Croton - home care and how to water this plant

Croton is a beautiful ornamental evergreen plant. It is appreciated for its beautiful shape and original coloring of the leaves.

The origin of croton

Croton, or codiaum, is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Indonesia, Southeast Asia, India and some of the Pacific islands. It first appeared in Europe in the first half of the 19th century.

Croton is a plant with a dense, smooth, erect stem, from which a large number of lateral processes depart. Some species do not have a trunk, the leaves extend immediately from the root.

Croton

Under natural conditions, the plant reaches a height of 4 meters and even more, in indoor conditions - up to one meter.

Belongs to the Euphorbia family. Croton juice is poisonous, therefore dangerous for animals and humans. If it gets on the skin, it can cause irritation, if it gets into the stomach, it can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Therefore, when caring for a plant, flower growers observe safety precautions: they put gloves on their hands. After work, tools and hands should be thoroughly rinsed with water.

How the houseplant croton blooms

The flowering period is late February-early March.

The flowers are white with a yellowish tinge and are rather inconspicuous. Formed in the leaf axils of the plant. Collected in a medium-sized panicle, which is located on a dense peduncle. Bright sunlight stimulates the appearance of flowers.

Flowers are dioecious. Usually, female flowers appear first, then male flowers. The flowering period is about a month.

Croton blooms greatly weaken the plant, so they are usually removed.

Croton leaf descriptions

The perennial has tough and leathery leaves, resembling ficus leaves, located on petioles. Depending on the species, they can be ribbon-like, curled, narrow, wide, large and small, have a shape from three-toed to oval, smooth or slightly wavy edges.

The color of the leaves can also vary depending on the species. There are plants with pink, dark green, olive, chocolate, raspberry, red leaves.

The relief pattern is clearly visible along the veins.

Attention! Usually croton leaves are two-colored, but there are species in which the color of the leaves consists of 5-6 flowers.

Young leaves are usually green or yellow in color. Over time, they can change color, spots of different colors appear on them, and the bush takes on its bright and beautiful appearance.

Types and varieties of croton

Currently, more than 1200 species of croton are known. However, only codiaum Variegatum, its varieties and hybrids derived from it are suitable for growing at home. Currently, most of the hybrids are bred by US breeders.

Dragon look

The homeland of the plant is America. It got its name from the red resin, somewhat reminiscent of blood.Mature plants look like trees with a thick trunk.

Dragon croton

This resin is used in the manufacture of varnishes, as well as in folk medicine, as it has good antiseptic and analgesic properties. It is used in the treatment of various kinds of ulcers, for the healing of wounds. Resin preparations are prescribed with reduced immunity.

Croton Cascarilla or Euteria

In natural conditions, Cascarilla is a small tree. The bark has a pleasant sweetish smell. It is used in the preparation of aromatic oils.

In medicine, oil is prescribed for diseases of the respiratory tract or stomach. It has antiseptic properties, so it is used for skin inflammation. In cooking, it is used to make a fragrance for liqueurs.

Prickly croton

The shrub resembles a dragon croton not only in appearance, but also in properties and scope.

The color of the leaves is green and red.

The resin is used in the paint and varnish industry for the manufacture of varnishes.

Laxative Croton

The homeland of the plant is Asia. Can grow as a shrub or small tree, depending on conditions.

Seeds are a valuable raw material for pharmacology. They are used to produce oil, which has a laxative effect.

The oil is used in homeopathy, cosmetology, medicine. It is used to treat eczema, herpes and constipation. However, Croton laxative seed oil is poisonous. During treatment, you must strictly adhere to the dosage so as not to harm the body.

Variegated croton

This is the most common type. On its basis, for growing at home, many different varieties and hybrids of crotons were bred as indoor plants.

Leaves can be of different shapes: from spiral to oval. Painted in at least two colors. Usually these are combinations of colors of yellow, green, brown, pink and red.

Croton variegated

Three-bladed crotons

The shape of the leaf plate of this type resembles an oak leaf. Visually, it is divided into three parts, with the central part being larger than the lateral ones.

The leaves themselves are large, tough, leathery. The color is combined of green, yellow, red, brown, burgundy and other colors.

This type includes codiaums:

• Exilent;
• Nervia;
• Disraeli;
• Holuffianaa.

Croton Exilent

Narrow-leaved crotons

This variety includes plants with long but narrow leaves. They are used in the design of not only residential premises, but also offices.

The most optimal conditions for development are diffused light, warm moist air and moist soil.

This group includes:

• Mummy;
• Sunny is old;
• Zanzibar;
• Splashes of champagne.

Croton Mummy

Leaves are usually up to 30 cm long. Under favorable conditions, the plant can reach 1 m in height.

Lobed varieties of crotons

In this type of codiae, the leaf plate resembles three-bladed varieties, but only it is solid.

The shape and dimensions of the leaf plate may also differ depending on the variety.

This type includes:

• Peter;
• Gold Sun;
• Mrs. Aiston.

You can also see Croton Variegatum Mix on sale. In the case of selling mixed plants, it is not a specific variety of indoor croton flower that is offered, but a cluster of several varieties and hybrids of codiaums, which can be difficult to identify.

Croton mix

Croton transplant after purchase in open ground

After acquiring codiaum, it is recommended to transplant the plant into another soil, because the substrate that is used when transporting seedlings is not always suitable for long-term cultivation.

However, the croton flower should not be replanted on the same day it was purchased. Planting can be started after at least 10 days. During this time, the plant acclimatizes and transplant is easier.

For young bushes, it is recommended to transplant every year, adults - no more than 1 time in three years (as the root system grows).

It is best to do a bush transplant in the spring or early summer.

What you need to plant croton

For optimal growth and development, codiaums need light and fertile soil. To independently prepare the substrate, they take sod land, fine sand, humus and peat in equal proportions. All components of the substrate are thoroughly mixed.

Additionally, you can add a little charcoal or ash to the soil. This will prevent the spread of putrefactive diseases in plants.

For planting, you can purchase universal soil for indoor plants in a specialized store. Also, for transplantation, it is necessary to prepare a flower pot with a diameter of 3 cm larger than the previous one, made of plastic or clay. An important condition is that it must have large drainage holes.

Choosing the best place

A warm, sunny place, without drafts, is best suited for growing codiaum. With a lack of lighting, the leaves will lose their variegated color and become monochromatic.

Direct sunlight will not be able to harm the leaves, but it is preferable that the light is diffused. It is best to place the flower on a window that faces west or east.

In order for the codiaum to feel comfortable and develop normally, the surrounding air must be humid. You should not place the flower next to heating devices that dry the air greatly.

Step-by-step planting process

1. First of all, you need to prepare a flower pot.
2. Sterilized drainage is poured at the bottom. It can be crumbs of broken red brick, expanded clay, polystyrene, etc.
3. Part of the soil mixture is poured onto the drainage, which is slightly tamped and moistened.
4. A plant is taken out of the pot. Be sure to monitor the integrity of the earthen coma. It shouldn't be destroyed. It is better to use the method of transferring from one pot to another.

Croton transplant

5. Inspect the root system. If rotten roots are noticed, then they need to be removed.
6. Place the flower in a pot and cover the pot with the remaining mixture. In this case, you need to ensure that no voids remain between the earthen clod and the walls of the pot. The container can be shaken periodically so that the earth evenly covers the free cavities.
7. After transplanting, the soil is moderately watered, the leaves are sprayed with water and the pot is placed in a warm, shaded place.

If there is no desire to grow a tall croton flower, then there is no need to transplant. If the ground is covered with a white coating, then it can simply be updated a little. To do this, carefully remove the top layer of soil (3-5 cm) and pour new soil on top.

Croton reproduction

A plant can multiply in several ways:

• cuttings;
• layering;
• seeds.

Propagation by cuttings

To obtain high-quality cuttings, lignified healthy shoots are selected. The stalk is cut from the tip of the shoot 7-10 cm long with 2-3 leaves.

The cut of the shoot is dipped in a glass of water and kept for several hours. Thanks to this procedure, the milky juice on the cut will not be able to dry out. Then the stalk is taken out of the glass, the remaining juice is removed and placed in a container with a sand-peat mixture. The cuttings are placed in a bright place. The air temperature in the room must be at least + 25 ° С.

After about a month, roots form on the cuttings. After rooting, the plant begins to actively release shoots.

Propagation by cuttings

It is better to propagate a flower by cuttings in spring or early summer.

Growing from seeds

The seeds are harvested on their own or purchased from a store.

Seeds are sown on the prepared sand-peat mixture and slightly crushed on top with the same mixture. They are pre-soaked in Kornevin's solution for better germination.

Then the container is covered with plastic wrap and placed in a warm place. It is recommended to ventilate the greenhouse daily. If the soil is dry, then the soil is sprayed.A month after sowing, seedlings appear.

Croton home care

Many novice flower growers do not know how to care for croton at home. In principle, this is not difficult, although there are some nuances.

Watering mode

Codiaum is a tropical plant, for which one of the important conditions for normal development is high air humidity. It should be 70-80%. Therefore, it is important to regularly water the plant and spray the leaves with water.

In the hot season and in the heating season, spraying with warm water from a spray bottle will greatly benefit the plant. You also need to periodically wipe the surface of the leaves with a damp cloth.

For irrigation, you need to use warm, settled water. The soil of the flowerpot should be moist at all times, but not waterlogged. Usually, watering is carried out in the warm season 2-3 times a week, in winter - 1 time.

Top dressing

In the spring-summer period, Croton is fed with a solution of mineral fertilizers, which is used for deciduous plants. The frequency of fertilization is 1-2 times a month.

In winter, feeding is not performed or carried out, but not more than 1 time.

Preparing for winter

In winter, the daylight hours for a plant should be at least 12 hours. Therefore, it is imperative to organize artificial lighting. If you do not arrange the backlight, then the leaves will lose their motley color.

The ambient temperature should not fall below + 17 ° С. Optimally, it should be within + 18-20 ° С.

Flowerpots should be away from cold window panes and away from heaters.

Thus, caring for croton at home is not difficult, you just need to follow some rules so that households can be pleased with this beautiful and festive flower with bright colors.