Dead Cordyline disposal.

[Big-Al]

You can rescue it by cutting down the main trunk to 3-5ft , and you should get two or three new growth points emerging directly from the stem at this point. If you leave these, they will all grow to produce a multi-headed effect, you could remove a couple of these buds as they develop to try and produce a single headed tree again if so desired though I think multi headed looks ok.

 

The best time to do this is april/may, whenever the weather starts to improve and temperatures start to rise, but leave well alone until you do or don’t see any signs of life – this could be as late as late may.

Edited December 26, 2010 by Big-Al

[tree_beard]

i hate cabbage palms.. hate em, and thats just to look at...

 

disposal isnt too bad tho. the fronds (when dry) burn very well, i know a few people who collect them and tie them in a knot to use as kindling.

 

as for the trunks/stems, it seems greenmech disk chippers chip them very well (i spent quite a while trying to clog a 6" 34hp demo machine with the stuff and it coped admirably). no access to a gm, then habitat pile it is:001_tongue:

[18 stoner]

Funnily enough, it was as a result of wrapping the flywheel of my G/Mech that stopped me trying to chip them any more:001_rolleyes:

 

Perhaps I ought to try one through the Vermeer some time, but following past experience, I dont fancy hours of unwinding the stuff from that beast!

[skyhuck]

You need to be sure the blades are sharp, if the its been cut by the blades it can't wrap.

[tree_beard]

Funnily enough, it was as a result of wrapping the flywheel of my G/Mech that stopped me trying to chip them any more:001_rolleyes:

 

oh:001_huh: it was fresh cut, live cordyline i tryed to jam the demo greenmech with... a pickup load of 4-6" stems, fronds and all.

 

a different story with dead stuff perhaps? dead fronds do burn great tho, just put a match to it and its off.

[Taupotreeman]

Apparently, according to the local Maoris, if you leave them stored somewhere until they are properly dead and dry they make excellent kindling. Otherwise take em to the local tip in the back of the truck. They won't even take them for greenwaste composting here because the big tub grinders clog up with Cordyline and Flax fronds.

[ukminch]

I cut them up and chuck them in the back of the truck and dump them at the greenwaste disposal site. They did mention they were a nightmare the other day though......

[Taupotreeman]

At most of the local council tips now they check the back of the truck to make sure you don't have Flax, Cordyline or Bamboo in the back. It takes ages to rot down and if you get caught hiding it in the bottom of the truck under other greenwaste (as some do) you're in the brown smelly stuff. The fronds do burn though but they need to be dry so it's probably a decent excuse to get a bonfire going.

[Taupotreeman]

Oh, and they've clogged up 15" morbark chippers so I wouldn't risk trying to put em through a chipper unless you absolutely have to. Funnily enough they go through drum chippers much more easily but still come out the other side pretty much intact.

[DrewB]

We run bc1000 and they seem to chip up cordyline ok but yeah, sometimes the fronds look the same when they come out of the chipper