Is this dying - or is there hope

We have a Palm in the garden (the only tropical we have). I am not sure of its age, it was already well established when we moved here 12 years ago.
[attachment=2521]
It has been perfectly healthy through at least 12 winters but now is showing signs of ill health.

Symptoms - losing its 'leaves'(?) rapidly. It has always lost leaves in spring/summer as it grows, but not this many in previous winters.

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In fact some branches have lost all leaves now.

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I am assuming this problem is as a result of the severe snow we had (although it has gone through similar winters in the past with no problem).

Can anyone confirm my diagnoses, or offer alternative thoughts.

Thanks.

 

It's a Cordyline (from New Zealand) and is not totally hardy in our climate.

It's not dead but the existing leaves will probably fall off and new shoots will either spring from the base or the trunk.

 

Thanks Kindredspirit.

About 18 months ago I broke off a branch (there were 3 - can be seen on the right at bottom) with a digger (building an extension and obviously can't drive ) and all the growth seen at the bottom of the tree sprouted from the branch.

So you think something similar will happen -hopefully.

 

Yep.

 

Thanks

 

yep.....we have kept tropicals for a long time, indoors and out and yes, cordylines can take a certain amount of snow but not for a prolonged length of time, nor do they like too much rain, in fact the rain is their worst enemy.....unfortunately this year we have had both! If it does survive the top will die and you will get sprouts from the trunk & base in summer - just as has already been suggested. My cordyline too seems to have given up - you are not alone!
sorry to have no good news about this!

 

I've had a couple of cordylines in the garden for the best part of 20yrs, probably nearer 25.

Last weekend I cut the tops off of both plants, which had multiple branches, it appears they died, back last winter, but after flowering like crazy last summer they only sprouted new growth from lower down.
The top growth just died.

Not entirely sure it was due to the weather, as two others are unaffected.

I'm just hoping they will manage to make a come back.
I dont think once established they will totally die due to cold, but it can take a while before they become impressive once again.

 

Update:

So here is the plant now after all the dead leaves have come off.

[attachment=2590]

My question is:

Should it just be left as it is until new growth (hopefully) appears, or would it be better to trim it, and if so where should it be removed to?

 

Hi there

first time user of this forum so hello everyone !



I have exactly the same problem with a lovely palm - it has been at the front of the house since we moved in 8 years ago and was there for 4 before that I believe. It hasn't been the same since all that snow and frost, and the leaves are all falling off by the dozen.



I have the same question - does the tree have to be cut down to a certain level to help it grow again or is it better to let it start sprouting from a different point first? My husband is convinced its dead so I really want to know if I can save it before he gets going with a saw.

Thanks to anyone who can help

 

I vote for leaving well alone until at least mid summer to see where it shoots from, and then cut back just above the new shoots.

That's what I'm doing anyway.

 

When I got home today my husband had been up the tree and had a good look at it - the leaves were all dying and there is sap leaking out of the trunk. He took off all the dead and dying leaves and then cut through one small branch to see how it looked inside - it was like soft coconut matting, thats the only way I can describe it. You could poke it with your finger and it was soft!

Does that sound like its already dead or do you think it may still shoot up from somewhere ?



thanks for your ideas x x

 

Well that bits dead, but how far down you need to go to find healthy "wood" is anybody's guess.

I use the term "wood", but the stems never make wood, they are always soft and fibrous and very wet.
Healthy stuff is a very pale colour.

 

Hi im relatively new to the forum and ive seen this exact problem happening to these trees around where i live on the north east coast :(

this problem has affected most of these trees and it has been caused by the sustained heavy frost and sub zero temps that we had in november/december last year. Cordylines can survive breif temps down to -10 degrees C, but only for short periods of time and where i am it got ALOT colder than that for about 2 or 3 weeks, plus all the snow!! but hopefully they should re-grow.

i reckon you should cut the tree right down to the ground asap then it might sprout new leaves by late spring. it will look like a big spikey bush for a couple of years then will grow tall again depending on if we dont get anymore ridiculously cold winters!

 

Sorry to hear of the problems you're all having. It looks like the whole of the mainland has problems with their cordylines. Here on the island they all look well. We get very little snow. The island is kept warm, being closely surrounded by the sea.

I'd certainly give them a chance to recover, and hope you don't get the snow again this coming winter, that could finish them off, sadly.

Good luck!

 

It could well take until September this year before your Cordyline sprouts from the base.

There is no way of knowing until the autumn whether it's really dead or not.


This winter massacred all my New Zealand plants, except for Cortaderia Richardii, which stayed green throughout.