An attractive croton or, as it is also called, codium is popular with flower growers. This unpretentious plant is distinguished by variegated large leaves that fit perfectly into any interior. In addition, new ones can be easily grown from an adult specimen. About how to propagate croton at home, you will learn from our material.
Soil and pot
Before we learn how to propagate the croton home flower, let's talk about the substrate for the plant. With any method of cultivation, you will need to transplant the seedlings into a suitable soil, so the choice of substrate is no less important than the propagation method.
Remember: croton's milky juice is poisonous. Therefore, carry out any manipulations with the flower with gloves.
Kodiyum prefers loose, fertile soil with an acidity not exceeding 6.5 pH. A universal mixture suitable for decorative and deciduous plants is suitable. To make the substrate yourself, mix the following components in equal proportions:
- humus;
- peat;
- turf land;
- sand.
Be sure to disinfect the mixture. To do this, bake it in the oven or hold it over steam. After disinfection, add charcoal to the substrate. And also do not forget to pour a layer of drainage consisting of brick chips, expanded clay or pebbles on the bottom of the pot. Note that these materials should occupy a quarter of the volume of the tank.
For young plants, choose small pots. Give preference to models in which the width exceeds the depth. As for the material, croton feels better in plastic containers.
Seed propagation
This method, how to propagate croton at home, is not popular with gardeners. After all, such a culture is a rather lengthy and complex process. In addition, during seed propagation, room codium does not preserve maternal properties. And this method is not suitable for variegated hybrids.
If you want to experiment, then start the event in late January - early February. For planting, use seeds no more than a year old. After this time, they lose germination. Before propagating croton seeds, prepare seed. To do this, place the grains in water with a temperature of +60 ° C for half an hour. And then soak in a weak solution of a growth stimulator, for example, "Epina" or "Heteroauxin" throughout the day.
For growing croton, use a universal earth mixture for seedlings. If you make the substrate yourself, then be sure to disinfect it. To do this, hold the mixture over steam or warm in the oven.
Sow the seeds in a warmed up to +22 ° C and moistened soil to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. On top of the planting, stretch the film or put the glass. Put the greenhouse in a warm place.
Seedling Care
For the seeds to sprout, maintain a temperature of + 25 ... + 27 ° C in the greenhouse. Do not allow the substrate to dry out and regularly moisten the planting. But do not spray the earth out of the spray gun, but use the bottom irrigation method. To do this, put the container or pot in a basin with warm water. Do not forget to air the planting daily and remove condensate from the shelter, otherwise the seeds will rot.
The first shoots will appear in about a month. As soon as this happens, proceed to harden the seedlings. To do this, remove the shelter for an hour, then - for two, gradually increase the time. When 2-3 leaves appear on the plants, dive them into individual pots filled with a suitable substrate (see section "Soil").
How to propagate a croton by a cuttings
Such plant propagation can be carried out at any time of the year, with the exception of January-February. At this time, the flower sleeps, so the cuttings will give weak roots or even rot. For reproduction, choose apical, lignified shoots with a strong growth bud. Cut them with sharp scissors so that the cuttings are at least 8 cm long and have at least one pair of leaflets on them.
Rooting cuttings
So, how to propagate a croton (flower) by cuttings:
- Rinse the milky juice from the cut branches under running water. Dry them for 2 hours in a warm, bright place.
- Put the cuttings in water with a temperature of + 23 ... + 30 ° C. Note that in cooler conditions, the branches rot, and in very warm conditions, the risk of developing bacterial diseases increases. To speed up rooting, add any growth stimulant to the water.
- Install containers with plants in a lit place, but be careful not to expose the sun to direct cuttings.
- Maintain a temperature of + 22 ... + 25 ° C in the room and add water as it evaporates.
When the cuttings release the roots and the length of the shoots reaches 2-3 cm, transplant the branches into individual pots. For the first few weeks, give young seedlings sparing care. To do this, provide plants with heat, diffused light and high humidity. With proper care, the roots strengthen in the second week.
How to propagate croton leaf
This breeding method is quite simple. But note that it will not work to grow a full-fledged plant from one leaf. After all, shoots of croton grow exclusively from the kidneys. Leaves cannot give them. Therefore, for reproduction, select the site of the stem, on which there is an internode with a strong, healthy plate and one axillary kidney.
This method is practically no different from how to propagate croton cuttings. True, a piece of twig does not need to be dried, but should immediately be put into water with the addition of a growth stimulant. In order for the plant to take root, maintain the temperature of the liquid at the right level. When the leaf stalk grows roots, transplant it into the soil.
Plant care
Now that you know how to propagate croton in different ways, let's look at caring for a pet. Kodiyeum is an unpretentious plant, but in order for a flower to please with a lush crown and variegated leaves, you need to create comfortable conditions for it. To do this, maintain optimal temperature and humidity in the room, do not forget to regularly feed and water the culture. Further we will talk about these rules in more detail.
Lighting
Croton loves light, but direct sunlight is contraindicated. And the ideal place for him would be the east or west side of the room. In winter, it is advisable to move the pot to the southern window sill or you will have to provide additional illumination with a phytolamp, otherwise the plant will suffer from a lack of light and the colorful pattern on the leaves will fade.
Temperature
Croton is a thermophilic plant. In summer, maintain the temperature in the room where the flower grows, within + 23 ... + 27 ° C. In winter, keep cool below +17 ° C. At any time of the year, protect the flower from drafts and sudden changes in temperature.
Like all tropical crops, codium prefers high humidity. To create an optimal environment for the flower, install a humidifier near the pot. If this is not possible, then place the flower on a pallet filled with wet moss or expanded clay. But make sure that water does not reach the drainage holes. Otherwise, the plant "suffocates."
Watering
Croton is a water-loving plant, and it needs regular watering. But note that the flower does not tolerate fluid stagnation at the roots. Therefore, moisten the soil as soon as the top layer dries out by 1 cm. In summer, water the crop about 2-3 times a week, in winter, reduce irrigation to once every 5-7 days.
For irrigation use filtered, settled at least 2–3 days water at room temperature. After irrigation, be sure to drain the fluid from the sump. Otherwise, the roots of the flower will rot.
Top dressing
To make croton delight with a lush, variegated crown, regularly fertilize the soil. From the beginning of April to the end of November, feed your pet with liquid mineral complexes. Fertilize only after watering.
Transfer
With proper care, the croton grows rapidly and becomes crowded in the old pot. Therefore, you need to periodically transplant a flower. To young copies, hold this event twice a year. Adults are enough to transplant every two years. For a plant, choose a pot whose diameter is 2-3 cm larger than the previous one. When the container reaches 25 cm in girth, stop transplanting the croton. But annually change the topsoil to a depth of 2-3 cm. To make the plant easier to bear the stress of the event, proceed to it in early spring. The transplant itself is carried out by the method of transshipment, trying not to destroy the earthen lump and not damage the roots of the flower.
Follow the recommendations on how to propagate croton, and provide the plants with proper care at home. And then you can grow a large collection of tropical flowers, which will delight with colorful colors all year round.