How do you take care of Cordyline fruticosa (Ti Plant)?
Discover expert tips on how to take care of Cordyline fruticosa, commonly known as Ti Plant. Learn about optimal lighting, watering, soil requirements, and common pests to ensure your Ti Plant thrives beautifully indoors or outdoors.
Welcome to your ultimate guide to the Cordyline fruticosa, which you might know as the Ti Plant! This purple plant isn’t just about vibrant colors, it's also quite easy to take care of. When you take care of your Ti Plant well, it'll add new colors and textures to your living area, where you can unwind after busy days.
Ti Plants aren't just pretty, but they also help you breathe! Their air-purifying properties filter the air (for free!). As we dive into this guide, you'll discover essential tips and tricks that will keep your Cordyline fruticosa healthy. These are all topics we're going to cover:
Let’s jump in and help your new plant shine in your home!
What is Cordyline fruticosa all about?
When we're trying to figure out how to take care of any plant, it's very helpful to learn a little more about the plant first. Where does it come from? What does it look like? Are there any varieties this guide might also apply to? Let's find out!
Natural habitat
The Cordyline fruticosa is native to a large region that includes Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, South China, Taiwan, New Guinea, and Northern Australia. It thrives in tropical and subtropical climates and is often found in the wild in these regions.
Size
The Ti Plant is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 3–5 meters (10–15 feet) tall in nature. It has thin, lance-shaped leaves that can be up to 75 cm (ca. 30 inch) long and 15 cm (ca. 6 inch wide). Its leaves can have a few different colors, including green, red, purple, and variegated forms. The plant can also grow small, scented flowers that range from yellowish to red. These flowers will turn into little berries. However, if you grow this plant as a houseplant, it's quite rare to get these fruits.
Other varieties
Cordyline fruticosa is known by many common names, including Ti Plant, Palm Lily, and Cabbage Palm. Even if you have a Ti plant, you might have a different kind of plant than the Cordyline fruticosa. Each of these varieties have unique leaf colors and patterns. These are some of the most popular varieties:
- Hawaiian Boy: Dark purple to red foliage
- Florida Red: Strap-like, dark purple or red leaves with a red-pink hue
- Candy Cane: Green foliage with cream streaks and pink margins
- Red Sister: Dark purple-pink-green leaves with hot-pink stripes
- Pink Passion: Pink-purple leaves with bold pink edges
If you have one of these varieties, you'll still be able to use this guide to help take care of your plant. All of these plants have similar plant care requirements.
Choosing a location for your plant
Now that you know a bit more about the Cordyline, you'll want to look for a good spot for your plant. This spot should have the right sunlight exposure, consistent levels of humidity, and consistent temperatures. Also, not completely irrelevant, you'll want to find a spot that is large enough for your plant to stay for (hopefully) years to come. These plants can grow quite large, so be prepared for some extra growth.
Light requirements
Cordyline likes a spot with bright, indirect light. Direct sunlight is too much for it and can scorch the leaves, which will lead to discoloration or burning. Place your plant near a window facing east or west for the best light conditions. If you don't have enough natural light, you can also give your plant a boost by using grow lights.
Temperature and humidity
Sunlight is important, but consistent temperatures and humidity are as well. The optimal temperature range for Cordyline is between 18 °C to 24 °C (65 °F and 75 °F). These plants thrive in moderate to high humidity levels (50-80%), especially during the growing season. Misting the leaves regularly or placing the pot on a pebble tray filled with water can help increase humidity around the plant. If you want to give your plant a bit extra humidity, try using a humidifier.
Growing Cordyline indoors vs. outdoors
If you live in a tropical or subtropical area, you have choices! You have the option to grow this plant indoors, but also outdoors. The warmth and humidity are perfect for this plant, so it'll thrive outdoors.
We've already covered where to place your plant indoors, so let's compare that to how to grow it outdoors:
- Choose a partially shaded location with well-draining soil.
- Protect the plant from strong winds and direct sunlight, especially during the hottest part of the day.
- Consider bringing the plant indoors during cold weather.
The goal is to give this plant a spot where conditions are as stable as possible, so by shielding it from direct sunlight and wind, it'll be happy to just exist in that spot.
Watering your Cordyline
Cordyline plants like evenly moist soil but don't like soggy soil. One part of keeping the soil is evenly moist is to select the right type of soil for your plant, but more on this in the next section.
How often to water your Cordyline
The second part of keeping your plant hydrated is to water it regularly. Since this plant doesn't like to stand in soggy soil, you'll have to regularly check if the soil is dry. You can check if the soil is dry by touching the top of the soil with your finger. If it feels dry, it's time to water your plant.
How often and how much you need to water your plant depends on factors such as temperature, humidity, and pot size. This is why it's important to check the soil regularly. However, to give you a rough estimate, you can follow these guidelines:
- Spring and summer: Water your plant around once per week, be sure to check if the soil is dry regularly to get a more accurate watering schedule.
- Fall and winter: When your plant goes dormant during the colder months of the year, water your plant once every 10-14 days. The soil will dry out more slowly during this time of year.
Signs of overwatering and underwatering
Your plant will keep looking healthy if you stick to these guidelines. But, accidents happen, so you can water it too much or too little. Let's see how you can recognize these signs:
Too much water:
- Yellowing or wilting leaves
- Soft, mushy stems
- Root rot (funky smelling soil)
Too little water:
- Dry, crispy leaves
- Drooping stems
- Slowed growth
One of the most difficult parts of recognizing the signs of watering issues is that most symptoms can mean multiple things. If you're not sure if your plant is suffering from too much or too little water, think about the last time you watered your plant. Was this more than 2 weeks ago? Your plant is too dry. Have you watered your plant within the last 5 days? Your plant is likely overwatered.
Soil and pots
In the previous section, I briefly mentioned that soil plays a big role when it comes to keeping your plant well hydrated. This is no understatement, because the right soil (and pot) can help your plant thrive, and the wrong soil and pot can make it very difficult for your plant to grow. Luckily, there are a few simple guidelines that'll help you get it right!
Soil type
As you might have guessed, this tropical, moisture loving plant loves soil that's rich in organic matter. This type of soil will provide it with enough nutrients to support its growth. The ideal soil should also be well-draining. This means it'll drain any excess moisture to the bottom of the pot quite quickly.
The ideal soil mixture is light and airy, slightly acidic (pH between 6.0 and 6.5) and can hold onto moisture for a few days without becoming water logged.
You can create your own mix for this plant by combining:
- 1 part of general potting soil
- 1 part of peat moss
- 1 part perlite or pumice
This mixture holds onto plenty of moisture for your plant, but doesn't compact too quickly and won't become water logged very quickly.
Drainage holes
As we've discovered, the perfect soil for your Cordyline helps to drain the excess moisture to the bottom of the pot quickly. But that moisture shouldn't stay in the pot, because that'll cause root rot. Instead, you'll want to use a pot with a drainage hole to remove this excess moisture from the pot.
If you're using a saucer under your pot to prevent spills, make sure to remove standing water from it after watering your plant.
Pot size
The pot should be about 2-5 cm (1-2 inches) larger on both sides than the root ball of your Cordyline. This gives your plant enough space to grow, but it won't make the pot so large that you risk overwatering your plant. A pot that much too large for your plant holds a lot more soil, which holds a lot more moisture. Your plant can't absorb this quickly enough, so your plant's roots are at risk of developing root rot.
Repotting your Cordyline
If you've take care of your Cordyline for 2-3 years, it might become time to repot it into a new pot. Every 2-3 years, your plant will have outgrown its current pot. You can see your plant has outgrown its current pot by looking at its roots. Are they growing out of the drainage hole or are the roots starting to circle along the bottom of the pot? Then, your Cordyline is ready for a new pot!
Repotting a Cordyline is quite easy and only take 6 steps:
- Choose a new pot that is 5-7 cm (2-3 inches) larger than the current pot.
- Add a base layer of fresh potting soil the bottom of the pot.
- Gently loosen the roots of the plant in its current pot and remove any dead or damaged roots.
- Place the plant in the new pot, on top of the base layer and fill in around the roots with potting mix.
- Gently firm down the soil with your fingers and water the plant thoroughly.
- Place the plant in a warm, bright location and allow it to recover for a few weeks before resuming regular watering and fertilizing.
I told you it was easy! Of course, this will become more difficult the larger the plant becomes. If you're having trouble with the size of the plant, ask someone to help you to minimize the damage to your plant, your back, and your furniture!
Fertilizing the Cordyline Fruticosa
Like most other tropical plants, your Cordyline likes to be fertilized regularly during the growing season in spring and summer. My recommended fertilizer is a water-soluable fertilizer, as you can add this to the water you use when watering your plant. It's easy to dose and very convenient to apply.
Since most fertilizers have their own instructions, I highly recommend you read the label on the fertilizer you've picked up. I'll use the instructions on my favorite fertilizer as an example. It says to apply it once per week. For me this means I can add this to the water any time I water my plants, since it likes to be watered once per week.
Overfertilizing
Don't fertilize your Cordyline in the autumn and winter when it's dormant. This fertilizer will stay behind in the pot and will slowly makes the soil too salty for your plant to stay happy. Why? Because most commercial fertilizers bind their nutrients to tiny salt crystals. When you overfertilize, or when their is too much salt in the soil, the roots of the plant will dry out and can't absorb moisture as well any more. This dries out the plant.
So what can you do when this happens? You can water your plant deeply to flush out the salts from the soil.
Pruning and maintenance
If you're looking for a low-maintenance plant, you're in luck! Cordyline plants generally don't need a lot of pruning, but you can prune them to remove dead or damaged leaves, control their size, or encourage bushier growth.
To prune Cordyline:
- Use sharp, clean pruning shears.
- Remove any dead or damaged leaves by cutting them off at the base of the stem.
- To control the size of the plant, you can trim back the stems to the desired length.
- To encourage bushier growth, pinch back the tips of the stems.
You should remove dead or damaged leaves as soon as you spot them to prevent disease and promote healthy growth.
Keeping your Cordyline clean
Besides pruning, you should also make sure to keep your Cordyline clean to keep it healthy long term. But what does that mean? It simply means, you should regularly dust your plant's leaves. Dust likes to settle on plants and if this becomes too much, it can prevent photosynthesize. Use a soft, damp cloth to gently wipe the leaves clean.
Common pests and diseases
Like most other houseplants, a Cordyline plant is, unfortunately, not immune to pests or diseases. But there is some good news, because Cordyline is relatively pest-resistant, so it's less likely you'll have to deal with pests on this plant.
But pests can still choose to get on your plant, so these are the ones to look out for:
- Mealybugs: These small, white insects feed on the sap of plants, causing leaves to turn yellow and drop.
- Scale: These small, brown or black insects attach themselves to the stems and leaves of plants, sucking out their sap.
- Spider mites: These tiny, spider-like pests spin webs on the undersides of leaves and feed on the plant's sap.
But pests aren't everything, because you might also have to deal with diseases on your plant. Let's see what a Cordyline might be susceptible to.
Preventing and Treating Diseases
Cordyline is susceptible to a few common diseases, like:
- Leaf spot: This fungal disease causes brown or black spots to appear on the leaves.
- Root rot: This fungal disease causes the roots of the plant to rot, leading to wilting and yellowing of the leaves.
Root rot is quite easy to prevent by just watering your plant correctly and leaf spot is easy to prevent by improving the air circulation around the plant.
Remedies for pests and diseases
When you've spot a pest or a disease on your plant, it's time for action! First, make sure to isolate the affect plant from the rest of your plants to prevent spreading anything. Then, you can look for natural or chemical remedies.
Natural remedies
Natural remedies are less harmful to your plants, but they're usually also less effective. Because they're less harmful, I still recommend to start with these solutions and only move to chemical solutions if you can't get rid of the pest or disease. I recommend to start with natural remedies such as:
- Neem oil: Neem oil is a natural pesticide that can be used to kill pests such as mealybugs, scale, and spider mites.
- Horticultural soap: Horticultural soap is a mild soap that can be used to kill pests and clean the leaves of plants.
- Baking soda solution: A baking soda solution can be used to prevent and treat fungal diseases such as leaf spot and botrytis.
These solutions should be enough for smaller infestations. However, if you're unsuccessful in removing the pest or disease, or it has become a big problem, you should give chemical solutions a try.
Chemical remedies
When natural remedies don't work, you can move onto the harsher stuff: chemical remedies. You will be successful with these solutions, but with great power comes great responsibility. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before and after using these solutions, protect your eyes, and don't overuse it on your plants.
These are the remedies you can try:
- Insecticides: Insecticides can be used to kill pests such as mealybugs, scale, and spider mites.
- Fungicides: Fungicides can be used to prevent and treat fungal diseases such as leaf spot, root rot, and botrytis.
It is important to follow the directions on the label carefully when using any chemical remedies, as they can be harmful to both you and the plant.
Propagation techniques
If you're ever in the mood to create new plants from the plants you already have, you should give propagation a try. Propagating a Cordyline can be done in a few ways: Cuttings, division, and air layering. Propagating them through cuttings is the most common method and has the least risk for the parent plant.
But, all of these methods can work well, so let's see how to do each of them!
Progagation through cuttings
- Take a cutting from a healthy plant. The cutting should be 4-6 inches long and have at least two or three leaves.
- Remove the leaves from the bottom inch or two of the cutting.
- Dip the end of the cutting in rooting hormone.
- Plant the cutting in a pot filled with moist potting mix.
- Keep the potting mix moist and place the pot in a warm, bright location.
- The cutting should root in 4-6 weeks.
Propagation through division
- Carefully remove the plant from its pot.
- Divide the plant into two or more sections, each with its own roots.
- Replant the divisions in individual pots filled with moist potting mix.
- Water the plants thoroughly and keep them in a warm, bright location.
In a year or 2, new offsets will grow on each plant and you can repeat this process.
Propagation through air layering
- Choose a healthy stem on the Cordyline.
- Make a small cut in the stem, about halfway through.
- Apply rooting hormone to the cut.
- Wrap the cut area with moist sphagnum moss and secure it with plastic wrap.
- Keep the sphagnum moss moist and the plastic wrap in place for 4-6 weeks.
- Once roots have formed, cut the stem below the roots and plant the new plant in a pot filled with moist potting mix.
This method is basically the same as propagation through cuttings, but you keep the cutting on the parent plant to give it enough energy to grow its own set of roots. Only after the cutting has grow its own roots, will you remove the cutting from the parent plant.
Keep in mind, all of these methods take time and you shouldn't rush this process.
Conclusion
The Ti Plant (Cordyline fruticosa) is a beautiful and easy-to-care-for plant that can add bright colors and happiness to your home or garden. By following the care tips outlined in this guide, you can keep your Ti Plant healthy and looking its best for many years to come.
To learn more about Ti Plants and other tropical plants, be sure to sign up for my newsletter and follow me on Instagram and Facebook. Thank you for reading!
Thank you for reading this post! I hope it helps you to keep your plants healthy and beautiful! If you're looking for more guides on specific plants, you can always request a plant guide to get a guide for the plant you have trouble with.
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