We just recently got through the first full-blown heat wave of the year, followed by a mini-sized one and I can’t stress enough how glad I am that they’re both over – at least for now. While I’m dreading this summer, which is predicted to be a hot and humid one, and I really, really, really can’t stand very hot days, I’ll take that over the long, cold, snowy winters, which I’ve complained about in many previous Hydro Logs. I really, really don’t like winter with its drawn-out periods of bitter weather and gloomy days. I mean really.

But for now the winter is gone and the weather is not bad and I’m feeling pretty darn good because of it. No cold, no heat, just a perfect period where some days offer a refreshing breeze. It’s the time of year that makes you want to walk for miles, which I have been doing fairly regularly most evenings with my dear hubby. But usually not on Wednesday nights.

On those nights, we go out for a quick supper with the family and then head off to do some shopping. We’ve chosen midweek as our paper-goods-and-other-household-items shopping spree because it’s fairly quiet at the stores at that time as opposed to Thursday or Friday evenings or Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The shopping itself is just a chore but after I’ve ticked off the items on my list and placed them in the shopping cart, I claim (demand) a little time to myself and take a stroll through the section of the store that offers a small, but sometimes impressive, selection of houseplants. Generally, there are two stores that are involved in our weekly shopping outings, both of which offer a houseplant section, sometimes good, sometimes bad:

1) Home Depot. There is one store near my house that is completely unpredictable in its selection of plants from one visit to another. One week you’ll walk in and find oodles of newly-arrived, healthy and captivating plants. Two weeks later, many of those plants will still be there, with no new arrivals in sight, and everything that has yet to be sold will look like it’s been run over by a truck - twice. If nothing else, the random visits to Home Depot can be kind of fun, especially when you go there with someone else who can lead you to the greenhouse while you keep your eyes closed. Once you get there, they can yell SURPRISE, you open your eyes and - voila! – you’ll either find a heavenly assortment of plants - or death and destruction, botanical style.

2) Wal-Mart. I’m at one of these stores just about every week. Yes I know many of you don’t like this place, but I do, and I certainly don’t apologize for feeling this way. And although they don’t have the greatest selection of houseplants on a regular basis, once in awhile you hit the jackpot. For example, I have landed some great choices throughout the years such as my Adenium Obesum, most of my bromeliads and a variety of other interesting plants. Usually they offer the common, available-everywhere-all-year-round types, but now and then they bring in some original choices that aren’t very accessible, and others that - although not the most exotic - are nicer than the average available-everywhere-all-year-round types. So you can get lucky.

Anyhow, the whole point of this is that big box stores can – and do – offer some really great deals for indoor plants every so often and I personally think these places are worth a visit. Granted, the plants are not the best cared for (because the employees looking after them are not very experienced in that area) but if you know when these stores bring in new shipments – and you show up on those days – you can head home with some healthy, beautiful (and occasionally rare) specimens at amazing prices.

That’s how I brought home some lovely Cordylines, which are some of my favourite indoor plants. And I’ll admit that they’re not the most exotic or all that difficult to find, but they’re not always available and they are lovely enough to get excited about when you run across them. So I’m going to write a little about them because they’re certainly worth mentioning. And well, here goes...

Taking Care Of Cordylines

Inexperienced (and even experienced) growers often mistake Cordylines for Dracaenas, which they’re not, although the care for both is very similar. Native to Southeast Asia, Northeastern Australia, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia and parts of Polynesia, these attractive plants are also known by the common names of Ti Plant and Hawaiian Good Luck Plant. And although they’re not native to Hawaii and New Zealand, Cordylines are growing as feral weeds in those areas, having been introduced by Polynesian settlers. Or so I’ve discovered from researching. Anyhow.

The leaves of Cordylines are what give these plants their charm but in order for them to retain their vibrant shades, high light that is direct or indirect must be provided for a few hours a day. In the winter time, let your plants enjoy some direct early morning eastern or late afternoon western sun. You can even try a couple of hours of southern sun during the colder months; if your plants are happy there, great, if not, move them to another location or filter the light. During the summer season, especially on those really hot days, curtain-filtered sunlight should be fine, although you might want to move your plants a little further back from a southern window to protect against the heat and to avoid possible sunburns. In any case, these are the type of plants that will help you determine how much light to offer. If the light is too low, the colours on the leaves will not be very prominent and the plants will lose their appeal; if the light is too high, the colours will fade and the foliage will look bleached.

Cordylines are similar to quite a few Dracaenas with their watering needs: they belong to the water-juggling association that is obviously meant to drive houseplant growers mad, especially beginners. They do not like to dry out completely but they will rot easily if over-watered. Their leaves will turn brown when under-watered and sickly yellow when over-watered. The best advice I can offer, which is repetitive, is to use a fast-draining, porous soil that does not compact; this will help prevent rot, which will occur easily in a constantly waterlogged potting mix. Keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy; reduce watering in the winter but don’t let the plants dry out completely. Although it seems somewhat intimidating when it comes to watering Cordylines, if you use an airy medium, you won’t need to worry.

To put an end to water woes, convert your Cordylines to hydroculture. Conversion is fairly quick and the plants do not complain very much during the transition. Wash the roots carefully to remove all traces of soil and pot the plants in clay pellets. Water roots should appear within 1 – 2 months, sometimes as early as 2 weeks, depending on the plants and time of year. Keep the humidity levels high during this period to reduce stress – for your plant, not you!

If you want something to worry about with these plants, worry about humidity. Although Cordylines can manage fairly well with average moisture levels, they prefer a high level of ambient humidity. If the air is too dry, you can be guaranteed of two things: ugly brown tips and margins on the leaves, and spider mites. The leaves will dry to a crisp if the air is too dry and the plant will look awful. And although Cordylines are generally pest-free, the evil mites will not hesitate to move in if humidity levels plummet. So keep moisture levels reasonably high. Place your plants on a humidity tray, grow them in a room that offers higher levels of moisture naturally (like a bathroom) or add a humidifier nearby. Don’t compromise this is you can help it; your plants will be much healthier and happier if you meet this requirement. The spider mites will be less happy but we don’t care about their feelings, do we?

Do not fertilize heavily or too often. The leaves of Cordylines burn and turn crispy if overfed, or they become a sickly yellow/orange shade. Opinions differ considerably from book to book and grower to grower, but in my opinion, less is always best. Just like with Spathiphyllums, once a month – or every six weeks – from April to September with a mild fertilizer at ½ recommended strength seems to do the trick. If your plants are showing signs of being overfed, reduce fertilizer to ¼ recommended strength or feed only 3 times during the active growing season. Average household temperatures that keep you comfortable will keep your Cordylines comfortable. There is sensitivity to cold; protect plants from cold drafts and do not expose to temperatures below 13°C (55°F).



All in all, Cordylines make wonderful houseplants, although they can be a little tricky with their need for high humidity. But if you can satisfy that requirement to a reasonable level, you should have no problem at all with them. If you happen to run across a few of these lovely plants, which there aren’t that many of on the market, consider trying them out. They’re really worth an effort. And most times, they’re available in small sizes with affordable price tags attached to their pots.

From what I’ve been able to gather, there are only about 15 – 20 species of Cordylines, although I’ve only encountered 2 or 3 different types at the local greenhouses. So there aren’t that many available for indoor growing, which may be a very good thing – at least for people like me. These plants are so attractive, it would be impossible to resist bringing home one of each if I had the chance. And with limited space always being a factor, I don’t need more plants to add to my already large group, more plants to cater to. And if you love houseplants as much as I do, you know exactly what I’m talking about – resistance to beautiful plants (like the ones in the Cordyline clan) is futile. Oh yeah.

Comment On This Article:
Your Name:
Your Email:
(Your email address will not be added to a mailing list or disclosed to other parties.)