TI (Cordyline fruticosa)

 

The common green Ti almost finished flowering.  Notice a new head beginning at center.

The name Ti is a Polynesian name for a plant used by them throughout the Pacific islands.  In the Hawaiian language it is called Ki.  As the Polynesians established themselves on new islands, Ti cuttings were taken with them to grow in their new homes.  Therefore, Ti is called a Canoe Plant, along with the other plants that were established across the Pacific by the canoe voyagers.  You do find Ti growing wild on trails in the forest of Hawaii, and I guess birds could have pooped the seed there, but probably they continue from ancient plantings.  The common Ti is a rich green color although some Polynesians also had a red Ti.  The Ti leaves had multiple uses e.g., wrapping food for cooking, thatching for houses and making clothing such as sandals and raincapes.  Of course, it was used for hula skirts, and you will still see Ti leaves used today at any island show.  The large roots of older Ti plants could also be cooked in time of famine.  Today you still see Ti leaves in use and there are small farmers that grow them to sell to the hula schools or to lei makers and florists.  Restaurants often use the leaves as attractive liners for their food platters.  The leaves also get flown to mainland markets for floral arrangements.  You can buy them on the internet.  Usually, they are grown by small farmers, but even Grandma down the road may be making some pocket money selling them to the local lei maker.

Red Ti

Anciently in Hawaii, the Ti leaves were associated with the gods Lono and Laka and still carry some mana.  Ti plants were grown around taro lo'i for protection and good fortune and are still grown with that in mind around houses in Hawaii today.  Sports fans wave green Ti leaves at University of Hawaii football games these days for good outcomes.  I love the local travel advertisement on TV where a guy is tapping the shoulder of a person with a Ti leaf for luck while he sits at a slot machine in Las Vegas.  For whatever reason you grow them, Ti are attractive in the garden and always come in handy.

My favorite Ti in the garden.  It is very hardy and has smaller leaves so that
I can use the whole head in a bouquet.

Some of the Pacific Islanders had red Ti and other colored ones are native to the Caribbean and East Asia. Around the 1920's, Ti enthusiasts started developing new hybrids and collecting the seeds so that there are now a wide variety of color and leaf shapes.  If you become a Ti enthusiast you can join The International Cordyline Society.  From my own experience, I think some varieties are hardier than others and you need to know if the variety needs more shade or sun.

A long narrow leaf, dark purple Ti in flower.

A Kahili Ti.

Ti is a perennial plant that forms heads of long, usually wide, leaves grown on slender trunks up to 10 ft tall.  Well, there are also Kahili Ti which are shorter varieties with small leaves that look rather like the feather standards (Kahili) that were used to signify chiefly position in the old days of Hawaii.  Hense their name. Ti can be grown from seed but is easily and usually grown from stem cuttings.  If a Ti is growing too tall in the garden it is easy to cut the trunk to a lower level and grow another plant from the cutting.  The severed but still rooted trunk with grow one or more new heads.  To plant the cutting part, remove the lower leaves from the head, as they will die anyways, but keep the leaves growing from the growing cells point at the top of they head.   If the cutting trunk/stem is too long you can cut it smaller.  I usually find about 12" of stem, with or without the head of leaves, is a good start size.  If you are really trying to maximize the stem you can grow new plants from 2"-3" lengths of stem but it will be longer before you have a decent size plant.  You will find Ti "logs" like this sold on the internet which hold up to being mailed and still grow after a few weeks.  Gardeners in the mainland order them and keep the plants indoors in cold winters.  You can plant a really tall Ti  cutting.  It will root fine but it needs extra effort to keep it upright until it gets fully rooted.  I always start my Ti cuttings in water.  I leave them in a bucket of water for about a week, changing the water every few days.  By then the roots are starting to grow and look like little star bursts on the stem.  I do not leave the roots to grow long but plant them up in one gallon pots once they get to the starburst stage.  Sometimes it is easy to forget which way is "up" with a bare stem. So which is the right way up to plant it?  You could just lay it level on the dirt and it will get new starts come up from the joints. (This actually works well with the short 3' logs") You can also use a trick taught to me from a gardening mentor. That is to just run your fingers down the stem.  If it feels bumpy, it is right way up.  If it feels smooth, it is upside down.

Tall Ti trimmed down to about 1 ft from the ground.

Most nurseries in Hawaii will sell different varieties of Ti.  On the other hand, your neighbors my be willing to share a headed stem of theirs.  Keep an eye out for landscapers doing any trimming in the neighborhood.  I have also grown new Ti plants from Ti that were in floral arrangement or from thrown away funeral wreaths. ( I always check the trash cans when I am at the cemetery.  They are a good source of plastic pots to recycle too.)

The above Ti cut into cuttings for replanting.

Ti grows best in slightly acidic soil that is moist.  They like to be watered.  They do not do well in strong or salty wind.  Ti prefers morning sun.  Too much strong sun will bleach the leaves.  The lower leaves naturally turn yellow and die, but if it seems there are too many yellow leaves, the plant needs more nitrogen.  It is recommended that you fertilize with 20-10-20 every 3-4 months.  Recently I read an article in a farm to table magazine about some virus that was is also causing yellowing of Ti leaves.  Scientist are trying to find a way to solve this problem for Hawaii Ti leaf farmers.  The Ti leaves in my garden get yellow easily but mostly I blame it on my sandy beach soil.  Any Ti plant needs it dead lower leaves pulled off or picked up of the ground.  I cut them up to add to the compost or to make a cooling mulch for my container veges.

Ti stems that have been standing in water and showing their starbursts/new roots.

In the rainy season the Ti goes into flower.  The common green Ti has a spray of tiny white flowers while the pink/red to dark purple leafed will have flowers from pink to purple in color.  Similarly, the resulting berries will be green to red in color.  This year the Ti plants in my town went gangbusters.  As I rode my bike around town, I could see flowers on every Ti  in every garden.  I kept meaning to take photos of them, delayed doing it, and suddenly the flowering was over. I have a few photos I took here but the flowers were half finished at this point.  I know I saw Ti flowers in bud around January 20 when I was gathering leaves to line food platters for a big family party. By the time I got my camera out, around Feb 6th, the flowers were on their way out. So, the flowering just lasted a couple of weeks.  The flower spikes only last a few days in a vase of water but are quite attractive indoors.  After the Ti flower dies off, it seems that the plant lets the old leaves die off while it starts a new head or two at the growing point. It will mean lots of yellow leaves for a few months after the flower dies. It seems a good time to trim down a tall Ti to start new cuttings.

Aloha