Ti plant (Cordyline fruticosa) care

Other · straightforward to keep

Ti plant (Cordyline fruticosa) wants bright indirect light with some direct sun. Water it every 6 days. Keep lightly damp with rainwater. Cordylines are noticeably sensitive to fluoride in tap water and brown at the tips because of it. Pot it in rich, free-draining compost. A balanced feed at half strength every two weeks in spring and summer, and repot every 1.5 years. Humidity: above 60%. Toxic to cats and dogs; the saponins cause vomiting, and in cats dilated pupils.

The ti plant: strap leaves in pink, red, cream and green on slim canes, grown across Polynesia for centuries for food, thatch and ceremony. Indoors it wants bright light to hold its colour and rainwater to keep its tips green — it is markedly fluoride-sensitive.

Quick facts

Water: Water every 6 days. Keep lightly damp with rainwater. Cordylines are noticeably sensitive to fluoride in tap water and brown at the tips because of it.
Light: Bright indirect light with some direct sun.
Humidity: Above 60%.
Soil: Rich, free-draining compost.
Feeding: A balanced feed at half strength every two weeks in spring and summer.
Repotting: Repot every 1.5 years.
Toxic to pets: Toxic to cats and dogs; the saponins cause vomiting, and in cats dilated pupils.
Difficulty: Straightforward.
Mature size: 1–1.5 m indoors.
Native to: Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Watering a Ti plant

Water every 6 days. Keep lightly damp with rainwater. Cordylines are noticeably sensitive to fluoride in tap water and brown at the tips because of it.

That cadence is the one PlantParlour sets for this species when you name it, and it is deliberately on the cautious side — a plant that asks a day early is safer than one that asks a day late. Log each watering and the reminder moves with the plant rather than with the calendar.

Light

Bright light with some direct sun. The colour in a croton is made by light — in a dim spot the new leaves come out plain green and the plant stops being the thing you bought.

Humidity and temperature

Above 60%. Central heating in winter is what turns a comfortable room into a dry one, and it is the usual reason an established plant suddenly browns at the edges or picks up spider mites.

Soil and potting

A rich compost with perlite. Crotons want moisture and food but not a waterlogged pot.

Feeding

A balanced feed at half strength every two weeks in spring and summer. Stop feeding in autumn and start again when you see new growth in spring — feeding a plant that isn't growing just builds up salts in the pot.

Repotting

Repot every 1.5 years. Every second spring. Prune in spring if it goes bare below; it branches from the cut.

Common problems

Brown tips and edges
Fluoride and salts in tap water — the classic cordyline complaint.

Fix: Switch to rainwater or filtered water and flush the pot occasionally.
Colour fading
Not enough light.

Fix: Move it brighter.
Lower leaves yellowing and dropping
Normal as the cane lengthens.

Fix: Peel them off; cut the cane back in spring if it is too bare.

Propagation

Stem cuttings in spring, dipped in water to stop the sap, rooted under cover with bottom heat.

A cutting taken in PlantParlour keeps its link to the plant it came from, so a propagation years later still traces back to the mother plant — which is the point if you ever sell or trade it.

Toxicity and safety

Toxic to cats and dogs; the saponins cause vomiting, and in cats dilated pupils.

Named cultivars and variegations

Cordyline fruticosa is sold under several cultivar names. Care is the same unless noted; variegated forms carry less chlorophyll, so they grow more slowly and want more light than the plain species.

Cultivar	Also sold as	Water
'Red Sister'	Red Sister ti plant	every 6 days

Questions people ask

How often should you water a Ti plant?

Water every 6 days as a starting point — that is the cadence PlantParlour sets for Cordyline fruticosa. Keep lightly damp with rainwater. Cordylines are noticeably sensitive to fluoride in tap water and brown at the tips because of it. Light, pot size and the time of year all move that number, so treat it as a reminder to go and check rather than a rule.

How much light does a Ti plant need?