Cordyline fruticosa: care | Gardening On

How do you take care of the Cordyline fruticosa? This is a plant with beautiful leaves, green, pink or reddish depending on the variety or cultivar, and with equally beautiful flowers. So it looks great anywhere you want to put it, but it is important that your needs are knownsince only in this way will you know how to prevent it from having problems.

And it is that, for example, irrigation is essential, but if it is not done well, and/or if the soil it has is so compact that it retains moisture for too long, its roots will literally drown. So here is a care guide Cordyline fruticosa.

Is it an indoor or outdoor plant?

Our protagonist is a tropical plant, native to the warm regions of Southeast Asia, therefore, it can’t stand frost, so winter is cold in our area, we’ll have to bring it indoors, otherwise it wouldn’t survive. But beware: this does not mean that it has to be kept indoors all year round; in fact, if you have a patio, balcony or terrace where there is a lot of light but not direct sun, we can have it there during all the months in which temperatures remain between a minimum of 10ºC and a maximum of 35ºC.

And it is not a plant that must be kept outside throughout the year. You can live very well inside a houseprovided it is placed in a room with plenty of natural light.

Should it be in a pot or can it be in the ground?

The answer to this question will depend on what we have discussed above: if it is going to be at home, obviously it will be necessary to have it in a pot; but if it’s outside, will it have to be on the ground? Well, you don’t have to. Although it is a plant that can measure about 4 meters in height, in a pot it cannot grow as much. (unless we plant it in one with a diameter of 80 centimeters or more).

However if you have a garden, you can plant it in it as long as temperatures are high throughout the year. Now, if you live in an area where the climate is temperate, you can also do it but without removing the pot. Thus, when the weather cools, it will be relatively easy for you to remove it and put it in the house.

What type of soil do you need?

It is a plant that requires light soils, rich in nutrients and, above all, that do not retain water for too long; that is, that they do not stay wet for a long time. For this reason, it is important that, if it is going to be planted in the ground, we make sure beforehand that the soil is good, and that it absorbs water quickly; in the event that it has poor drainage, we will have to dig a hole of about 100 x 100 centimeters, cover its sides except the base with shading mesh, then pour a layer of about 30 or 40 centimeters of clay (for sale here!), and finally finish filling it with universal substrate of a well-known brand, such as Flower that you can buy here! for example.

If, on the other hand, we are going to keep it in a pot, we will plant it in one with a universal culture substrate. In addition, it is important that the container has holes, and that it is about 7 centimeters wider and higher than the one it has at the moment.

When should it be transplanted?

The Cordyline fruticosa should be transplanted in spring. It is a plant that does not resist cold, so whether we are going to plant it in the garden or change its pot in autumn or winter, we will run the risk of it suffering damage. In addition, it is very important that it is not removed from the pot if it has not yet rooted well in it; that is, if we still do not see that the roots come out of the holes.

How should the irrigation be? Cordyline fruticosa?

It is a species of tropical origin, which lives in areas where rains are frequent. For this reason, the worst thing we can do is neglect to water itespecially in summer. But you have to be careful, and do not water if rains are expected in the next few days, as an excess of water would be dangerous.

So during the hot and dry months, we will proceed to water our cordiline several times a weekbut how many exactly? This will depend on the weather conditions in our area, because if, for example, the temperatures are very high and it does not rain, the land dries quickly, so we will have to water more often than if we are in an area where it rains frequently. In winter, or indoors, it will be necessary to water much less than if we have the plant outside, since it stays moist for longer.

As a guideline, it is generally recommended to water every 3 days during the summer season, and less the rest of the year. Yes indeed, you have to water the landpouring water until soaked.

Do you have to pay it?

Yes, it’s okay to do it. It is a way to make it grow well, and to keep it beautiful. Therefore, we will fertilize it from mid-spring to the end of summer with an ecological fertilizer, liquid if possible, such as this, since it has a faster efficiency.

But yes, you have to use it as indicated on the package; otherwise, and as they say in Spain, the remedy will be worse than the disease. And it is that an excess of fertilizer could leave us without Cordyline fruticosasince it would burn the roots.

How to play the Cordyline fruticosa?

If you want to get a free copy, the fastest way to achieve this is to reproduce it by stem cuttings in spring. To do this, cut a piece of about 10 centimeters long that has leaves, and plant it in a pot with universal culture substrate.

In order for it to take root better, it is advisable to impregnate the base with rooting hormones before introducing it into the soil, but this is not really necessary. Then, it is watered and the pot is placed in a place where there is a lot of light, but not direct. If all goes well, you should have a new rooted plant in about two weeks.

Another way is sowing its seedsalso in spring. The way to do this is to place no more than two in a pot that measures about 8 centimeters in diameter, and bury them only a little. Next, it is watered and the container is taken to a place with indirect light. From then on, you have to water from time to time, so that the soil always remains moist, but not waterlogged. They will germinate in a week or two, although they can take up to two months.

The Cordyline fruticosa It’s easy to take care of, you’ll see.