How to Propagate Cordylines (Ti plants)

I definitely do have the addictive mentality when it comes to plants!
Scott - I'm game - and I can always blame you for being the cause of my newest addiction, right ? ?

 

You should make them join your cordyline club first!

 

LOL I will take the blame this time.

 

Info found: There are approximately 20 species of Cordyline, which are in the agave family, Agaveaceae. Cordyline was formerly in the lily family, Liliaceae, and earlier, it was even classified as Dracaena. Cordyline terminalis is now obsolete and a invalid name, the correct name is now Cordyline fruticosa.

 

Wow that sucks. I don't like the name fruticosa. I liked terminalis just fine... so do all the growers because they still label it that way!

 

Angela, Now that you have posted pics in the other thread on Ti raised from seed, I have a few questions. I have in the past just thrown the berries onto the ground and covered with a little soil. I have germinated a few plants this way. You have had great success with your seeds and need to know your secret. Do you only plant the seed in pots? If planting seed in pots do you cover the pots with plastic? Are you using any special potting mix? What moisture level do you maintain for the potting soil? Do you use any type of bottom heat? What is a timeline for seed germination? Scott

 

I must admit that I am a bit lazy when it comes to growing tis from seed. It's not that I'm good at sprouting them, they are pretty easy and my success has to do with the shear number of seeds I plant. The challenge is keeping them alive. I had over 30 seeds from the lemon lime and only about 8 of them survived. Those seedlings I really tried to keep alive but I had problems with pests and mold. But most other times, I would collect so many seeds and I didn't want to have a ton of pots so I would plant a lot of seeds per pot. Then I would have so many sprout I was almost hoping a lot would dampen off because I didn't want to be potting a hundred ti plants. I just let the weaklings die because I figured why nurse a bunch of weaklings when you have 15 strong healthy plants?
I use the potting mix that was posted in #5. Premier Pro-Mix BX supposedly professional grade. I don't know much about it... it's Dean's usual stuff that he uses. I don't cover the pots with plastic, I just dust the seeds with soil and after I water them, the seeds usually end up sitting on top of the soil and I don't bother doing anything about it. Dean built me a table for my pots (we have a lot of slugs here) and they are just sitting outside in the elements.... rain and nightly dew. No heat no special treatment except for keeping the soil moist.

 

In other words I'm saying it's just dumb luck.

Here's some shots of my little table! Most of those sprouts are pigtail anthuriums!
I'm trying to get a little more serious about sprout stuff from seed and not so lazy!

 

I've never had a white one survive... not enough photosynthesis I suppose.

 

As far as a time line I have never paid much attention. I planted some seed on the 9th and I'll let you know when they sprout. As far as timeline for a decent sized plant from seed you can check out the monster cordyline thread, post #18 and then post #46. It is the same plant (the dark red one off to the far left). It was about a foot high. It took a year and 3 mos. to grow that big.
It was a half inch tall in 3/08 and now it is 5ft. tall.

 

Here's my recent babies.

 

When I collected ti berries and would take out the seed, I used to get upset when the round seed would split into half or even more parts, I thought they broke! But I realized later that all the parts in would break into were individual seeds... like they mutated.

 

I changed the water today on these cuttings and the white roots are already seen along the stem. Must be the hot and humid conditions that are the norm for a FL summer.

 

PUTU - what is the heart-shaped leaf in the bottom of one of your photos ?

 

If I guessed which photo correctly, it is a sweet potato leaf.

 

Neat - thanks!

 

I like to make pie with them.... the pie turns out purple.

 

Found another way to try germinating Ti seed. "Place Ti seeds between two layers of wet paper towels and soak untill they split and start to germinate. With this method of germination, Ti will normally sprout within a week or two, so you will need to keep the paper towells wet until the seeds split. Place germinated seed in a well draining cactus mix 1/4' deep and cover lightly. I have a few seed left and will try this method.

 

Got the seeds- thank you very much!!! I've used the paper towel method, and it works wonders! Thanks again!!!

 

Paper towel method now underway.

 

Progress..

 

Placed this cutting in pot on Sat. Roots were about 2" long in 2 weeks.

 

The paper towel method worked as the seed have sprouted little roots.

 

Update on the seeds collected and planted in the last month. The seeds have sprouted above the soil line in the last week.

 

An update! I found it is better to cut the logs in small pieces rather than long pieces. You get more plants that way.

 

It is better to propagate logs horizontally than stand them up IMO, the ones I had in the jar of water didn't do nearly as well.

 

I have found that the standing logs root better in soil. I will get into that with moe detail with pics this weekend. I have not had the best of luck with horizonal rooting in water. But standing a top cutting with leaves rooted within a week in water. I am happy to report I have a few Ti plants now coming into flower that have not flowered before. But interesting of note the plants that flowered last year show no signs of flowering.

 

I always do top cuttings and they are the fastest because they have leaves for energy. I don't really have much luck putting logs in soil.... plus you only get one plant per log that way if you stand it up. Most locals plant logs horizontally in the ground to get a lot more tis out of it. I try to get the most plants from one ti by doing a top cutting about eight inches long and then get some logs out of the middle and leave a three inch stalk in the ground. I do that whenever I get a ti from seed with interesting characteristics.

So did you do anything different to get your tis to flower??

 

Angela, Interesting, standing the log up in soil has given me 2-3 sprouts from the logs. The horizontally planted logs have given me 1 sprout. I am guessing the flowering is a result of shorter daylight.

 

I guess what I was trying to say is if you stand a log up in soil, you will get only one plant with one or more heads on it, but if you lay down an eight inch log, you will get multiple sprouts that will be individual plants some day... I think the original log eventually rots away.

 

I think it also depends on the type of ti whether it will give you a lot of sprouts per log...

 

I am just having fun now with growing Ti's. I am very pleased with the results I have gotten so far from the seed.

 

I have always (so far) gotten 1 sprout from a horizonal log, but plant it on end I get a few sprouts. Example: Chocolate 6" log planted horizonal 1 sprout, 2" log planted on end 4 sprouts. I just do not have much luck with the horizonal water or soil methods.

 

The ti plant, also known as ti and Hawaiian good-luck-plant, is technically classified as Cordyline terminalis. There are approximately 20 species of Cordyline, which is in the agave family, Agaveaceae. As one reads some of the older horticultural books, it will be noted that the Cordyline was formerly in the lily family, Liliaceae, and earlier, it was classified as Dracaena rather than Cordyline. There are many similarities between Cordyline and Dracaena with regard to their botanical classification and cultural requirements. Cordyline terminalis, a native of east Asia and is the most popular species of the genus for indoor potted plants. Some selections of ti plant are also used extensively as cut florist greens.

 

aalina, Cordyline terminalis is now a invalid name, the correct name is now Cordyline fruiticosa.

 

The 2011 flowering season is coming.

 

I had a large horizontal log that only sprouted one sprout but if I had cut it into four smaller pieces, it would have sprouted once (or twice) per piece, therefore yielding more plants out of the same amount of inches of cutting.
BTW love your avatar Scott!!
I hate to point out people's typos... (A lot of us know what you meant Scott) but this correction is more for aalina and others who don't seem to know Cordyline terminalis is no longer used... tis are Cordyline fruticosa which is included in the tags for this thread. I only included terminalis for those who aren't familiar with the more recent classification.

 

The paper towel method has worked great on the Kiwi seed. Around 50% have germinated and are happy growing in soil now. The Kiwi seed planted in soil have shown 0% germination. The other Ti seed planted in soil have germinated and a few seedlings have 2 leaves.