Rotten Torbay Palm Trunk ..
 

Hi,

Following the bad cold snap we have just gone through, my Torbay Palm has 'capitulated' ... People here have been very helpful in advising me that it could possibly sprout further down the trunk and then I should saw off the trunk just above this. I have already fed the plant in order to try and promote some growth when the time comes.

I have noticed that the top 4 inches or so are now rotting .. There are still a few dead leaves hanging from the very top. Should I remove this damaged section now even though I can see no evidence of anything trying to sprout further down yet ? The area below the rotting section does seem to still be fine up to now.

I was also wondering what the new 'sprouts' will look like so that I know what to check for ?

I was just concerned that it seem a bit harsh to just lop off the top and just leave a trunk sticking out of it's pot. The trunk is maybe 3 inches in diameter at the bottom and probably about 36 inches in height at the moment. (Just in case this makes a difference?)

Thanks very much for your time ..

Best wishes..

Dave.

You can chop the top off a perfectly good cordyline and it will shoot from just below the cut, so trimming the top off isn't a problem even if you cut into good material. The new shoots will initially be tiny little points sticking out sideways. But they are unlikely to come until late spring or summer even, so you aren't knocking it back by chopping some more off the top now. That's what I'd do, I wouldn't really want any rot left there.

If the trunk is dead, it should shoot from the base of the plant, though may not do so until quite late in summer. But it would be more likely to survive if it was in the ground, in a pot the roots could have been killed.

I had a red one that was frozen to the ground last winter (the red ones are more tender), and shoots came from the base in July/August (and I'm hoping some of those shoots have survived). I let the shoots become established before cutting the trunk out, so probably it doesn't particularly matter either way.

Rotten Torbay Palm Trunk ..
 

On Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:21:49 -0000, Simmo
wrote:


Hi,

Following the bad cold snap we have just gone through, my Torbay Palm
has 'capitulated' ... People here have been very helpful in advising me
that it could possibly sprout further down the trunk and then I should
saw off the trunk just above this. I have already fed the plant in order
to try and promote some growth when the time comes.

I have noticed that the top 4 inches or so are now rotting .. There are
still a few dead leaves hanging from the very top. Should I remove this
damaged section now even though I can see no evidence of anything trying
to sprout further down yet ? The area below the rotting section does
seem to still be fine up to now.

I was also wondering what the new 'sprouts' will look like so that I
know what to check for ?

I was just concerned that it seem a bit harsh to just lop off the top
and just leave a trunk sticking out of it's pot. The trunk is maybe 3
inches in diameter at the bottom and probably about 36 inches in height
at the moment. (Just in case this makes a difference?)


Cut off below the rotting section and wait. It is early for Cordyline
australis to be creating new shoots, probably another 5 to 8 weeks. If it
starts rotting again repeat the cutting back. Where the trunk is damaged
by frost they frequently send out shoots from the base. The new 'sprouts'
will be spiky green shoots.

--
rbel