Broadleaf Palm Lily is mostly known as the "Ti plant" or "Good Luck plant". This is the only plant I have in my garden that has so many names and surprisingly most of the names are well known. I have been growing this plant as a hedge plant and ornamental plant for a long time.
As the Broadleaf Palm Lily is an evergreen tropical plant, it's easier to grow in South Florida. With proper care, they will perform great in subtropical regions as well. In this article, I will share with you my growing and caring experience of Broadleaf Palm Lily.
Information Table of Broadlead Palm Lily
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cordyline fruticosa |
| Common Names | Broadleaf Palm Lily, Ti Plant, Good Luck Plant |
| USDA Growing Zones | 10–12 |
| Origin | Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands |
| Preferred Soil | Well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral |
| Light Requirements | Partial shade to full sun |
| Water Needs | Moderate; prefers consistent moisture |
The picture at the top of this article is a broadleaf palm lily (purple one) grown in full sun.
Ti plants go bushier in full sun and go taller in shade or partial shade.
We can use this plant as an ornamental plant, hedge plant, or indoor plant (will act like an air purifier).
Growing Tips for a Ti Plant or Broadlead Palm Lily
In this section, I will cover the following:
- Perfect soil for a Ti Plant
- Sunlight requirements
- Watering guide
- Propagation
- Fertilization
- And some tips and information on this plant.
I will share some pictures of the broadleaf palm lily from my garden.
Let's start with soil.
Best soil for a Ti plant
I prefer to take coco coir, compost, and perlite all equally and mix well.
Do you really need the same soil mixture? It's not necessary. Your main goal is to make good well-draining soil with compost mixed in it.
You can use any compost that you have with you or you can also create your own using cow manure or kitchen wastage.
To make the soil well draining you can use a bit of sand or perlite.
Do you know that sandy soil is a good well-draining soil but it has fewer nutrients?
That's why I prefer Loamy soil for the Ti plant or Broadleaf palm lily.
Sunlight Requirements
I have tested growing them in full sun, partial shade, and complete shade.
It's interesting to me that they survived all. Now here's what I noticed:
- Ti plant or broadleaf palm lily under complete shade: They perform great and you can see the leaves charming and beautiful.
- Under partial shade: Partial shade means only 2-3 hours of direct sunlight (Mostly morning and evening). In partial shade, they perform great again. Ti plants grow tall enough in partial shade. With proper care, this is an excellent growing condition for this plant.
- In full direct sunlight: This is something serious. I have heard people saying "Do not grow a Ti plant in full sun". I am not blaming them. In Zone 10 or 11, summer hot days can cause sunburn.
You can witness the leaf's discoloration as well. They do not perform well in full sun. But in winter, they will perform well on winter sunny days (only for Zone 9-11).
Now it depends upon you, if you want taller Ti plant, grow under partial shade or complete shade.
Growing them in full sun can make the plant bushier but I won't suggest you do so.
The leaves are smaller than usual due to the full direct sunlight.
I am using this as a privacy hedge.
Watering Guide
If your soil has good water drainage, moist soil is good for your Ti plant. Use your fingers to feel the soil (I know I repeat this in most of my articles), if it is dry water it thoroughly.
Those who are growing Ti plants as hedge: Do not water overhead. It can cause fungal growth.
Do not let the water sit like this in the soil.
Propagation
There are three different ways to propagate the broadleaf palm lily plant.
The propagation is important to gardeners like me who want to create a privacy screen with Ti plant. It will save a lot of bucks!
- From Cuttings
- From Suckers
- From seeds.
Want the easiest method? Go for cuttings.
Take a healthy mature stem of 7 inches ( from the top ). Remove all the lower leaves. (Make sure it has at least 1 node from where leaves grow)
No need to use rooting hormones as the success rate is awesome.
Plant it in the soil. You can use the soil type I mentioned earlier. ( 2 inches deep )
You are all done! The root development will start within 4 weeks. ( Do not forget to water )
The next method is Sucker propagation. Look for small shoots (suckers) growing at the base of the parent plant.
Carefully dig around the sucker to expose its roots. You can use a knife to separate them from the parent plant. Plant it in a potting mix. Done!
If possible avoid seed propagation as it takes a longer time.
Fertilization
They are not a heavy feeder. You can use N-P-K balanced fertilizers like 10-10-10 or 20-20-20.
I normally feed them homemade compost only.
To make the leaves healthy and charming use foliar spray.
Now an interesting fact:
Ti plant performs better in partial shade. Despite of this, they are drought tolerant once established.
Can we grow a broadleaf palm lily in a pot?
A big yes! you can definitely plant it in a pot. A lot of people grow them indoors as they act like a natural air purifier.
Did I miss anything? Do let me know in the comment section below!
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