Can I Remove Flowering Part To Stop Cordyline Trunk Splitting?

[Mr FootOfDavros]

Good afternoon All

A few weeks ago I was able to identify a tropical looking plant we wanted for the garden. It turned out to be a Cordyline australis / cabbage tree.

Anyway, by a stroke of luck someone nearby us was looking for someone to rehouse one, so we landed up with one and have it all set up in the garden looking nice...

So, I was taking a closer look at yesterday and it transpires that in among the new leaf folds, it's flowering already:-

The thing is, I read that after it flowers the trunk will split and you land up with two separate trunks growing.

The plant isn't that tall yet and ideally I'd rather it was a bit taller before this happened, so what I'm wondering is if I managed to cut out this flower stalk now - before it blooms - can I stop the trunk splitting process from happening?

If anyone has one of these plants and can offer any advice around this, I'd be most grateful. Thanks.

 

[cpp gardener]

I think the branching-after-flowering process is programmed in, but you could try removing the flower stalk anyway. Once it grows out, if the branch is too low for you, you can remove it. There will be a wound, but it won’t be terribly noticeable.

 

[Mr FootOfDavros]

Thanks. I'll try cutting it out tomorrow then and see what happens.

I also read you can top these and it would grow back below / at the point it was cut, so maybe that's another option. Although I think before spring was the optimal time to do that.

 

[cpp gardener]

Yes, but you would be creating a branch, and probably several, at that point.

 

[Mr FootOfDavros]

Ah, I see. So when you were saying previously:-
"Once it grows out, if the branch is too low for you, you can remove it..."

Did you mean that the new (splitting) branch grows out from where the flower stalk is? So if I just cut it out when it's new, the main branch will just keeping growing up the way?

I've seen much taller straight trunked Cordylines around here, so either they've never flowered or the new branches are being cut off once formed, as I think you are suggesting...

 

[cpp gardener]

If they’re completely straight, then they haven’t bloomed yet. It is unusual for them to bloom at less than 6’.