Connoisseurs of flower beds on windowsills often collect the most valuable collections of indoor plants. The selection criteria can be very different: someone likes blooming, someone likes succulents, for someone the main thing is ease of care, and for someone the compatibility of plants with each other and the formation of harmonious compositions by them is more important. Among all the abundance there is such a flower croton. And many ignore him. It is difficult to find a more beautiful, but also more demanding plant than the croton (the leaves dry and fall off at the slightest mistake of the host). But the main beauty of this "pet" is in the foliage, since it blooms quite plainly. And yet there is a certain appeal in it, forcing plant growers to try again and again to plant the capricious in their flower garden.
Plant description
The plant comes from the tropics. And there this shrub from the discharge of evergreens extends up to one and a half meters. Croton at home has much more modest dimensions: the maximum growth for nago is considered to be 70 cm, but usually it is half smaller. The leathery leaves of the plant - its main pride - often resemble laurel, but not uncommon options for ribbon-like, elegant torsion and cut in the most bizarre way. Young shoots have a yellowish or greenish color, but they grow full of dots, gaining bright spots of warm hues. It is not surprising that the owners are upset when the croton is sick - the leaves dry and fall, and the plant loses much of its attractiveness.
Temperature needs
You should never forget that the flower you like is very moody. It is necessary not only to know exactly how to care for the croton, but also to observe all the rules steadily, otherwise it will not stay with you for a long time. One of the most important parameters is temperature. Firstly, it should never fall below 17 Celsius. Moreover, this is a critical threshold at which problems with the plant may already begin. The roots decay, after which it is extremely rare to save the croton. The optimum temperature regime is between 20 and 22 degrees. Secondly, there should not be any sharp jumps in temperature. In anticipation of winter, it is better to turn on the heater in advance or equip the croton with a mini-greenhouse. And thirdly, the complete absence of drafts. For the death of a flower, it is enough to hold it for a quarter of an hour at the “veterinarian”.
Lighting requirements
Light is the second factor that can ruin your cultivation. Croton (photo) requires a lot of sunlight, but not direct ones - they burn leaves that are unable to recover. In winter, it is better to keep the flower on the south or east window - the rays are cold, and it receives only what is needed. With the approach of summer, the pot needs to be moved to a calmer place, to the north or west. Moreover, you need to accustom the plant to a more intense sun gradually. If you do not guess with the degree of illumination, the leaves will become primitive green, and the croton will lose 90% of its attractiveness.
Critical Detail: Watering
The right dose of water is the key to the survival of any plant. Croton indoor requires good soil moisture. In the warm, and especially hot months, you should not allow the soil to dry deeper than a centimeter. During the non-vegetative period, the volume of moisture is reduced, and watering themselves should become more rare. Water must have time to evaporate from the ground to a large extent, so as not to cause rotting of the roots. It is noteworthy that the croton (the photo you see in the article) makes it quite clear to the gardener about the lack of moisture: its leaves grow amicable. Correcting the situation is quite simple - unscheduled watering. But it’s better not to bring it to this: it is stress every time, and the plant may not tolerate it.
Necessary humidity
The tropical past of the flower requires maintaining a fairly high humidity in the room where it is located. In the months of active life, spray plants should be daily and carried out at room temperature. It is possible (and even useful) to add fertilizers in low concentration. In winter, when the radiators dry the air, spraying should be accompanied by wiping the leaves with a damp cloth and periodic showers (the ground must be covered with a film). And it’s better to put a humidifier in the room. Or at least a bowl of water next to the pot.
Other features
Croton has certain nuances in life and care that you need to know about.
- The plant blooms regularly, abundantly, but ugly. In this case, the forces are taken away from the whole plant: the leaves are smaller, and growth is slowed down. So the ovaries should be broken.
- Transplantation of young plants is carried out each spring in low pots by transshipment. Old plants need to be replanted no more than once every three years. More frequent relocations harm them.
- The croton home flower has poisonous juice. Seriously poisoning is difficult for them, even if you chew the stalk, but the irritation is hardly eliminated. So after all the manipulations with the plant, it is better to wash hands proactively, and with soap.
By the way, the last factor explains why indoor croton is rarely affected by pests. They simply do not like the poison produced by plants. However, if the leaves are rarely rubbed and sprayed, the flower may be affected by a spider mite or scab. The most reliable way to remove both types of pests is to wash the leaves with tobacco infusion diluted with laundry soap in it, or with the addition of kerosene. Most attention is paid to the underside. In this case, the earth is closed from the penetration of the “medicine” with polyethylene, and after a couple of hours the plant needs to be washed with clean water.
Moody croton: leaves dry and fall - possible causes
Even diligently caring for plants, lovers of kindergartens often encounter the stubborn desire of "pets" to get rid of deciduous cover. It is imperative to fight this, first of all finding out the cause of the croton spleen. There may be several.
- Dry air. She is the most frequent culprit. Try spraying the bush more often.
- Drying out of the soil. Remember: no deeper than a centimeter! If the rule is regularly violated, it is not surprising that the plant dumps the excess load.
- Mite. Despite the toxicity of the plant, he often tries to feast on them, so it is worth examining the "pet" for pests.
If you have a young, recently purchased croton, the leaves dry and fall off from it, most likely this is due to the poverty of the soil in which it lives. No later than a couple of weeks after the acquisition, it must be transferred to nutrient soil from equal shares of sheet, sod, humus, sand and peat with the addition of charcoal. And after that - regularly feed him with complex fertilizer: weekly in spring and summer and monthly in the remaining months of the year.