Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => General Gardening => Topic started by: Deucecoup on January 28, 2011, 16:44
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We have a 15ft palm tree in our garden and it was doing fine. It coped with last 2 winters fine but this last winter has killed it I think.
One complete half of the is dropping all its leaves and the cenrte of the braches and dropping.
Is there anything we can do or has the horrid weather finally taken its toll?
Nick
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It may have had it :( If the snow has laid on the growing point at the centre of the leaves for a while, it could have killed this and that is not good news. You may find you get new growth sprouting from the base, or if it is a Cordyline, rather than a palm, even from lower down the trunk. Not much you can do except wait and see.
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Found out its a Cordyline australis, been searching google for hours and it looks that when established can survive this frost damage.
Ive read I need to cut the dying braches off and for new shoots.
Does anyone know if I should cut the dead branches now or wait until spring?
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If your Cordyline is visably dying back, I would cut it now as there is a danger of fungal disease setting it. I've had a couple of customers in at work with piccies of their Cordylines with what looks like rot set in on dead heads.
If it starts reshooting in the spring, I would be ready with some fleece just in case as the new growth will be a bit tender. If all the shoots are low down on the trunk, I would cut the trunk down as the top section will also be dead and could rot if left. Takes a little time, but you end up with a multiple stem Cordyline if it regenerates OK :)
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Thankyou, I will get out and cut them off today. Hopefully it will save the tree :(
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Someone asked the same question on my local radio gardening show this morning.
The expert's instinct was that the cordyline would probably survive - but to do what others have recommended. The plant in question was about 15' tall. He said to chop it down to about 2-3' high, and it should sprout by the end of March / April, and look much better by say June. Next year it should be even better.
I could be wrong on the monthly timings - if you really need to check them out you can probably catch it on iPlayer - BBC Radio York listen again - Julia Booth - the first hour of her programme (Plant surgery)
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Just resurrecting this thread because our cordylines also died. They were huge, much higher than the house. We did what it said in the thread, chopped them to 2-3 feet and they now has new shoots around the base which are about 2 feet high. It'll take a while but looks like it is going to come back.
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Mine is still going but getting worse all the time. Now have 1 branch with no leaves at all :(
I'm going to see what this winter brings and take action next spring.
Bad time for cordylines all over the country by the looks of it :(
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Had the same problem with my cordyline. It had flowered beautifully for the last 2 or 3 years but last winter killed the top. I cut it off in spring, down to about 3 ft tall, and it sprouted from the bottom. I cut off one of the sprouting bits and tried to root it but it failed.