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Cordyline crown frost damage

ashleymch89ycEcfQV3ashleymch89ycEcfQV3 Posts: 3
in Plants
Hi, my large Cordyline has suffered frost damage on the top branches to the crown. It appears completely brown in the centre and has some mold growing now? What would be my best options to help it out? Even though they are still green are these branches completely done for now? 

Posts

  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    If you are brave, and well-protected, just tidy it up and wait.  It may recover.

    The youngest leaves are the most sensitive.  With luck the growing point will be OK.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited January 2023
    Do wear some safety goggles or similar.  🥽

    Welcome to the forum @ashleymch89ycEcfQV3 :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • ashleymch89ycEcfQV3ashleymch89ycEcfQV3 Posts: 3
    Thanks I’m hoping so with the others leaves appearing healthy still. Should I remove all the ones that are brown? Or leave them and see if new growth appears eventually?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    If you can safely reach it @ashleymch89ycEcfQV3, you should be able to snip those out. The rest looks fine, so hopefully it'll all be fine, unless you get another bad spell of weather.

    As @Dovefromabove says, just take care with your eyes as they can be sharp. We don't want you coming back asking how to repair injuries to yourself instead of the Cordyline!
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited January 2023
    ashleymch89ycEcfQV3 said:
    Should I remove all the ones that are brown? 

     It's up to you, aesthetics, tidiness, how COD you are, how easy it is.  I'm a tidyer (tidier?).  If nothing else it stops you looking at a problem for 6m+.

     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    If you can reach them, it's worth doing @ashleymch89ycEcfQV3.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ashleymch89ycEcfQV3ashleymch89ycEcfQV3 Posts: 3
    Thanks for the help I will give it a go when the weather clears up later. Just wish I had tried more tie them up if I had known this would of happened but the leaves were hard to get up and together.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It's not always necessary to do it @ashleymch89ycEcfQV3 [the tying up] because in most years they'd be fine, as long as you're in a suitable part of the country for them to do well.  :)
    There's been quite a few threads recently about them, but even if the top dies off, they often come back from lower down, if they're well established plants. 
    It's very wet conditions that tend to see them off - wet cold is far worse than dry cold, even fairly keen low temps - ie below minus 8 or 9 and beyond  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    The green ones are normally more cold hardy than the coloured varieties and the local red ones have the same damage, whereas the greens don't seem effected. 

    In the past the local ones have died down to the base but I'm curious to know if they regrow the growth tips when it's just those that get frosted? Does anyone know or will it encourage new growth from the trunk?
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