How to care for croton
Question: I want to buy a croton, what difficulties can appear?
Lilu: My croton and I fought for survival for 5 months! At first, dry spots appeared, then the sheet fell off. He is bald almost completely. I sprayed it every week with epine (in addition to daily spraying). He lived under the package for 2 months. Now he stands on a pallet with wet expanded clay, has grown a new crown, and has released leaves and even a twig from the buds on the trunk.
Carina: I almost ruined my croton when I bought it. And he only needs:
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in
- high humidity (water into the tray, but so that it does not come into contact with the ground; splash more often; away from heating appliances)
- good illumination (to keep the leaves bright)
- no drafts
- watering regularly, without drying and excess dampness
By the way, high humidity prevents the appearance of a vile parasite - a spider mite! Barely saved her krotonchik.
Croton - care and cultivation - in the Encyclopedia of Houseplants section.
maksim: Crotons will have serious problems for those who like to water every other day, regardless of the time of year and shady location. Sometimes they write that the croton puts up with shading but loses its color-fairy tale, everyone with whom I talked, and with 2-3 cloudy days they stop growing. Another problem of the codium (croton) is the spider mite (treated by spraying - mustard gas). Plus this tree loves fresh air, but can not stand cold drafts. And the croton also suffers from a long drying of the soil - how the leaves began to descend (subside) - immediately pour.
Ann: My croton is about three years old, Gold Star variety. According to observation, he does not really like the bright sun, becomes colorless red. And when it stands in the diffused sun - it is lemon green with bright yellow peas. Only I am tormented by the question - how best to form it. While it is a tree-like plant that constantly gives lateral branches. If anyone has experience in this type - share your experience of formation.
Croton: leaves have lost their color
Question: And my small narrow-leaved croton has become completely pale yellow, what to do?
Nata1: Remove from direct sun. The color of croton leaves changes with age, but it also depends on the illumination. If you put it in a dark place, then, most likely, the leaves will remain green, if it is too sunny, they will turn pale (burn out).
Crotonleaves fall
Question: Lower leaves fall with age, is this correct or not? The barrel is exposed. Well, then it will become completely naked?
Shrovetide: In winter, this happens and there can be several reasons: dry air, draft, low light. Check for pests (just in case). For several years, not a single bottom sheet fell for the whole year.
Question: And what if the croton (codium) has a bare trunk below. Where the leaves have fallen away, will the new ones no longer grow? So can then cut off the top and plant?
Carina: I wouldn't advise you to cut the top and root it. I tried to root the tops of the croton many times. None stuck. Croton is very difficult to root exactly the top, especially if it is massive with burdock leaves! But you can root a side escape, if there is one - it is better to give roots. So that the trunk of the croton does not expose ahead of time from below, you need to spray more often, do not dry out, the worst harm is the air from central heating. The leaves in the same place, of course, will no longer grow, but perhaps in these places your croton will begin to branch.
irina-bahus: The lower leaves fall away from lack of humidity, nothing can be done about it, but you can plant something stunted and fluffy down.
Codiaeum is reproduction
Question: How to reproduce croton from a cutting?
irina-bahus: Rooting the top of the head is difficult. But time and size are important here - the handle should be small 10-15 cm, and the tops, as a rule, are voluminous, heavy. Therefore, if you cut off the crown, you need to cut off the leaves, leave the top 3-4 smallest. And cut cuttings in spring or summer. Do not try to root in autumn or winter when it is cold and there is little light.
Shrovetide: Out of 7-8 cuttings, half or less will take root. The main thing in this process is not to let the leaves go limp, for which they need to be placed under a hood. I sometimes have them under additional lighting. Crotons with small leaves take root with a bang, large ones are more difficult.
Buttercup: I raised my Croton Goldfinger from a handle that just stood in the water until it took root. Charcoal or activated charcoal was added to the water. Now he is already two years old.
Ann: The secret of rooting croton (codium) is simple - there is no need to remove young processes, it is necessary that they grow and get stronger more, then it takes root perfectly both in water and in the ground.
Croton formation
Question: Is it necessary to pinch it for branching, or is it necessary to get used to it? It's just that I still have a small one - 12 leaves.
Kroky: If the croton is large-leaved, you don't need to pinch or scoop. Such very poorly give lateral shoots (if at all). I had a sad experience with the Gold King croton. My cat decided to "pinch" him. He was biting the growth point. No lateral ones appeared, and a new growth point appeared at the top sheet. So it was twice. After the third "pinching," the croton gave up and began to die. None of my manipulations helped.
Lenochka: yes, you can, I pinched and trimmed mine, after which they branch, but not abundantly. And without pinching or pruning, it produces 1 or 2 lateral shoots in a couple of years of cultivation.
Land for croton
Question: Bought a croton, you need to transplant or enough transshipment, and in what land?
Kroky: Take the universal soil from the store, add vermiculite (a fifth) to it, and the pot is slightly larger (2-3 cm in diameter), the store usually has such a size that it is not clear how the flower was stuffed there. The method of transplantation is a matter of taste and condition of the roots. If the roots are normal, shake off a little with a transshipment, earthen lump and plant a croton. After the transplant, spray with epine - this is a stimulant of the immune system.
Ann: The soil for croton is the most common - this plant is not demanding on the soil, just not to sour (covered with a salt coating). You can take garden land, but add more vermiculite to it, about 1/4 part of the total mass. If you will buy soil for croton in the store, choose the one for palm trees, ficuses, monsters. Don't forget about the drainage at the bottom of the pot!
Question: What pots do crotons like: small or deep? My croton grows so slowly, although the color is juicy, and the leaves are different on the floors - one floor is large leaves, the second is small, and so they alternate. I think maybe the pot has become small?
irina-bahus: He doesn't need a small pot, the usual one will do. Only proportionate to the roots - in a large pot there is a very high probability of flooding. My Gold Star croton is growing slowly, but Exellent is growing fast. Maybe this is a feature of the variety.
How croton grows
Question: I bought a krotonchik while the sheet was being adapted. Then there was a transplant (most likely transshipment) of soil, watering, habitat (east window) everything is normal! There are no drafts! Root is normal! The roots are whitish, elastic. But, he froze something all summer and did not give out a single leaf! What is the problem and how to deal with it?
Kroky: If you take care of him normally, spray him, the water does not stagnate, he drinks normally, the leaves do not pour, then personally I do not see a problem. Croton can grow in jerks, released 2-4 sheets, froze for a while, etc. Patience!
Question: Do crotons bloom? It looks like a bud is tying on my young croton.
Innusik: This is how my croton Exelent blooms (big).
irina-bahus: Mine bloomed once, last year I didn't indulge in it either, but first I had male "flowers" come out - there were large drops of syrup on the stick, in some modified sepals (apparently), and two weeks later a second branch came out, and there were balls on it. After much torment, I tried the syrup and, as a result, the whole slopal turned out to be very tasty. And then the croton has two types of flowers, maybe your underdeveloped leaf is an unsuccessful attempt at a male inflorescence? Because fluffy balls are definitely female.
Buttercup: If your croton is still weak, then it is better not to let it bloom. Flowering still requires additional strength in plants.
Question: I want to buy krotonchik. How fast are they growing? Does it make sense to buy a small plant?
irina-bahus: Unfortunately, crotons grow fast, I would even say very quickly. Some can be restrained by pinching, and some still grow no matter what. So it is better to buy a small one, there will be time to think about what to do with it later.
Question: Is it true that crotons change color and what does it depend on?
irina-bahus: Krotons definitely need light, and as much as possible. The variegated shape changes color depending not only on light, but also on age. On a large croton, which is Exellent, the leaves are red below, yellow in the middle, and very young green above.
Question: What to plant to the bald croton below? I thought about a few peperomies or ficus "sunny." Will such planting hurt croton?
Buttercup: Ficus "Sunny" should not be made groundcover, because it has very strong roots and drowns out others. My croton was perfectly adjacent to the sweatshirt and phyttonias.
Tick on croton
Question: 3 weeks ago I left - he released 4 luxurious green leaves, 2 not quite large yet and 2 more embryos of leaves. And today I see: all the leaves instead of green are burgundy, those leaves that were going to grow, where they turned 1 cm yellow and fell off. At the same time, the old leaves in the middle remained green with burgundy. Is it good or bad?
Kroky: there is a suspicion that the tick. I had it as it was - during the rearrangement, a leaf fell out of the middle of the crown, it seems to be nothing special, but upon closer inspection from the outer and inner sides of the spot (on the underside of the sheet there are white dots, removed by hand), and from the inner fossa. And on the young leaf, still green, I noticed a strange purple speck. This is a tick, such a purple color adds.
Tishka: If there are spots, like from a needle prick, this is a tick. Especially after the store, this is often found. Spray it with any anti-tick drug, because it is useless to wash (the leaves of this croton are wavy and it is almost impossible to rinse well).