Question
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Followup To
Question -
hello mr creed,
i have recently been given a plant & i dont know what it is or how to look after it, i'm not really a plant person but i dont want it to die or anything, it is a leafy plant - it doesnt look the type to flower but then what do i know? it has spear shaped leaves that are dark green with a bright pink edge except for the upper newer leaves which are a lot more pink than green, except for the very newest which have gone back to being mostly green again.  the leaves all grow off one central stem and im getting a new leaf every 10 to 14 days is that good? also it seems to like being in very wet soil, if i put water in the saucer under the pot it sucks it up like a very thirsty thing and will continue to do so even tho the soil in its pot is almost squelchy, i have continued giving it water on the grounds that it knows if it wants it, but now a few of the older leaves have gone brown & dry at the ends. it is about 10 inches high from soil surface with 20 leaves and is in an 8cm diameter pot, i call him pedro, what would you call him (common & latin names please).
thankyou for taking the time to read this,
ella


Answer -
Hi Ella,

Before I can give you proper care instructions, I will need to get a proper ID.

From your description, I suspect you have either a Dracaena marginata or a Ti Plant (Cordyline terminalis). The D. marginata has mostly dark green leaves with a narrow band of red along the margin. The Ti Plant has more pink and green, but often has some white mixed in. So I am not sure just what you have.

If you can email a photo of it to me at [email protected], then I can ID it for sure. Then I can help you with its care.

Regards,
Will Creed

hello again, firstly thanks for same day reply; however i dont have a digital camera at the moment, but i put the names you suggested into google images and so i now know pedro is a cordyline terminalis or Ti plant - whys it called Ti plant dyou know?; so, how should i look after him and should i be letting him have so much water even tho hes drinking it up like a waterholic (im not kidding you here - pixies could go paddling in that pot) & anything else you can tell me about where hes from, how big will he get, will he have flowers, should he be in a bigger pot (his roots are just starting to poke out the drainage holes in his current pot) and why is he going brown and dry at the tips, etc. etc. just everything really.

thanks again,

Ella

Answer
Hi Ella,

Your Ti plant comes from Hawaii where its leaves are used to make Hula skirts. So now your wardrobe is complete! I don't know the origin of the word Ti, but I suspect it is a Hawaiian word. The Ti  plant is a symbol of good luck there.

Provide Pedro with as much light as possible. The more light it gets, the more colorful the leaves.

I think you may be keeping the soil to wet. It is best to water from the top and then not water again until the top half-inch of soil feels dry.

It is sensitive to hard water and chlorine and fluoride. That may be the cause of the brown tips, although overwatering may also cause that. You may want to use filtered or distilled water for it.

Trim off any roots that poke through the drainage holes. If the soil dries out within a coupe of days after a thorough watering, then it may be ready for a pot one size larger.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.
   
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]

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