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Growing Cordyline: Watering, Lighting, Propagation, and Pests
Cordyline, with its dramatic, sword-like foliage and vibrant colors, is a showstopper that has captured the hearts of gardeners worldwide. From the mythical allure of the Ti plant, believed to ward off evil spirits, to the practical use of its leaves as a cabbage substitute, this genus boasts a rich history. With a diverse range of species and cultivars, cordylines offer endless possibilities for adding tropical flair to your garden or home. Whether you’re dreaming of a towering outdoor specimen or a compact houseplant, this versatile plant is sure to make a statement.
About Cordyline
Legend has it that Cordyline australis was given one of its common names, cabbage tree, by British naval explorer James Cook while visiting New Zealand (the plant’s native habitat) because he found its edible foliage to be a suitable substitute for that vegetable. Its cousin, C. fruticosa (formerly C. terminalis), aka the good luck plant or Ti plant, charmed early Polynesians into thinking that it had magical powers and that its presence could protect members of a household from evil spirits.
As the King of Tropical Foliage plant, cordyline brings majestic, exotic flair to almost any setting. With spiky, sometimes daggerlike, foliage, cordylines present distinctly different profiles; many landscape designers call them architectural plants. Among the 15 species and many more varieties, the plants bear distinctive leaf shapes, sizes, and colors: Foliage shades range from pink, red, purple, and green to orange and white, often in combinations.
The most common species among home gardeners is C. fruticosa, which in temperate zones typically winters indoors as a houseplant and summers on a porch, patio, or poolside. C. australis—aka (New Zealand) cabbage palm—is not as easy to own, being capable of maturing into a multi-trunk tree form standing 25 or more feet tall. If there is space and a means to overwinter it indoors, it can be grown in a container.
Cordylines are members of the Asparagaceae family and cousins to agave. Many cordylines produce flowers followed by berries; container plants outdoors seldom bloom, but houseplants may.
Cordyline is a broadleaf perennial winter-hardy in Zones 9 to 11; plants are treated as annuals or houseplants or overwintered indoors elsewhere.
Growing
For best color, place multicolor cordylines in dappled light; protect them from direct sun, which can burn their leaves. Green-leaf plants do best in direct sun.
Water regularly; cordylines like consistently moist soil but not “wet feet” (standing water) from spring to fall. C. fruticosa grown as a houseplant requires watering when the surface of the soil feels dry; provide enough water to cause it to flow out of the container.
Fertilize in spring, if desired, with a granular, slow-release formula or apply a balanced liquid formula at half strength weekly. Avoid fertilizing in winter.
Overwinter cordyline in a bright, sunny spot in a home or greenhouse at 60°F or higher. Reduce watering in winter. Provide humidity indoors. Consider placing the plant in a bathroom, setting it on a bed of wet pebbles, and/or misting the foliage.
If the stem becomes leggy and/or the foliage unattractive, in late winter, remove the foliage top, leaving 1 foot of bare stem. New growth will emerge.
Brown-tip foliage indoors could indicate under or overwatering, root rot (which can be fatal), excess fertilizer, too-dry air, or fluoride in the water. If the latter is suspected, use bottled and/or distilled water or rainwater.
Yellow foliage could indicate overwatering, too much sunlight, and/or drafts. To address, reduce watering and/or move the plant out of direct sunlight and away from drafts.
Jennifer Keating
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