Hawaiian Ti

Cultivar name:

~EXOTICA~

Tri Color Ti

Native to Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and larger Pacific Islands as Hawaii

Cordyline terminalis 

(core-dee-line' ter-mi-nall' iss)

Ti Tree, Good Luck Tree

You are bidding on one 2-6 inch fresh cut Ti logs from one of Hawaii's best collections without any root system or leaf, ready for propagation.

    can be different: smaller, bigger, thicker, thinner, ect. according to the specific cultivar.

     One of the most well-loved tropical foliage plants, Ti (rhymes with "tea")  is most often associated with Hawaii and the South Pacific.  Best known for its large, colorful leaves which grow from the stem tips in a circular, star-like pattern.

       Cordyline Ti plants achieve a stunning tropical look indoors or out. This colorful variable species are among the most breath taking foliage plants. These spectacular plants come in many cultivars with glowing colors of red, green, purple, maroon, rose, pink and yellow. With a vast range of colors and sizes, Ti plants or cordylines are crowned as "King of Tropical Foliage".              

           Ti plant's relative ease of growing has made Cordylines popular with gardeners, landscapers and collectors alike throughout the world. Cordyline Ti plants are popular because Ti cultivars provide an endless array of various shades of purple, maroon, rose, pink and yellow, as well as green. Intense brightness of many of the colors, including green, under good environmental conditions may be so vivid that plants appear fantastic plastic created. Some cultivars also may be mostly dark purple or maroon with outrageous highlights of rose, yellow or pink common to that cultivar.

      Considered good luck to plant around the perimeter of your property to prevent Madame Pele's lava flows from overrunning your home or just to ward off evil spirits.

~Exotica~

Growing Environment:

    Cordyline Ti  plants enjoy regular water and warm temperatures. Grown in shade, particularly in warmer climates. Protect Ti plants from low humidity or dry winds outdoors. Cordyline Ti plants can be regrown from roots in cold climates. They thrive as a houseplants in containers. Ti plants or Cordylines, are extremely popular worldwide for their intense leaf colors and leaf shapes producing interest and contrasts even in deep shade.

  Ti leaves are also used in Hawaii to wrap food bundles that will then be steamed or boiled. The food wrapped in leaves is called a lau-lau (lau is the Hawaiian for leaf).  Cordyline Ti plants are also used for making simple woven leis and they are made into long strips to use in skirts for dancing hula.....the misnamed grass skirt, is usually made of Ti leaves.

Cordyline terminalis 

Hawaiian Ti

Ti Tree, Good Luck Tree

  Color Control

     Color intensity appears to be controlled by temperature, light and fertilizer levels. Levels of carbohydrates are low during summer when night temperatures are high and poor color often occurs during this period. Low light intensity, especially during summer, and high fertilizer levels also reduce color intensity. Best color intensity will occur during the period November through May, if suggested light and fertilizer levels are utilized. During periods of poor coloration, some improvement can often be obtained by increasing light intensity and reducing temperature.

        Light levels can affect appearance of multi-colored ti cultivars. Cultivars like Baby Doll which normally have dark red leaves with a narrow medium red to pink margin, will begin to produce leaves with wider pink margins as the production light intensity is reduced. Suggested level is about 3000 to 3500 ft-c, which will produce plants with good coloration.

Good growth can be obtained with either liquid or slow-release fertilizers at the rate of 2.9 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1000 square feet per month from a 3-1-2 or similar ratio product. Where plants are subject to heavy rainfall or frequent irrigation, the fertilizer level may need to be increased.

The potting medium utilized for ti plant should be of good quality, and provide excellent aeration and water-holding capacity. Amendments should include a low to moderate level of micronutrients such as 1 lb Micromax/yd3 and sufficient dolomite to adjust medium pH to 5.5 to 6.5. The higher pH has been shown to be beneficial in reducing fluoride toxicity.

Suggested air temperatures for best growth are 65°F minimum to 95°F maximum. Ti can tolerate lower and higher temperatures, but growth rate will be reduced.

Family: Agavaceae, Agave

CULTIVARS

Many of the small plants used in small combination planters are started from seed and are highly variable in color, from green to deep maroon and variegated. Most of the named cultivars in the trade are selections made from unique and attractive seed-grown plants. A few of the named cultivars now popular in the United States are listed below:

`Baby Doll' is a small-leaved cultivar with maroon leaves trimmed with a pink edge. a dwarf cultivar with unusually marked and colored very narrow foliage.

`Firebrand' is a relatively large-leaved cultivar with dark burgundy foliage.

`Kiwi' is a very beautiful Ti originating in New Zealand, popular medium to small-leafed variety with a fine margin trace of red around a green leaf with an irregular internal pattern of yellow-green, yellow and ivory stripes which follow the leaf veins. There are also a few fine red lines in the internal pattern on some leaves. `Kiwi' is of intermediate size 5' with a base color of olive green, heavily striped with yellow, leaves are margined with red, which sometimes spreads into beautiful red streaks.

“Purple Prince” is a glowing purple and dark red foliage, make this little gem a truly great cordyline for container or garden. Foliage is absolutely striking!

'Red Sister' A very easy to grow variety with splendid foliage shocking pink, red and maroon , medium height 5’-8’

Foliage: generally strap-shaped, deep green or variegated in cultivars, from erect, suckering and unbranched stems

Flowers: insignificant or seldom seen indoors, white to purple in loose panicles

Cold Hardiness:

USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)

Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade
Light Shade

Height x width: 3-6' x 3-8' (to 15' if ideal, outdoors)

Pests and Problems: leaf spots, bacterial soft rot, root rots, mealy bugs, scales, spider mites; brown leaf margins indicate dry air or fluoride excess, leaf spots from wet foliage

Growth habit, uses: A woody perennial growing to 4-6ft, but as high as 10-12ft.   colorful foliage indoors

Other interest: listed by some references as fruticosa;; native peoples use the species for fiber and food (roots); from the Greek kordyle meaning club, referring to the thickened root; common name is usually pronounced as in "tie", although as in "tea" is supposedly correct; often confused with Dracaena

Light: bright

Temperature: warm

Watering: evenly moist

Fertility: high

Humidity: humid

Soil: well-drained, average

Other culture: lower leaves drop as plant grows, requiring air layering or similar to renew and keep lower; does not tolerate salt spray on foliage

Propagation: stem cuttings, division, air layering, tip cuttings (bottom trunk will regrow), stem section cuttings