Croton Growin

     Officially, fall has arrived, the weather may not seem like it, but according to the calendar, it has.
Pumpkin spice everything, fairs, leaves changing color, and fall decorations abound.
When it comes to flowers, Chrysanthemums, or better known as mums, tend to top the list. They come in white, yellow, orange, maroon, and brown. You know, all of those 'Fallish" colors.

     What if I told you there is a plant that will not only make itself at home in your home but will retain those fall colors throughout the entire fall and actually all year long!? No more spent blooms. No more plant death because you looked at it wrong. Not to mention it is a houseplant and they have been proven to be beneficial for you and your health.

      Meet the Codiaeum variegatum, or better known as the Croton.

Croton 'Petra'

     This plant has a reputation for being fussy, but, if you know about caring for one properly, it can make for a resilient and hard-to-kill plant. The biggest thing to remember is they tend to make a bad first impression. Sometimes, a person will bring home a new croton from the store and within a few days, the plant will lose some if not all of its foliage. Don't Despair!  It does not happen all of the time and with just a tad of TLC, you will not have this problem. 

     Indoors crotons need lots of light to keep their color. For the very best show of color, your plants need six or eight hours a day of direct sunlight and should sit in an east facing or west-facing window to get good sunlight all day long. If you don’t have a good east or west-facing window, use a grow light to supplement whatever sun you have. Without ample light, your plant will display green leaves and the leaf markings will fade.

Croton 'Zanzibar'

      During growth, which tends to happen when the conditions are warm, you want the soil to be evenly moist for the majority of the time, think wrung out dish sponge. They are somewhat drought-tolerant, due to the waxy coating on their leaves, and it is easy to overwater them. You can wait until the top 2 inches of soil is dry, then water thoroughly. Another sign that it’s time to water your croton plant is that new growth at the ends of the plant stems will wilt slightly. Never allow plants to sit in standing water. 

Croton 'Gold Dust'

     Grown as a houseplant, a container garden plant or used in the landscape in temperate climates. In cooler climates, many gardeners plant it as an annual. They grow anywhere from between 2 – 10 feet tall, depending on climate, soil conditions, and care. They typically stay in a mid-range of 2 – 4 feet. Zones 10 and 11 are the only places that they will get any real height to them.

Croton 'Eleanor Roosevelt'

     As houseplants, croton appreciates high humidity and occasional misting. If the humidity level is low in your house, set your plant on a bed of gravel in a drip tray, just make sure the plant is not sitting IN the water. Use a good commercial potting soil for potted and container plants. When it comes to feeding them,  fertilize with a high nitrogen and potassium mix such as Espoma Palm-Tone Plant Food (4-1-5) about every 6-8 weeks. Water soluble or slow release is fine.

Croton 'Mammey'     

     When keeping your plant as a houseplant in winter, be sure to protect it from cold drafts, which may put stress on the plant. They are tropical and do not like cold temperatures. Don't let them touch cold glass either, they might get a little burned.

You can grow new plants from cuttings. To do this, cut a segment from a healthy stem with a minimum of three sets of leaves. Remove the bottom leaves. Dip the end of the cutting in rooting hormone and plant it in a mixture of coco coir or peat moss, sand and vermiculite. Cover your planted cutting with a humidity trapping cover, such as a plastic bag or a plastic soda bottle. Roots should develop within a couple of weeks.

Croton 'Freckles'

     The croton is native to areas of Malaysia, Indonesia, northern Australia, and the Caribbean. They are part of the poinsettia family. All of the plants in this family have a sticky, white sap that drips from any pruning cuts or spots where leaves or petals have fallen off. The sap is mildly toxic for pets and people, but only if it's digested. However, the plant tastes terrible, and accidental poisonings are rare. If any part of the croton is ingested, it would cause vomiting and/or diarrhea, and in large doses could be fatal.

     To be really festive, bunching a few different cultivars together can create quite the effect!

     As always, if you have any questions concerning this or any of my other articles, please feel free to send them to TheCitrusGuy@netzero.com.
     You can follow me on Facebook or go to my Webpage and learn more about me, my teachings and my bookstore.
Happy Growing!
Darren

Me Mammey!

     With fall, more or less being here, the calendar says one thing, the weather says something else, it is still really warm. Don’t get me wrong, I am by NO MEANS complaining! But, it is time to start decorating for the season. While mums are the usually chosen plant of choice, I have a second, even more brightly colored autumnesque plant, the Mammey Croton.
Just as a side note, it can also be spelled mammy and mamey, personally, I like two M’s and an E.

Picture courtesy of palm tree landscaping/pine island/cape coral

     This plant just screams fall. Considered one of the smaller crotons, easily kept at 3 feet or shorter, it is known as a red variety with bright red, yellow and green leaves, also with the occasional black variegation. They are easy to grow and easily obtainable.
     Botanically, it is Codiaeum variegatum and is a member of the Euphorbia family. Native to Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands, it is a standard plant in many Florida and California landscapes.

Picture courtesy of http://www.marriedtoplants.com

     Crotons, in general, can be planted in almost any light - full sun to partial shade - with some types of this plant, like the classic Petra, preferring a bit more shade. Mammeys attain their brightest coloring in full sun; though keep in mind that crotons should be shaded during the hottest part of the day since too much sun can bleach the color of their leaves. Mammy is an awesome looking plant with its twisted, multi-colored leaves that look like long party streamers flying out of its container.
Grown indoors, its leaves are subtler in their coloration, tending more towards the greens and purples with bits of red, but if grown in bright light environments it rapidly transforms into an explosion of brilliant color.

Picture courtesy of https://www.pinterest.com/naturalsweetnes/crotons/

     The general consensus states that Mammey crotons will not survive below 50 degrees and should be grown as potted plants to be brought inside when the temperatures get that low. Here in my zone 8, I have seen them freeze back at temperatures below 30 but come back the next year. A heavy mulch will help tremendously. They like at least 40% relative humidity but will tolerate lower, possibly with some defoliation. Mammey will grow in most any soil type, just make sure the area is well-drained...none of the crotons will put up with "wet feet."
     This plant is moderately salt-tolerant and drought-tolerant, once established, though it does best with regular irrigation. Give it time to dry out slightly between waterings. Pruning is only needed occasionally to keep the plant's size in check. As with all foliage shrubs, you should always trim stems - don't cut across the leaves.

     Fertilize 3 times a year if planted outside, early spring (March), summer (June) and autumn (September) with your favorite acidic fertilizer, such as Espoma Holly-Tone. If you bring it indoors, a little shot of liquid fertilizer would be useful in January.
     Spider Mites, Scale and the occasional Mealy Bug are the only pests; use a miticide for the mites, insecticidal soap for the mealies and neem oil for the scale.

Photo Courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/scotnelson/25232425739

     Propagation is relatively easy and is a great way to use the clippings when you are pruning. Cut a 5-6 inch long stem with at least 3 sets of leaves at the top. Cutting the stem just below a leaf joint. Remove all the leaves except the very top, and dip the end of the cutting into a rooting hormone such as Dyna-Gro Water Soluble Root Gel. Place it in moist soil (or your favorite rooting medium) and cover the container with a plastic bag to provide greenhouse type conditions. Open the bag occasionally to check whether the plant needs to be watered. You can propagate crotons by cuttings at any time of year and you should get a rooted plant within 4 weeks. When the cutting has developed its own root system, remove the plastic cover and place the plant in a shaded place for another 8-10 weeks. Remove it into a permanent container or plant it outside.
     Although the croton is a common houseplant, you should be very careful when handling it. The plant’s sap is highly toxic. It is even suspected that the oil is co-carcinogen. All parts of the plant, leaves, stems, flowers, and roots are poisonous if ingested. But, thankfully ingesting it is usually not deadly. Some of the usual poisoning symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The contact with the plant’s sap, as with many of the euphorbia species, can cause skin irritation and allergic reaction. Handling the plant can cause skin eczema in some people. So if you have the possibility of having this issue, be sure to wear gloves while handling it. The plant is also considered dangerous for pets such as dogs or cats. If your pet has eaten the croton, call a veterinarian or a poison control center immediately.
     Well, there you have it, a fall-themed plant for the outdoors and a really nice houseplant at the same time. Just don’t try to serve it at any of your holiday meals.
If you have any questions about this or ANY of my other articles, please feel free to e-mail me at TheCitrusGuy@netzero.com.
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Happy Growing!
Darren