How to grow Cordyline fruticosa? Cultivation methods and precautions for the foliage plant Cordyline fruticosa
Cordyline fruticosa, also known as Zhu Zhu, Tieliancao, Hongtieshu and so on, is an erect shrub of the genus Cordyline in the family Agavaceae, distributed in the tropical regions of southern China and used for garden cultivation. It has a beautiful plant form and gorgeous, elegant colors. As a potted plant it is suitable for indoor decoration, embellishing living rooms and windowsills, elegant and distinctive, with good ornamental value. Now let us take a look at the cultivation methods and precautions for Cordyline fruticosa!
Growth habits of Cordyline fruticosa
The place of origin of Cordyline fruticosa is unknown, and it is now widely cultivated in the warm regions of Asia. It likes a hot and humid climate and is a semi-shade plant; it can neither endure the scorching sun of northern regions, nor does it do well in fully shaded places where the leaves easily turn yellow. It is not cold-tolerant, and except in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and other places, it is only suitable for potted ornamental display in greenhouses. It requires acidic soil rich in humus and with good drainage, and dislikes alkaline soil; when planted in alkaline soil the leaves easily turn yellow and new leaves lose their color. It is not drought-tolerant.
Propagation methods of Cordyline fruticosa
1. Cuttings: In April to May, cut off the top of the branch of Cordyline fruticosa and plant it horizontally or upright in sandy soil. Under conditions of 25-30°C it can root in about 1 month, and when the shoot reaches 10 cm in height it can be transplanted into a pot.
2. Sowing: The seeds of Cordyline fruticosa mature in September. The seeds are relatively large, and are commonly sown by the spot-sowing method in a shallow pot. The optimum germination temperature is 24-27°C, and they germinate 2 weeks after sowing. When the seedlings are 4-5 cm tall they are transplanted into 4 cm flower pots.
3. Layering: In May to June, select a robust main stem of Cordyline fruticosa, and 20 cm from the top make a ring cut through the bark. Cover it with moist moss and wrap it with plastic film, keeping the room temperature at 20°C; roots form after about 40 days.
Cultivation methods of Cordyline fruticosa
1. Soil: Cordyline fruticosa likes acidic soil, and should be grown in a mixed potting soil containing peat soil.
2. Light: The growing environment of Cordyline fruticosa needs sunlight, but the light should not be excessive.
3. Humidity: For Cordyline fruticosa, pay attention to changes in air humidity in summer, and water the plant twice a day.
4. Fertilizing: Cordyline fruticosa relatively likes fertilizer; during the peak growing season apply a dilute liquid fertilizer or compound flower fertilizer once every half month.
5. Watering: Cordyline fruticosa is relatively sensitive to moisture, so during the growing period the potting soil must be kept moist.
6. Pruning: For Cordyline fruticosa, pay attention to pruning in early spring to promote branching and spreading, making the whole plant full and lush.
Precautions for Cordyline fruticosa
1. The optimum growing temperature for Cordyline fruticosa is 20-25°C; in summer it can be 25-30°C during the day, and in winter the nighttime temperature is 7-10°C. It cannot go below 4°C; some varieties can tolerate a low temperature of 0°C, which shows that Cordyline fruticosa has fairly strong adaptability.
2. Lack of water in Cordyline fruticosa easily causes leaf drop, but too much water or water accumulation in the pot likewise causes leaf drop or yellowing of the leaf tips. During the stem and leaf growing period it should be sprayed with water frequently, and an air humidity of 50-60% is more suitable.
3. Cordyline fruticosa has fairly strong adaptability to light; short periods of strong light or longer periods of half shade have little effect on its growth. Proper shading at noon in summer and reducing light intensity are extremely beneficial to leaf growth.
4. The growing soil for Cordyline fruticosa is preferably fertile, loose sandy loam with good drainage; it is not tolerant of saline-alkaline or acidic soil. For potting, a mixed soil of leaf mold or peat soil with potting soil and coarse sand is commonly used.
Cultivation methods and precautions for Cordyline fruticosa
Chinese scientific name: Zhu Jiao (Cordyline fruticosa)Latin scientific name: Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A. Cheval.Other names: Zhu Zhu, Tieliancao, Hongye Tieshu, HongtieshuTwo-name method: Cordyline fruticosaKingdom: PlantaeDivision: AngiospermsClass: MonocotyledonsOrder: LilialesSuborder: LiliineaeFamily: AgavaceaeGenus: CordylineSpecies: Cordyline fruticosaDistribution area: distributed in southern China; also produced in India and the tropical islands of the PacificClassification system: Engler system, 1964Flower meaning: everlasting youth, fresh and pleasing to the eyeCordyline fruticosa, aliases: Tieshu, Zhu Zhu, Tieliancao, Hongye Tieshu, Hongtieshu. Latin scientific name: Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A. Cheval, a shrub plant of the genus Cordyline in the family Agavaceae. Its underground part has well-developed creeping rhizomes and readily produces suckers, which differs from the Dracaena species. Its main stem is upright, with a stem height of 1-3 m, unbranched or sparsely branched. The flowers are pale red to blue-purple, occasionally pale yellow. It is distributed in the tropical regions of southern China. It is mostly cultivated in gardens and is a foliage plant. Cordyline fruticosa has a beautiful plant form and gorgeous, elegant colors, with good ornamental value. Cordyline fruticosa is also a medicinal plant; its flowers, leaves and roots can all be used as medicine, and in Guangxi, China it was once used by local people to treat hemoptysis, hematuria, bacillary dysentery and other conditions.1. Morphological characteristics
Shrub-like, upright, 1-3 m tall. The stem is 1-3 cm thick, sometimes slightly branched. The leaves are clustered at the upper end of the stem or branches, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 25-50 cm long and 5-10 cm wide, green or with a purplish-red tinge; the petiole is grooved, 10-30 cm long, broadened at the base and clasping the stem.The panicle is 30-60 cm long, with large bracts at the base of the lateral branches; each flower has 3 bracts; the flowers are pale red, blue-purple to yellow, about 1 cm long; the pedicel is usually very short, rarely as long as 3-4 mm; the lower half of the outer tepals is closely appressed to the inner whorl to form a perianth tube, and the upper half curves outward or is reflexed when in full bloom; the stamens are borne at the throat of the tube, slightly shorter than the perianth; the style is slender. The flowering period is from November to March of the following year.
2. Growth habits
It likes a hot and humid climate and is a semi-shade plant; it can neither endure the scorching sun of northern regions, nor does it do well in fully shaded places where the leaves easily turn yellow. It is not cold-tolerant, and except in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and other places, it is only suitable for potted ornamental display in greenhouses; it is widely cultivated in the warm regions of Asia. It is distributed in the tropical regions of southern China. It requires acidic soil rich in humus and with good drainage, and dislikes alkaline soil; when planted in alkaline soil the leaves easily turn yellow and new leaves lose their color. It is not drought-tolerant.3. Geographical distribution
Commonly cultivated for ornamental purposes in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Taiwan and other provinces and regions. Place of origin: tropical Asia and the islands of the Pacific; it is now widely cultivated in the warm regions of Asia.4. Subspecies and varieties
'Aichiaka': leaves broadly needle-shaped, bright red, with deep red leaf margins.'Baptistii': leaves broad, dark green, with pale red or yellow streaks.
'Amabilis': leaves bright green, with pink streaks and cream-colored leaf margins.
'BabyTi': leaves lanceolate, dark copper-green, with red leaf margins.
'CalypsoQueen': leaves small, dark brown-red, with a pale purple center. 'Dolly': a dwarf variety, leaves oval, growing in clumps, deep red, with red leaf margins.
'Goshikiba': leaves oval, green, with irregular red blotches, and red leaf margins.
'HawaiianFIag': leaves green, with pink and dark red markings. 'Hakuba': leaves broadly lanceolate, dark green with white longitudinal stripes.
'LordRobertson': leaves broadly lanceolate, with yellow-white diagonal stripes and red leaf margins. 'Negri': leaves lanceolate, brown-copper, approaching black.
'RedEdge': leaf margins red, the center with alternating diagonal stripes of pale purplish-red and green; a mini-type Cordyline, with a plant height of only 40 cm.
'Tricolour': leaves with green, yellow, red and other colored stripes; the cut surface of the root is white. 'KiWi': leaves lanceolate, with red leaf margins and bright yellow-green longitudinal stripes in the center.
Biological characteristics
It likes high temperature and high humidity; the critical low-temperature line in winter is 10°C, and in summer it requires half shade. It dislikes alkaline soil.Propagation methods
Commonly propagated by cuttings, layering and sowing.Cultivation methods and precautions for the rainbow Cordyline fruticosa
Chinese scientific name: Qicai Zhu Jiao (rainbow Cordyline fruticosa)Latin scientific name: Cordyline fruticosaOther name: Caiye ZhujiaoKingdom: PlantaeDivision: AngiospermsFamily: LiliaceaeGenus: CordylineThe rainbow Cordyline fruticosa, also known as the rainbow iron tree, is a perennial evergreen shrub of the genus Cordyline in the family Liliaceae. It is also a recently popular small foliage plant. Its colorful leaves are lanceolate with purplish-red edges, and between the leaves are mixed several irregular stripes of red, purple, yellow, green and other colors in varying shades, making it rich and colorful and dazzlingly bright. It is very suitable for small and medium potted plants for indoor beautification, with an excellent ornamental effect.1. Brief introduction
The rainbow Cordyline fruticosa likes a warm and humid environment, and is best kept in a semi-shaded place for care; it dislikes direct light, and strong light easily scorches the leaves. If the light is too dark or too strong, the leaves will lose their luster. The rainbow Cordyline fruticosa needs relatively high air humidity. Only then do the plant's leaves appear moist and gorgeous. After autumn sets in, the light should be gradually increased, which can make the leaf colors even more vivid. The rainbow Cordyline fruticosa is not cold-tolerant; for overwintering the temperature generally should not be lower than 10°C. Since it has been grown in pots in our area, keeping the greenhouse above 6°C in winter also allows it to overwinter relatively safely. During the growing season, apply a dilute fertilizer twice a month, mainly nitrogen fertilizer, to promote the plant's nutritional growth needsand to meet watering requirements, follow the principle of keeping it moist rather than dry; in winter control water and stop fertilizer, and simply keep the potting soil moist.