Croton Flower: What Now?
BloomingBecca
11 years ago
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petrushka (7b)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoDebbie Warzynski
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Croton Flower
Comments (2)I have a Croton that's been flowering for several months now non-stop. Not that they're very noticeable, it's a large bush and the flowers are lost amongst the foliage. Some of my Crotons that are larger only flower now and again. Always interesting to see it happening but never noticed any seed set....See MoreShould I repot Croton and Rubber Plant now if soil is less than ideal?
Comments (7)You can pot up anytime, though very late spring to early summer would be ideal. I'd wait until mid-June to do a full repot, which includes bare-rooting and root pruning. Plants have natural rhythms (search Circadian and/or endogenous rhythm). Over the course of the plant's rhythmic growth cycle, their stored energy levels and their ability to create energy/food waxes and and wanes. In most cases, to repot (as opposed to just potting up) a plant when its energy stores and ability to create energy are both on the wane is to ensure a much longer recovery period. Repotting and root work is a heavy hit for the plant. It draws down the plant's energy reserves much faster than would occur if you repotted in June, when both energy stores and current photosynthesizing ability are reaching peak levels would be at peak. Since a plant's natural defenses are a byproduct of it's metabolic rate, it's not difficult to see how a significantly weakened plant with compromised ability to defend itself, combined with a longer recovery period work in concert to make the plant far more vulnerable than it would be if you were patient enough to sync with the plant. Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Your plants aren't in danger of serious decline due to root congestion, and they are small enough that, even if the soil they're in is VERY water-retentive, you can use a work-around that requires no special tools, materials, or knowledge, other than an understanding of how to put Newton's First Law of Motion to work on behalf of your self and plants, which I'm about to describe. When you water, water to beyond the point of saturation. The entire soil mass should be at maximum capacity and a good measure of the water used in your watering exercise (at least 15-20%) should have exited the drain hole. After the pot has stopped draining of its own accord, hold the recently watered planting over the sink and move it up and down. You'll soon see that on the reversal from downward to upward motion, quite a bit of water exits the drain hole, and the sharper the reversal, the more water exits the pot. An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion [the water in the pot] stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. When water ceases to exit through the drain hole, you'll have removed ALL perched water that has the potential to be of any consequence. Last, but not least, we all have a 'nurturing bone' - we like to take care of things. Knowing that you're planning for your plants' future in a way that allows you to take advantage of its strengths and make allowances for it's weaknesses for no reason other than it's in the best interest of the plant, offers the grower a much greater sense of personal gratification than an approach that lacks that planning. Al...See MoreWhat's this perennial flowering now?
Comments (4)Even where I am, a few miles N of FL border, the above-ground parts of H. mutabilis get zapped over winter (most years) and new growth occurs from the roots in the spring. They do reach shrub/small tree size but the overall behavior is that of an herbaceous perennial....See MoreOverwintered Flowers, What Now?
Comments (2)Agree. And dividing plants now will likely inhibit blooming this spring. All of your plants will want sunny conditions to flower best. re the lantana, it may be dead but they are tough. They aren't hardy here so I grow them in pots and overwinter inside. Last year I decided to toss one plant that was ratty... I cut it back and tossed the whole thing on my compost pile. In no time it sent out lush new growth and was gorgeous so I dropped it back into its pot. :). It bloomed profusely all summer!...See Moregardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years agoDebbie Warzynski
4 years agoNate B
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoDebbie Warzynski
4 years agoMarlene Menc Kosobucki
4 years agoDebbie Warzynski
4 years agovilmavnc
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agopetrushka (7b)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRuss1023 (central Fla)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRuss1023 (central Fla)
4 years agovilmavnc
4 years agoRuss1023 (central Fla)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRuss1023 (central Fla)
4 years agomamashechka
3 years agoKarenS, NYC
3 years agoRuss1023 (central Fla)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agomamashechka
3 years agopetrushka (7b)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agomamashechka
3 years agoHU-346889236
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRuss1023 (central Fla)
3 years agomamashechka
3 years agoKarenS, NYC
3 years agoHU-977141046
3 years agopetrushka (7b)
3 years agoladas
3 years agoshalini Reddy
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRuss1023 (central Fla)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoshalini Reddy
3 years agopetrushka (7b)
3 years agoRuss1023 (central Fla)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agopetrushka (7b)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRuss1023 (central Fla)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agopetrushka (7b)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agopetrushka (7b)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoScott
3 years agoRuss1023 (central Fla)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoScott
3 years agoRuss1023 (central Fla)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoScott
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoHU-699354727
2 years agoRuss / Central Fla Z9b
2 years agoRuss / Central Fla Z9b
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoMarlene Menc Kosobucki
2 years agoMarlene Menc Kosobucki
2 years agoRuss / Central Fla Z9b
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoBalcony Botanist
last yearlast modified: last yearDavid Tordosinsky
2 days ago
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