno2

I finally got around to dealing with a frost-bitten cordyline this year. From what I saw up close, every branch less than 3 inches thick was killed. I cut them all back to a good solid section. I'm hoping the rest of it will be okay, It looks healthy enough anyway.

johno

Abraham

Now about the damage to my Cordylines and about which I wrote here last April.
The net result is this : 6 Red Cordylines.....all killed off permanently by the frost and wind battering received last winter. But I am happy to agree with Rancid that the green Cordylines are a hardier breed. I had two of them and they were subjected to exactly the same hardship as the Reds last winter and they are now flourishing. So it's Green Cordylines for me for the future.

Skrynesaver

Cordyline have deep roots, as a result even if you see no shoots this year it may come back from the base next year.

If any of the wood has become spongy cut that off as it may provide a site for infection to the plant. Then wait for a couple of months (end of summer), and if there is no sign of shoots, cut it to the base.

A slightly angled clean cut is best, avoid allowing water to pool on a flat cut.

Hope that helps

Rancid

Two of my oldest and tallest green Cordylines, 20 years old and about 16 ft in height lost some of their topmost growth but both have put out 5 or 6 new shoots from further down the trunk. Definitely very much alive just a bit stunted by those weeks of freezing temps we had.

The 2 and 3 year old cordylines grown from seed are in pots around the garden and are thriving, showing no sign of damage whatsoever.

Abraham

Rancid wrote: »

Two of my oldest and tallest green Cordylines, 20 years old and about 16 ft in height lost some of their topmost growth but both have put out 5 or 6 new shoots from further down the trunk. Definitely very much alive just a bit stunted by those weeks of freezing temps we had.

The 2 and 3 year old cordylines grown from seed are in pots around the garden and are thriving, showing no sign of damage whatsoever.

Rancid. Could I trouble you for a little elaboration on the technique for growing Cordyline from seeds ? Tks if you can enlighten.

Rancid

Abraham wrote: »

Rancid. Could I trouble you for a little elaboration on the technique for growing Cordyline from seeds ? Tks if you can enlighten.

Well... one of mine is planted at the edge of a paved area and after it flowers, the fruits it produces attract the birds and a lot of the little seeds are scattered on the ground and germinate in the gaps between the paving slabs.
The following April or May I carefully pinch out the little seedlings when the ground is nice and wet, they are easy to pull out without doing any damage to the tiny roots. Then I just pot them up and watch them grow!

Now, I've tried many times to take the seeds and pot them myself and wait for them to germinate (in plant pots) and for whatever reason I've had little success.

Abraham

Rancid wrote: »

Well... one of mine is planted at the edge of a paved area and after it flowers, the fruits it produces attract the birds and a lot of the little seeds are scattered on the ground and germinate in the gaps between the paving slabs.
The following April or May I carefully pinch out the little seedlings when the ground is nice and wet, they are easy to pull out without doing any damage to the tiny roots. Then I just pot them up and watch them grow!

Now, I've tried many times to take the seeds and pot them myself and wait for them to germinate (in plant pots) and for whatever reason I've had little success.

So far, so good. That does help a lot.
Now my Cordyline survivors are growing in tubs nut I have never noticed seedling but maybe I wasn't paying enough attention. Will do better now, I'm sure.
What do the seedlings look like when they first push up some shoots ?
aka....how will I know them ?
TIA.