"john" wrote
Advice please on the creation of the trunk of palm
trees.

I have a cordyline developing into a fine tree - now
approximately nine feet in height. The lower leaves
are turning yellow and whilst I know that they will
die and drop off, how exactly and when should I prune
them in order to form the "pineapply" plates of the trunk?

It has just shown a huge spray of perfumed flowers on
a stem the thickness of my forearm. Like all of them that I've
seen the display shoots off at an angle. What treatment
should the stem be given when the flower dies back?

I've just come back to this group after months of illness caused by a
blood poisoning disease which stemmed from a scratch on my
leg whilst gardening. One of its side effects - or perhaps of the
medication I was prescribed? - has been faling of sight in
my right eye. It doesn't however effect my enjoyment of gardening.
In fact in a strange way, it has increased my pleasure.

The leaves will drop off on their own although if you want to tidy it up
then use some sharp secateurs to leave only a few inches of each leaf
attached to the trunk which and give it some protection. These little stumps
will eventually fall off leaving the trunk which doesn't have the plates you
describe, they are just rather normal looking.

When the inflorescence has finished flowering and all the seeds have been
eaten by the Starlings in the autumn then cut it off as near to the trunk as
you can. It will eventually drop off but that can take a couple of years and
it looks unsightly in the meantime.

Once these flower for the first time then they start to split at the top to
form a nice head (or multi-headed) tree.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London