How to Propagate Cordylines (Ti plants)

I will be moving this one to a deeper pot.

 

Congratulations Scott, on your great success.

 

Dean, For me the results are looking really good and I think the seaweed soak will become normal. I have started to also feed the in ground plants and potted seedlings with liquid seaweed and noticing some good results with it. More on that as time moves on.

 

Thanks Ken. I harvested fresh seed of Toucan today.

 

Here is a seedling from the self sown Xerox that I found in the middle of the group. I need to pot this one up I think.

 

Here is another from the same Xerox group that I like.

 

here's my fastest log! it started getting bumps all over, so I used the horizontal method in the end

 

Looking really good, keep us posted on its progress.

 

I would love some seeds please. X

 

I should have a few seed (no seed from Kiwi this year) ready soon that I will be happy to send you. PM me your address and I will mail them when ready.

 

These berries look very healthy. I hope there is a lot of seed per berry.

 

Your Xerox seedlings show a lot of promise. They are definitely keepers.

 

Ken, My mistake as they are Hawaiian Boy seedlings. I will be working this weekend to thin out the tightly packed plants in the group. As I look beneath the taller plants I see more smaller plants that show promise but need there space.

 

Started to remove the seed from the berries today. The berries on the most part have contained 6-9 seed found a couple with 12.

 

That sounds like a good number of seeds. Is that the average number you've seen from other berries in previous years?

 

Ken, On a average from others in the past I would say the berries contain 2-6 seed. I removed seed yesterday from 2 McInery's Spear berries and one contained 2 seed the other 5.

 

Here is the nice colored ripe berries of McInery's Spear.

 

Dean, I have seen it a few times in our wet season. I have a few plants from the Sensation Ti Plant that started that way.

 

Dean, did you ever have any of your ti plants in California set berries?

 

Update= The first signs of sprouts were noticed this past weekend. Checked on the two different seed experiments daily. As of today water soaked seeds show 8 little plantlets in the pot/ seaweed water soaked seed nothing.

 

I'm wondering if the seaweed water has more effect than plain water if the seeds are old? Fresh seeds probably don't need anything to stimulate them into germination. Just moisture will do.

 

I will always use the seaweed moss baggie in the future. I have started about 2 dozen logs this way and have had 100% success. A few of them I have tried in the past a few times without success. This one I was worried about but it made it and now potted up.

 

Would brushing pollen between flowering plants, misting the flower stalks, and bagging them to increase humidity, increase chances of berry formation in our dry climate? Maybe I'll give it a try.

 

The newly rooted cane looks quite healthy.

 

Do you guys see lots of flowering on your Ti plants? I have yet to understand what throws them into flowering. In the past I have had them start as early as late July and as late as early November. No two years have been the same. For a interesting read visit this University of Florida site ( edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep447 ). It talks about using gibberellic acid to induce flowering in the Ti as well as other tropical plants.

 

all Ti logs are still active and potted up now - here's the two most exciting ones:

They are growing fast now !

 

Here the ti plants only seem to flower in Feb./Mar. which is during our cool season. I've never had any set seed . Perhaps using gibberellic acid to get them to flower during warmer periods might make them set seed. On a brighter note, one of our club members says he has berries on his Haleakala. He posted the following picture.

 

There is neighbor a mile or so away that has a lot of green ti growing in front of their house. It's been there many years. I also have quite a few of the common green ti. They are all doing OK. I did have a cane die to the soil line last year, but a new one came up and is getting some size on it. Did your green ti die all at once, or was it one cane at a time? There seems to be something here that causes cane death. It can happen at any time of the year, but is more prominent in the cooler months. Often times new canes will spring up from the roots, while other times the whole plant will end up completely dead. If you know anything about this and how to treat it, let me know.

 

I have not tried to grow or have I ever seen the green Ti here in Fl. I have a couple from seed that are close to all green but they do show color on leaf stems

 

Here is a little tidbit of advice: Do not try to root logs in water upside down, it will not work.

 

I think we've all done that before. With some canes it's hard to know the difference . With those I just place them horizontally when rooting.