drooping croton, please help.
lukewarmtofu
10 years ago
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lukewarmtofu
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Newbie has Problems with Croton, Please help
Comments (4)Plants don't care for a heated air from a furnace blowing on them either so drafts may be an issue. Also look carefully for spider mites under the leaves as Crotons are very susceptable to mites in a dry warm winter situation. If the root ball looks OK, try misting a few times a day....See MoreSad Croton - help plz!!!
Comments (11)Crotons are not the easiest plant to grow indoors, but I have found that it can be done. My experience with crotons is that there are four big things you need to deal with to keep them going indoors: 1. High light - ideally it should be in front of a southern window. 2. Lots of humidity, but enough air movement so that the plant doesn't develop fungus problems. If you have a humidifer, you might want to try setting it up near the croton. I put my croton on the back of an aquarium to let it benefit from the humidity of the fish tank. 3. Frequent watering, but not so frequent that the soil stays constantly soggy and the roots rot. I agree with the person who said that this plant may be in too big of a pot and the soil looks too "heavy". A light, fast-draining soil mix will allow you to water frequently without rotting the roots, which is what crotons like. (I am actually growing my croton in a hydroculture set up so it has constant access to moisture but I wouldn't suggest converting a plant as fussy as a croton to hydroculture when it might be sickly) 4. Be vigilant about fighting spider mites. A lot of crotons come home from the store with spider mites and you need to be aggressive about killing them for the plant to grow well. Do you see any thin strands of spider webbing on your plant? That's often a sign of spider mites. If your plant has mites, we can tell you how to battle them. Where do you live? If it is warm enough, you could try putting the croton outdoors for the summer. They often do a lot better outside because of the light, warmth, and humidity (in humid areas at least). The only thing to worry about with putting it outside is that when you bring it back inside for winter there is a good chance it will have picked up spider mites while it was outside, so you'd need to plan on spraying it down with Neem or some other product to kill spider mites then. This post was edited by summersunshine on Wed, Apr 30, 14 at 9:44...See MoreNeed croton help
Comments (4)Have you watered? I find that crotons in pots are pretty thirsty critters and mine go like that when they're not watered enough. They respond immediately. and if you broke quite a few roots as you suggest, you might want to pluck most of the lowest leaves (or else cut them back some) so the plant doesn't have to support both the root regrowth and the leaves. sea ya tami...See MoreCroton black marks - help
Comments (21)The bumps and black spots are oedema, a physiological disorder usually caused primarily by over-watering and exacerbated by a number or other cultural influences. I wrote this about oedema as a contribution to another thread similar to yours: Oedema Oedema is a physiological disorder that can affect all plants. It occurs when the plant takes up more water than it can rid itself of via the process of transpiration. The word itself means 'swelling', which is usually the first symptom, and comes in the form of pale blisters or water-filled bumps on foliage. Under a variety of circumstances/cultural conditions, a plant's internal water pressure (turgidity) can become so high that some leaf cells rupture and leak their contents into inter-cellular spaces in leaf tissue, creating wet or weepy areas. Symptoms vary by plant, but as the malady progresses, areas of the leaf turn yellow, brown, brown with reddish overtones or even black, with older damage appearing as corky/ scaly/ ridged patches, or wart/gall-like bumpy growth. Symptoms are seen more frequently in plants that are fleshy, are usually more pronounced on the underside of leaves, and older/lower leaves are more likely to be affected than younger/upper leaves. Oedema is most common in houseplants during the winter/early spring months, is driven primarily by excessive water retention in the soil, and can be intensified via several additional cultural influences. Cool temperatures, high humidity levels, low light conditions, or partial defoliation can individually or collectively act to intensify the problem, as can anything else that slows transpiration. Nutritional deficiencies of Ca and Mg are also known contributors to the malady. Some things that can help you prevent oedema: * Increase light levels and temperature * Monitor water needs carefully – avoid over-watering. I'd heartily recommend a soil with drainage so sharp (fast) that when you to water to beyond the saturation point you needn't worry about prolonged periods of soil saturation wrecking root health/function. Your soil choice should be a key that unlocks the solutions to many potential problems. * Avoid misting or getting water on foliage. It slows transpiration and increases turgidity. * Water as soon as you get up in the AM. When stomata close in preparation for the dark cycle, turgidity builds. If you water early in the day, it gives the plant an opportunity to remove (for its own needs) some of the excess water in the soil. * Put a fan in the room or otherwise increase air flow/circulation. Avoid over-crowding your plants. I think you'll find this overview that provides insight into things you can do to keep your plants healthy and attractive to be useful. In most cases, plants that lack the glow provided by good health are suffering from poor root health. Keeping roots healthy is essential, not optional, if a healthy and attractive plant is your goal. Also, even though your soil is currently very water-retentive, you can fix by using a little very simple science - and it takes less than a minute. Let me know if you have interest ....... Al...See Morepelargonium_gw
10 years agolukewarmtofu
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10 years agoCarol Hildebrand
8 years ago
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