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Cordyline plant losing leaves fast

quillmewZx_GkDdHquillmewZx_GkDdH Posts: 7
in Problem solving
Hi there,

My wife and I bought a house a few years ago and inherited a beautiful Cordyline plant, well it's more like a tree, very tall with 3 nice healthy trunks.

This winter was very cold in January and previous to that there was excessive rain for a few months.

One day I went outside and it has lost a lot of leaves. There was some pus coming out of the lower trunk and the trunk seemed soggy and wet. 

I came online and read that it may be slime flux, I did my best to remove the pus and then I wrapped the trunks in fleece to protect from the cold and I also mulched the soil around the plant with bank chippings and gave it some compost.

Anyway, the leaves kept dropping, I had to cut off the heads on it in a few places hoping that it would grow back this spring. I thought I had stopped the spread of whatever it was. However, the leaves are still falling , only one of the 3 trunks now has a proper head on it and I'm worried that the plant will die. Can anyone advise me what to do ?

Thanks in advance
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Posts

  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Many gardeners have had this problem this year, the advice on this recent thread should help you:

    problem Cordyline — BBC Gardeners' World Magazine (gardenersworld.com)
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    There are a lot of people losing Cordylines and also phormiums due to the cold and wet this year. 
    Sadly it does sound from your description as though yours may have had it, however you could try cutting it right down to see if that makes it re sprout from the base.

    I'm not too sure whether giving it a mulch with compost would have actually helped the situation, but l'm sure others can advise.
    Whereabouts in the UK are you ?
  • quillmewZx_GkDdHquillmewZx_GkDdH Posts: 7
    We're in West Wales, Pembrokeshire, get atrocious rain the winter here. This Cordyline is around 3m tall too, must be very old and established. When I think of all of the winters it survived until now, it's a real shame. I've pruned it quite high up at the moment and whilst the head which I removed was totally soggy and brown, when I cut around 10cm down it seemed solid. Were I to accept defeat and prune it really low to the ground , do they grow very fast ? I've got no idea about this type of plant. It's been so hardy until now, we've never had to touch it.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I lost the top of a well established Cordyline in the winter of 2010, cut it down to around 3 feet off the ground. It probably got to around 6 feet high in 2 years or so, but another cold spell finally finished off and l removed it.
    I must say that yours has done very well in Pembrokeshire, l personally think you have nothing to lose by trying it but it might not reach the same heady heights again. 
    Is there any chance of a photo please ? Bear in mind you may have to resize it if so, due to a forum glitch photos have a habit of coming out sideways if this isn't done.

  • quillmewZx_GkDdHquillmewZx_GkDdH Posts: 7

  • quillmewZx_GkDdHquillmewZx_GkDdH Posts: 7
    As you can see one of the trunks still hasn't lost it's flower but I fear it could just be a matter of time, all 3 trunks now feel soggy and wet.
  • owd potterowd potter Posts: 979
    I think you may correct, it looks terminal.
    2 of mine have suffered the same fate.
    A 4m high single stem followed and then a 3 stem 1.50m specimen.
    This was 3 weeks ago.

    This is it now. Time to find a new candidate for my spot l reckon

    I also have a multiple stem 2.50m high specimen in front garden that is beginning to look sick.
    All of these were mature plants, maybe the multi stems are the consequence of past winter dieback and regeneration, we'll see. 
    It's been a bad year for them all over.

    Just another day at the plant...
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    too cold, too wet  for too long. seems to bave been the combination they didn't like.
    Devon.
  • quillmewZx_GkDdHquillmewZx_GkDdH Posts: 7
    You all have my condolences , ours will be sorely missed. Lovely plant.
  • quillmewZx_GkDdHquillmewZx_GkDdH Posts: 7
    edited February 2023
    Does anyone know if it's possible that one of the trunks may survive? Only two have lost the heads totally.
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