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Hi Diarmuid

We have had a mature Cordyline tree in our back garden for a number of years. When it fell into our neighbour’s garden we decided to chop down.

We knew that we would get some shoots from the old tree’s stump but we have never been able to successfully cultivate any cuttings from them before.

We have managed to get two of the four shoots with reasonable roots attached but the two big ones seem to be growing directly from the stump. How do we tackle that and how deep do you think we will need to cut it out? Also, most

importantly, how do we keep them growing?

Maureen Wood, by email

Hi Maureen

You can pot up the shoots that you retrieved into individual pots. Use a well-drained cuttings compost, water in and place on a windowsill or in the greenhouse.

Bottom heat will help them develop more quickly. It might be difficult to detach the larger shoots from the stump but using a sharp knife, try to get as much root out as possible.

In spring it’s likely that suckers will emerge from around the base of the stump and these would also be good candidates for potting up in the same way.

Diarmuid