A cordyline can become several new plants from parts it already has: its leafy top, its bare trunk, and the side shoots at its base. Even a tall, bare-stemmed plant that has dropped its lower leaves is a good source rather than a lost cause. The stems already carry the starting points for roots inside them, so they root readily without special treatment, usually in two to three months.1Assiut Journal of Agricultural Sciences. Does Anatomical Structure of Stem Cuttings Affect Root Formation The commonest failure is not a cutting that refuses to root but one that rots from too much wet and too much depth.
Which Method to Choose
Cuttings are the easiest way to propagate cordylines.2Plantura. Cordyline: species, care & propagation – Plantura Tip cuttings, stem-section cuttings from thicker stems, and rooted suckers from the base are all standard methods.3RHS. How to grow cordyline / RHS Growing Guide A leggy plant can give one tip cutting plus several cane pieces from the same stem. Plants grown this way are identical to the parent and keep its leaf colour and pattern.4Elsevier / Scientia Horticulturae. Induction of somatic embryogenesis and biochemical characterization of Cordyline australis (G. Forst.) Endl. ‘Red Star’ callus
Let the plant in front of you decide. One with a healthy leafy crown on a long bare trunk suits a tip cutting plus cane pieces. One with shoots crowding at soil level suits division of suckers. A plant with only a short stem and one crown is best left alone, or just tip-cut.
How to Root a Tip Cutting
Take tip cuttings 10–15 cm (4–6 in) long from the shoot tips.5RHS. How to grow cordyline / RHS Growing Guide If you are cutting from a tall plant, leave at least a few inches of bare stem below the lowest leaf.6Bosquelle Editors. Propagate Cordyline – Cane or Ti Log Then remove all the leaves apart from the tuft at the top.7RHS. How to grow cordyline / RHS Growing Guide The stump usually sprouts one or more new leafy shoots from buds along the stem, so leave some stem with nodes on it. Keep the parent in its usual light and water it a little less while it has no leaves. Garden plants cut back in spring recover faster than those cut late in the year.
Use a sharp, clean knife or pruners so the stem is not crushed, and wipe the blade with alcohol between plants to avoid spreading rot. A straight cut just below a node gives a firm base to stand in the mix. If the stem is very sappy, let it sit for an hour so the cut surface dries before planting.
Plant the leafy top vertically.8Bosquelle Editors. Propagate Cordyline – Cane or Ti Log Use a 1:1 mix of sand and soil, or a well-drained peat-free cuttings compost.9Plantura. Cordyline: species, care & propagation – Plantura Insert only the bare stem and keep the leaves above the surface. Kept moist at 18–21 °C, tip cuttings root in about eight to twelve weeks.10Plantura. Cordyline: species, care & propagation – Plantura
A clear plastic bag or upturned bottle over the pot holds in moisture. Open it every few days to let air in and stop mould. Give bright light but not hot direct sun, which scorches the leaves.
Many people root ti tips in a jar of water instead, and roots do form. Change the water every few days to keep it fresh. Move the cutting to mix once the roots are a few centimetres long, because water roots adjust to soil slowly.
To check for rooting, wait several weeks and then give a gentle tug; resistance is the most reliable sign. New growth from the centre of the tuft is a good sign too, though a cutting can sit unchanged for weeks and still be forming roots. Don’t dig it up to look, since each disturbance tears young roots and sets things back.
How to Grow New Plants From Bare Cane Pieces
Choose firm, plump cane that is clearly alive, not shrivelled, soft or discoloured. Cut it while the plant is actively growing, so the pieces have the energy to produce buds. Use a clean knife or saw and make each cut straight across so pieces sit steadily.
Cut the cane into short sections roughly 5–10 cm long.11Brancho. How to Grow Cordyline Plants in Australia Each piece needs at least one node, the ring where a leaf once sat,12Bosquelle Editors. Propagate Cordyline – Cane or Ti Log because new shoots grow from buds at the nodes. Mark the top end of each piece with a pen or nail polish, since upright pieces must go in the right way up.13Bosquelle Editors. Propagate Cordyline – Cane or Ti Log A marked piece like this is often sold as a ti log.14Bosquelle Editors. Propagate Cordyline – Cane or Ti Log
Nodes show as pale rings or scars around the cane. Buds are small bumps just above the rings, sometimes pinkish.
You can lay pieces horizontally and cover only part of the cane, or push them upright leaving part above the surface.15Brancho. How to Grow Cordyline Plants in Australia Set horizontal pieces with the growth bud just visible at the surface.16RHS. How to grow cordyline / RHS Growing Guide A horizontal piece can sprout several buds along its length, which you can later divide, while an upright piece usually gives one new plant.17Bosquelle Editors. Propagate Cordyline – Cane or Ti Log Kept moist, roots and leaves develop within two to three months.18Plantura. Cordyline: species, care & propagation – Plantura
For the first weeks nothing visible happens, which is normal. A swelling bud breaking into a pointed shoot is the first sign. A shoot does not mean roots yet, so wait until a gentle tug meets resistance. A piece that turns soft or smells has rotted and should be thrown out.
To separate shoots from a horizontal piece, wait until each has its own leaves and roots. Cut the cane between shoots with a clean knife, then pot each section separately at the same depth it grew.
How to Divide Suckers From the Base
Many cordylines put up suckers, side shoots from the base of the plant. In spring, sever rooted suckers from the base and pot them up individually.19RHS. How to grow cordyline / RHS Growing Guide If a sucker has only a few roots, treat it as a tip cutting.20RHS. How to grow cordyline / RHS Growing Guide Strip it to its top tuft and give it the same moist, warm conditions.
Pick suckers of a decent size with their own small leaves, rather than tiny buds barely showing at the soil. One with visible roots of its own is the best candidate and will usually grow on without a pause. Leave smaller ones attached for another season so they can build roots and strength.
A sucker comes up from the base or from roots near the soil, whereas a branch grows from higher up the stem. A shoot that comes off the main stem above soil level can be taken as a tip-type cutting, but it will not have roots. Check where the shoot joins before you cut, so you know whether you are dividing or taking a cutting.
Water the day before so roots come out without tearing. Scrape soil away from the base to see where the sucker joins, then cut close to the parent with a sharp spade or knife. For a potted plant, tip the whole thing out to see the join clearly.
Pot each division into a container only a little bigger than its root ball. Keep it out of strong sun for a couple of weeks while it settles. Some leaf droop at first is normal and passes as roots grow.
Timing, Temperature and Rooting Hormone
Take cuttings during the summer months for the best chance of rooting.21Plantura. Cordyline: species, care & propagation – Plantura Suckers and young plants are best started from April to June.22RHS. How to grow cordyline / RHS Growing Guide Warmth and long days speed root growth. A summer cutting also has time to establish before the cold, dim months, while late-season ones can still root indoors but usually take longer and rot more easily in cool, damp conditions.
In Australia and New Zealand, summer falls around December to February. Indoor plants in a warm room can be propagated almost any time of year. Cuttings in a cool room in winter may take far longer than three months.
Cordyline cuttings root readily without special rooting treatments.23Assiut Journal of Agricultural Sciences. Does Anatomical Structure of Stem Cuttings Affect Root Formation In one trial, hormone-treated cuttings rooted 97–100% of the time against about 93% untreated.24Assiut Journal of Agricultural Sciences. Does Anatomical Structure of Stem Cuttings Affect Root Formation Hormone adds only a small edge, so it is worth using only if you already have it. If you do use it, dip only the moist base of the cutting and tap off the excess, since a thick coat does not help.
Why Cuttings Rot or Brown and How to Prevent It
Young cordylines must not be set too deep.25Combined Proceedings International Plant Propagators’ Society. Experiences of Cordyline australis Production at Hewton Nursery In warm, humid conditions, buried stem tissue rots off.26Combined Proceedings International Plant Propagators’ Society. Experiences of Cordyline australis Production at Hewton Nursery A bacterial disease can also make stems and leaves wet and slimy and cause cuttings to rot; discard infected plants rather than trying to save them.27Penn State Extension. Cordyline (Ti Plant) Diseases Plant only as deep as needed to hold the cutting upright, in free-draining mix.
For a tip cutting, that usually means burying a modest length of bare stem and leaving every leaf clear of the mix. A cane piece laid flat should keep its top surface and bud exposed rather than buried.
The mix should feel like a wrung-out sponge, never soggy. Water from below or lightly, empty any saucer, and use pots with drainage holes. Under a cover, constant dripping condensation means it is too wet. A mix with plenty of sand or grit lets water drain through rather than collecting around the stem. Heavy garden soil on its own stays wet too long, and fresh mix is better than reused mix, which can carry rot-causing organisms from a previous plant.
Rotting stems go soft, dark and slimy and may smell. A few lower leaves yellowing on a tip cutting is normal. Firm cane with an unchanged colour is still alive even if nothing shows.
Brown leaves have a different cause. Some ti plants, such as ‘Baby Doll’, are among the most fluoride-sensitive plants grown,28Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society. Influence of Fluoride on Foliar Necrosis of Cordyline terminalis cv Baby Doll During Propagation and fluoride as low as 0.25 parts per million can cause brown dead patches on leaves during propagation.29Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society. Influence of Fluoride on Foliar Necrosis of Cordyline terminalis cv Baby Doll During Propagation Tap water with added fluoride can brown sensitive cuttings, so rainwater or distilled water is safer.
Potting On Your Rooted Cuttings
Once roots appear at the drainage holes, steady new leaves grow from the centre, or the cutting resists a gentle tug, it is ready to pot on. Pot up young plants individually in well-drained, peat-free compost,30RHS. How to grow cordyline / RHS Growing Guide set at their base and no deeper.31Combined Proceedings International Plant Propagators’ Society. Experiences of Cordyline australis Production at Hewton Nursery
Choose a pot with drainage holes that is only slightly bigger than the root ball, since too much extra compost stays wet. A peat-free potting compost with some grit or perlite mixed in drains freely. A heavier pot is more stable once the leaves grow tall and top-heavy.
Water the cutting’s pot lightly beforehand so the root ball holds together. Ease the plant out holding the root ball, not the stem, and loosen the roots a little only if they are tightly wound. Set it in the new pot at the same depth it was growing, fill around it with compost and firm gently.
Cordyline australis can go in the garden in mild areas once well rooted. Harden it off over one to two weeks, starting in shade for a few hours. Ti plants dislike frost and stay indoors in cold climates. Feed lightly once new growth is strong, not right after potting.