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Cordyline Australis bare stem?

Claire.RClaire.R Posts: 16
in Problem solving
Advice needed please.
My Cordyline is in the ground and has been doing well over the the last few years.
i have multiple stems from the trunk, however, until recently one has lost all its leaves and shows no sign of new growth.
what do I do with this stem growing out of the trunk?

Advice much appreciated 👍🏻
Claire

Posts

  • DevonianDevonian Posts: 176
    It will probably grow new leaves but might take a while. They are incredibly tough plants. If you don't want to wait, just saw it off (you'll need a D saw or similar as the fibrous trunks are pretty robust!). It'll repair itself no problem!
  • Claire.RClaire.R Posts: 16
    Thank you 😊 
    I would prefer to wait if there is the possibility that new growth will return to that branch.
    If not, I will saw off. Just was not sure if it was advisable to do so.

  • UpNorthUpNorth Posts: 376
    Hi Claire, yes the above advice is sound, i am a member of a few 'exotic/jungly' gardening groups on FB and Cordyline feature heavily and every comment i see talks about how tough they are, and yes they do resprout from hard cut back.   i guess the question is why did that trunk become bare.....and for that i don't have answers.
  • granmagranma Posts: 1,933
    During the big freeze quite  a few years ago now all my phormiums and cordylines were reduced to mush.  Very disheartening I cleared them away..  
    I couldn't believe  my eyes when the following spring they all started revitalizing. Where I only had the one I now had seven  new growths around the one original.
    They were left  mainly out of curiosity to establish naturally as they wanted.
    I now have an interesting collection from the one original..it makes a great hiding place for our grandkids games.
    I just remove the brown dieback leaves . .each separate seedling is growing strongly with each one flowering too.

    I have tried to get a photo  from the inside but the scrappy leaves  don't allow much light inside.! 

    So in answer to your question,yours might be asking for a natural dieback and regrowth.
      
  • Claire.RClaire.R Posts: 16
    That is amazing 😉 
    life finds a way ❤️
    I have lots of multiple branches coming off the main trunk. It only seems to be the one branch off that has lost all its leaves with no new shoots.
    My Cordyline is about 10ft in height now.

    I’m hoping it will continue to repair itself - fingers crossed 🤞🏼 
  • granmagranma Posts: 1,933
    Meant to add if you decide to saw it off and do this at ground leval you might end up as I did (seven coming from the same one your cutting down .) Interesting to see what happens?

  • Claire.RClaire.R Posts: 16
    granma said:
    Meant to add if you decide to saw it off and do this at ground leval you might end up as I did (seven coming from the same one your cutting down .) Interesting to see what happens?

    Hopefully I won’t have to go to that extreme though... as it’s quite tall with multiple stems and doing well aside from the lowest small branch that has lost its leaves.
    Time will tell.
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