Croton - home care

Croton is an ornamental deciduous plant that belongs to the family spider crotch genus. This plant was first noticed on the Malaysian islands. It also grows in the forests of southeast Asia, and on some islands of the Indian and Pacific Ocean. In nature this plant reaches a height of three meters. At home you have to grow a croton of this height will not work. The maximum growth of this deciduous plant at home is up to one and a half meters. At the same time, so that he had such a height you need to try very hard. However, not one effort can not be compared with the beauty that this plant radiates. You will be delighted with the croton all year!

Today, we will talk with you about the kind of care that Croton requires at home.

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Crotona sorts

Croton is a plant that is very popular for decorating houses, offices and apartments. A great demand for it is due to colorful leaves, motley colors and high altitude. However, there are many varieties of this plant, and each of them is beautiful in its own way.

Croton Species:

• Normal. This plant is characterized by colorful bright green leaves that have red veins and yellow spots located throughout the leaf.
• Petra. In their form they are very similar to the "norm", but they do not have red veins and spots. There are only yellow "lines" on the bright green leaves.
• Excel. The leaf shape of this variety is very similar to maple. Green, yellow and red veins. Without stains.
• Gold Finger. The leaves of this variety are long. There are yellow veins, without spots.
• Gold Sun is characterized by large leaves that have yellow spots all over the surface. The color is predominantly yellow.
• Zanzibar is the most beautiful variety of croton. Its leaves have an oblong oval shape. Slightly hang down. Each sheet separately has its own shade: green, yellow, red, orange and others.

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Care for croton at home

Many people are interested in the question of Croton, how to care at home and what rules are needed to grow it so that it will please the landlady every day. Let us tell you in detail about the temperature regime, lighting, watering and humidity that are necessary for this plant.

Temperature mode

Croton loves heat. The temperature of the air in the room, where it should grow, should exceed 16 degrees.

Important! If this does not happen, then the leaves of such a beautiful plant will simply fall off. To all this, the root system can rot.

In summer, the optimal temperature for the croton is 20-22 degrees.

Important! If your room is very hot, you need to increase the humidity. This will ensure a favorable growth of the Croton at home.

Lighting

Care for croton at home means good lighting is a necessary factor that will ensure a bright color of the leaves.

Important! If there is very little light in your room, then the leaves of the flower can lose all the brightness and beauty, they will not be mottled shades and uniform green, dull color.

In summer, guard the croton from direct sunlight. In winter, place the flower on the south side.

Watering

Croton plant and care for it at home means permanent watering:

• You should make sure that the soil is always wet, as dry soil can affect the plant and it will simply die.
• It is also worthwhile to ensure that there is not a lot of moisture, as the roots can start to rot.
• In the autumn-winter period, it is worthwhile to ensure that watering is not carried out too often.

Important! If you see that the leaves of the plant are drooping, but at the same time watering is carried out regularly, then it is necessary to spray the leaves with water. Use the room temperature water for this purpose. Spraying with cold moisture adversely affects the foliage - it loses its decorative, mottled color.

Air humidity

For normal growth of the Croton, high humidity is required. That is why it is highly recommended to regularly spray plants in the autumn-spring period. Also do not forget to do it in the summer. In fact, you can safely spray the croton throughout the calendar year. This will favorably affect the plant.

In addition to spraying:

• It is worth wiping all the leaves with a wet swab. This procedure should be done once every five to six days.
• You can also put a container with wet stones and a small amount of moisture next to this plant. Thus, you will increase the humidity in the room, and the growth of your pet from this will only improve.

Top dressing

For favorable care for croton at home, you need to periodically feed it. To do this, you will need special tools that are sold for deciduous flowers.

Important! Feeding costs after watering one per week. In winter, it is recommended to perform this procedure once a month.

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Transplanting the croton

Due to the fact that the adult plant reaches a height of one and a half meters and its root system regularly grows, young flowers should be transplanted. This procedure is recommended to be carried out in the spring season.

Important! For transplantation, the method of transferring the earthen lump to a pot larger than the previous one is used.

Before transplanting the croton in a new pot, it is necessary to put the drainage on the bottom then the soil, which is intended for deciduous plants. If your flower is already quite adult, then you can change it once in 36 months.

Important! The best mixture for the croton is peat, turf ground, humus and coarse sand, which are mixed in equal proportions.

To protect against harmful microbes, this mixture of earth must be baked in the oven. To prevent decay of roots, it is recommended to add a little chopped charcoal to the pot.

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We breed Croton

Care for croton at home does not require much effort, and if you cope with the task, then you can think about how to propagate the plant:

• During the flowering period, it has seeds that you need to collectand planted. Do it in the growth stimulator, covering with a film.
• When propagating a croton, the method of propagation is also used. To perform this action, you need to cut the cuttings, which are very well ripened and their length is 15 cm. The "branches" should be cut off from the main stem, then lowered into water - this is necessary in order to wash off the juice. After that, the shoot is dried and put in a pot, while covering with a film. In order to guarantee the result, it is necessary to put the shank in a warm place. In one month you should have the first roots. All varieties propagate in this way.

Important! Immediately after the blossoming of the plant, the flowers must be removed. They are not as beautiful as the color of the leaves.

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Croton diseases

Diseases rarely affect the growth of the croton. They can only appear due to the fact that you are not properly caring for the flower. This is due to the fact that this species is poisonous.

Do the croton have fallen leaves? Then the flower does not have enough moisture. You are strong enough to water and splash water, wipe the cotton swab leaves. Most often, this ailment occurs in the summer.

Diseases that can be formed are triggered by two factors - low air humidity and incorrect watering. If you provide all these nuances, then the croton will keep you happy all the time.