Collection: Croton

Croton Plant Indoor

Crotons are easy to care for plant species that need plenty of water and full to dappled sun. While they grow happily outdoors, growing them indoors is all about replicating their original growing conditions.
When grown outdoors the croton plant can grow up to 8 feet tall, but in planters or indoor plant pots, the croton plant grows relatively slowly and tends to be much smaller than their outdoor counterparts planted directly into the soil.
The key point with growing a croton indoor is giving it the ideal temperature and humidity and if you nail it your home garden will have a plant that is not only an explosion of colours but also has excellent air purifying properties, improves humidity, and also helps boost mood and productivity in both indoor and office gardens.
It’s a tropical plant that can be planted at any time of the year and the care is fairly simple.

Croton plant care

Let’s take a look at the detailed care guide for the croton plant.

✅ Fertiliser for croton

Crotons love frequent feedings and they reciprocate with bigger leaves and a sturdier plant. Feed your plant every 2 weeks in the growing season of spring and summer with a well-balanced houseplant fertiliser like the Ugaoo Plant tonic.
The fertilisers must be applied directly to the roots and once a month also sprayed on the leaves for bigger brighter foliage. Make sure to not spray the fertilisers during peak sun. Spray your fertiliser either early morning or in the evenings when the sun is not strong to avoid sun burns on the leaves.

✅Propagating croton

The croton can be propagated by dividing clumps during repotting activities, which can be done during any season. Although, avoid doing this if you are a new gardener.
croton grows in a cluster form, with the leaves emerging directly out of the soil in bunches. While repotting try identifying several such bunches, if the bunches are big enough with their own sustainable root system, pry them apart to form two separate plants, each with their own root system. Pot these new plants in a fresh, rich, well-draining potting mix.

✅Repotting croton

1. Repotting crotons is fairly simple. Repotting of crotons should only be undertaken when the current planter is too small for the plant. If you notice roots coming out of the drainage hole or showing on top of the topsoil, then it's time to repot your plant.
2. Select a planter at least 3-4 inches larger than the current planter. Gently remove the plant from the current planter and loosen the root system by taking out as much old soil as possible from it. Make sure to not damage the root.
3. Now plant it in the slightly larger planter with a fresh well-draining potting mix.

Types of croton plants

Crotons come in hundreds of popular varieties. Every croton plant is unique due to the plant's genetic variability. Plant collectors covet unusual varieties. The croton plants are often classified by leaf shape like curling, twisted, oak leaf, narrow, broad, and oval.
A few notable varieties include:

➡Codiaeum variegatum var. pictum:

It has large, brightly coloured leaves in shades of orange, red, green, purple, and yellow. It can grow up to 3 to 6 feet tall in a home garden.

➡Codiaeum variegatum 'Gold Star':

It has narrow, linear green leaves with bright yellow variegations. It has a tree-like growing pattern but grows to only about 20 inches.

➡Codiaeum variegatum 'Petra':

One of the most common varieties with green oval leaves with pink variegations over the leaf veins and also prominent red, orange, and yellow colours in leaf patterns. This variety grows up to 3 to 6 feet tall.

Problems with croton plants and how to deal with them

Like many indoor plants the croton can also be plagued by pests if not cared for well. Some of the most common pests that affect crotons are mealy bugs, crown gall, leaf blight, thrips and scales.
A few tried and tested tips to avoid/prevent these pests are:
▪Spray a neem oilsolution every 15 days, especially at the centre of the leaf cluster and underside of leaves.
▪Keep the plant well-ventilated. Since the plant loves humidity, it is essential to keep it aired out to avoid festering pests and infections in a warm humid environment.