What's wrong with this plant - look!

Bought this from B&Q around a month ago and planted it straight away with a bit of fish blood and bone.

In the last 2 weeks, it seems every new leaf stalk that comes out, turns brown at the end even before it droops down!

Now the lower 2/3rds are completely brown/dead and the new stuff coming out doesn't last long.

I'm watering it every other day. It has the afternoon sun, and is exposed to some, but not excessive, wind.

I'm afraid I don't know what it's called, but the leaves are burgundy (normally).

Any help much appreciated.

 

That is a sickly looking cordyline! How is it planted mate can't make out whats round the stem. Looks to me like the compacted soil around might have created a soggy planting hole which is causing it to rot off, or in the other direction the lawn aound is soaking up all the nutrients from the planting hole leaving the cordyline barron. In my experience with cordylines it is usulally the former. Definitely need to work on the soil around the plant loosen and enrich to give this chap half chance. Sorry :(

BM

 

was it indoors at B&Q or outdoors.?
If it was indoors it could be unuse to the hot sun and it could be sun scorched!

 

Actually, over lunchtime, a neighbour suggested that the roots may be rotting.

Should I dig it up and generally loosen everything then?

T.

 

Sounds good Scarecrow - I've grown loads of cordylines and generally the older outside leaves start to die off when there is a growth spurt from the middle but it sounds like this one is sick.

They like living in containers, so you could perhaps pot it up for the summer and try it somewhere else when it has recovered?

 

I'd go along with Steve1973, the sun has been particually strong lately and if its been grown undercover its probably got sunburn, I'd cut down on the watering and try to create some tempory shade.

 

Perhaps you over did it with the fish blood and bone and may have burned the roots, I agree with Dave about potting it up as a rescue job.

 

Hi scarecrow,i would agree with bannaman,what soil type do you have,cordalines don't like sitting in water,if your soil is clay then until the planting hole is increased in size and some grit/pea gravel forked in to increase drainage then i'm affraid your fighting a losing battle,good luck and keep us posted.....

 

I absolutely love this forum. Everyone is so helpful.

Okay, I dug it up at the weekend and repotted it out the back. I've enlarged the hole it was in to around a metre diameter, and sweated buckets digging it over and over.

I'll only water it once a week (correct?) and talk to it a little as I hang my washing out.

As for the sun-bleaching, it was outside at B&Q, and only got the sun (before I dug it up) after 1pm.

Last question - am I right to cut off the dead/partially dead leaves? It looks a little sorry for itself now.

Many thanks.

T.

 

Yes scarecrow you can cut off the dead bits.
The sun after 1 pm at this time of the year is the hottest, these plants are raised in near perfect conditions of light and moisture and humidity, they are grown very soft. They transport them in lorries to places such as B&Q and expect to sell them fast, if they're not sold in a few days they start to look really sick, its the change to normal conditions, and conditions recently have been abnormal, hotter and dryer and brighter than we usually get.
I bet if you bought it from a proper nursery that wouldn't have happened.

 

Hi Scarecrow,

if it's any help, I'm new too and I had a poor cordyline which I'd stuck in a galvanised steel pot - with no drainage holes.
I'm sure it all but drowned and the leaves drooped and peeled off. It went right back to just the upright stem and it looked all but dead.
But I couldn't chuck it out. I repotted it in ordinary compost after leaving the whole thing out of the pot for a few hours to try to dry it up a bit.
Now, six weeks or so on, it's well recovered, new leaves, looking good and will look like new soon.
Yours should do even better !