How to care for Cordyline fruticosa? Fertilize lightly, avoid heavy feeding, loosen the soil and repot on a regular schedule
SummarySoil: Cordyline fruticosa needs a loose, fertile growing medium. Water: in spring and autumn water about once every 4 days; in summer it can be watered daily. Light: it likes direct sunlight, but in summer it needs appropriate shade. Temperature: the suitable growing temperature is 20-28°C, and the wintering temperature must not be lower than 8°C. Fertilizer: apply liquid fertilizer about once every half month; do not use concentrated fertilizer or raw manure. Pests and diseases: actively prevent and control leaf spot, anthracnose and so on. Precautions: loosen the soil every month, and repot every April.
The Cordyline fruticosa plant is short and stout in shape, and its stem is upright. Young Cordyline fruticosa trees are generally only about 90cm tall, and their leaves are sword-shaped, growing densely at the ends of the branches. When young, the color is bright green, and when mature, the color turns bright red or purplish red, bronze, creamy white, pink, looking colorful and very beautiful.
1. Soil
Cordyline fruticosa has very high requirements for soil; it must be a growing medium that is loose and fertile, well drained and aerated, and high in organic matter. Generally, garden soil, leaf mold, decomposed organic fertilizer and river sand are chosen and mixed in a ratio of 5:3:1:1. If soil-free cultivation is used, a substrate of perlite, vermiculite and peat soil thoroughly mixed can also be chosen.
2. Water
Cordyline fruticosa loves a warm and humid environment, and the growing soil must also maintain a certain degree of moisture. You can water from the top of the plant downward, which can keep the soil moist and also increase the humidity in the air, creating a suitable growing environment for Cordyline fruticosa. In spring and autumn, water about once every 4 days, while in summer water once every 1-2 days, and you can spray water on the leaves multiple times.
3. Light
Cordyline fruticosa can tolerate shade and also likes warm sunlight. You can place Cordyline fruticosa on a windowsill where the sunlight is not too strong, so that it can fully absorb sunlight and will not have its leaves sunburned and eventually dried and yellowed by strong light. In summer, shade it appropriately; a light level of 40%-50% is most suitable.
4. Temperature
The most suitable growing temperature for Cordyline fruticosa is 20°C-28°C. In summer, if the temperature is higher than 32°C, or in winter if the temperature is lower than 15°C, Cordyline fruticosa will enter a dormant or semi-dormant state. Therefore, in summer Cordyline fruticosa should be given appropriate shade, and when the temperature is low in winter Cordyline fruticosa should be moved indoors for cultivation, but note that the indoor temperature must not be lower than 8°C.
5. Fertilizer management
For better growth, Cordyline fruticosa should be given a small amount of sprayed fertilizer during the growing season. Generally, liquid fertilizer is applied about once every half month. Concentrated fertilizer and raw manure must not be used, as this will cause fertilizer burn to the roots.
6. Pests and diseases
At the seedling stage, Cordyline fruticosa may develop leaf spot and anthracnose, which in severe cases can directly cause the leaves to become dead leaves, and the growth of Cordyline fruticosa seedlings will also be affected. You can spray with a 70% mancozeb wettable powder or a 50% thiophanate-methyl 600-800 times solution, spraying once every 7-10 days, for 3-4 consecutive sprays, which can effectively prevent and control it.
If Cordyline fruticosa develops leaf discoloration, withering, or even shedding, and in severe cases causes the plant to die, then red spider mites are likely sucking the sap. You can spray with a 20% dicofol emulsion diluted with 800-1000 times water, or with a 50% dichlorvos emulsion diluted with 1000-1500 times water, spraying once every week, for 3-4 consecutive sprays, which can effectively kill and control the occurrence of red spider mites.
7. Precautions
To make Cordyline fruticosa grow better, loosen the soil once every month so that its roots can always remain in a good state of aeration. If water accumulation is found in the pot, it must be drained immediately. After the potting soil dries, repot and change the soil. Since Cordyline fruticosa is a small plant for household potting, it must be repotted once every year in early April when it is put outside, so as to meet Cordyline fruticosa's demand for soil fertility during the year.
Potted Cordyline fruticosa should not be allowed to grow very tall, so in spring when new shoots emerge, watering should be controlled, and it is enough to keep the potting soil moist.