What Care Does a Red Sister Cordyline Plant Need?

A Red Sister cordyline plant needs warm temperatures and bright sunlight to grow. It requires moist soil and regular watering. A Red Sister cordyline should be fertilized every three months and cut back in early spring. It should be checked for bugs and insects regularly.

The Red Sister cordyline is the most commonly grown type of cordyline plant. It has bronze magenta leaves and fuschia colored new growth. Red Sister cordyline plants are found in southeastern Asia, northeastern Australia, the Indian Ocean, parts of Polynesia, Hawaii and New Zealand. The plant was brought to Hawaii and New Zealand by Polynesian settlers, according to Four C’s Nursery.

Left unattended, the Red Sister cordyline can grow up to 8 to 10 feet tall. The Red Sister cordyline should be pruned back to 6 inches above the soil. Cutting the plant back to 1 foot encourages it to grow back bushier.

Red Sister cordylines bloom in mid-summer and produce pale pink and pink blooms. They can be grown indoors and in containers. If the plant is kept inside, the gardener should place a humidifier in the room or mist the plant daily. If the Red Sister cordyline is grown outdoors, it should be watered overhead to provide humidity.