I keep mine in partial sun (west or east window), otherwise they will loose pink variegation. they are extremely prone to mites indoors.

yours is a huge plant in a small pot: if you can't give it 3-4 hours of sun (don't put it too close to cold window! keep it at least a foot and half away from glass) then you need supplemental artificial light. otherwise it will drop leaves. and it needs to stay warm: 70F. at 65F and below it will go almost dormant, so water it much less (let it dry half way down), and don't water profusely, but don't let it dry completely (drops leaves).

when it's wet and cold ..yes, it drops leaves too!

it's a difficult plant to keep indoors unless you have lots of light and keep a warm house.

or..and if you have low humidity..it's mites..mites..mites..(spotted leaves): you'll need to shower and spray with neem oil regularly (every couple of weeks if necessary).

what type of artificial light do you suggest?

Can I break the plant up into 2 pots? I plan on repotting it into the big planter it's just sitting in, but I was told never to replant in the Winter

that planter it's sitting in is too large, something in between will do. but only do it once your temps are above 72F-75F (most likely in may-june). it will do better over winter in smaller faster drying pot. it won't grow much in dim light with low temps anyway.

I would not advise breaking it up: you will damage a lot of roots and it will drop lower leaves by summer most likely. it grows very slow and it does not branch, so 1 cane won't look good by itself. it'll never get bushy. the older it gets the longer the canes will be.

much later (sev years, if it survives ;)), when it gets bigger it's possible to cut the cane and root the tip. And if it's old enough and strong it will resprout(the old left over cane). But often after that they start looking ugly, since the sprouts go ANYWHERE, BUT where you want them :).

I don't use lights, so somebody else needs to advise you. day-light bulbs or strong fluorescent lights within 1 foot of the crown should help as supplemental to natural light.

do not keep it in the dark corner far away from the window. it needs to get good natural light even if there is no sun.

thank you so much! this is perfect. i will move it by my finicky fiddle leaf figs in my west window.

Perhaps you can identify this plant? I bought it at the same time, but it doesn't have a tag. I'm guessing it me the medium light to, although I'm hoping it could do in low light :)

It looks like Never Never plant, Ctenanthe sp.

Very nice plants!

Jen - If you don't want to help it limp through the winter, you can very easily over-winter your plant by leaving it outdoors in autumn until frost knocks it back. Keep it on the dry side while waiting on the frost. After frost hits it, withhold water and store in a cool, low-light area (basement/ breezeway/ 3-season room) where temps will not drop below freezing. You could also chop the cane back a few inches above the soil line and leave it on the floor of an attached garage, covered with an overturned cardboard box, if you like.

I have one in the ground (in mid-Michigan, zone 6a - 5b) that dies back every autumn & comes back in mid-Jun every year. It was a leftover from the mixed floral arrangements I plant to add color to the decks and front garden. It's the last perennial to make its spring appearance, arriving even later than the hardy hibiscus, so be patient in the spring if you follow this plan.

Al

Great suggestion, thanks tapla!

Mine lives in the same extra large pot of variegated shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet 'Variegata') and it bloomed a couple of weeks ago (for the first time). It is on the edge of a wall that gets some sunlight from the basement door and shop lights a few feet from it and seems perfectly happy for the last 10 weeks or more.

yep, the 2nd plant is Ctenanthe marantifolia, sev hybrids have similar variegation.

I would not call it a low light plant. h-mm..although for outside in summer in southern US under trees it is in perfect low light ;). but that is quite different from indoors low light, which is much lower.

But it requires less light then Cordyline, for sure.

I have C. oppenheimiana 'tricolor' and I keep it in the same position as Cordyline in warm West window half obstructed, so not as hot as clear west. Though your Ctenanthe can take lower light then that. still, not a dark corner. may be 2-3 feet from the window? where it is still somewhat bright.

1-2 hours of late/early sun will be nice. it is a very healthy plant! do not let it dry out more then half the height of the pot, warm and humid as much as you can. Calathea and Ctenanthe might be sensitive to fluoride and salts (softening ) in the water (brown edges).

..and mites...as usual..

it'll run a rhizome(thick root) around the pot and produce new clusters (crowns) off it. as older crowns die the new ones are formed. IF and when you repot, allow at least 3 clusters to remain together, otherwise they become too weak. 5 is even better.

To me the second plant looks more like Ctenanthe lubbersiana or Ctenanthe pilosa.

ok, it can be C. lubbersiana. Variegation is very close. culture is the same on all.

on garden.org C marantifolia and C. pilosa are listed as synonyms.

I just heard about water softner causing issues and here you say it too. lots of my plants get brown spots on edges. i always thought it was overwatering. hmmmmm

when you say thick root around the pot....I've seen that in a lot of ones i repot. didnt know it was a thing - thought it meant it was "root bound" and needed more space. I'm definitely learning LOL.

thank you everyone!!

>> when you say thick root around the pot.

it's not just regular roots: plant roots circle around the pot when they are root bound.

But certain plants grow rhizomes (look up the term): it's a thickened root that produces off-sets and it runs close to or on the surface of soil. ctenanthe is one of those with rhizomes.

ahhh gotcha. They are definitely different!

These need much more light then they say. To be right one foot or two from a window is best. These need to go dry in between waterings.only in the winter. I would recommend you re potting or up rooting until April. Otherwise it will struggle hard. Also take it outside in the summer other wise it won't look proper growth. If it's something you plan to keep inside year round I would reccomend something a few steps down and go for a basic snake plant or something that can take lower light levels.

That last plant is stunning & yes, looks so healthy. Best of luck w/ it!

The Cordyline plant lives in the same pot of variegated shell ginger and has no direct light this winter

and the bloom on Xmas Eve (first time ever)

outdoors in 2018 it gets full sun to darken up and looks so much healthier.

In Maui, it grows like a weed (March 30, 2019)

in south FL too, planted everywhere in street landscaping. and that same variegated ginger too! The one with pink tips is called 'Red Sister': the sun brings out the pinks. It's blooming right now.

Ctenanthe is not that common though, the one you can see occasionally is Stromanthe 'Tricolor' (related to Ctenanthe), but in private gardens mostly.

But then Monstera and giant Aroids and philodendrons are common here like petunias :).

not to mention Crotons of all kind and variegated Schefflera hedges!

even saw Ming Aralia just flourishing :). But then last 2-3 winters were record breaking warm.

i keep my house at 80 and these guys are doing fine. 💕

these are thai aglaonemas (with pink in them), not Cordylines. And the pots are way too big for them. it's good that yr temps are high, otherwise they can rot very fast in damp soil even at 68F.

When I put my Cordyline outside it finally pinked up well.

I have several cuttings in the same pot from different varieties, the large pink one is 'Red Sister'.

Since they installed water softener in the building it started having brown tips and edges.

many other plants put up with 'bad water', but a few really get those ugly tips (stromanthe and calatheas and cordylines are the worst affected). I bring some water from outside occasionally to give it a break, but I need way too much to water all the ones that need it.

i just saw these in a fresh Walmart "Costa Farms" style display and it was the only species i'd never heard of. @petrushka (7b) your arrowhead vine makes me feel faint, i love the look of them so much

m-m..there's no arrowhead vine in the pic above. do you mean the plant to the right of Cordyline? that's Calla (Zantedeschia albomaculata). the white leaves, that's a Caladium 'White Queen' and upfront that's African Mask (Alocasia 'Polly). they are all Aroids.

the aarowhead vine is a Syngonium and a have a couple of those too, of course :). but not in the pic above.