Croton Care Guide
Croton’s are stunning tropical plants from the warm tropics of South East Asia, they come in a variety of colors and leaf shapes. They are covered in green, orange, and yellow splotches that get more vibrant with more light!
Croton’s are sun loving plants that thrive in bright sunny windows or even outside during the summer months, when night time temperatures drop below 50°F you should bring your croton back inside. Doing this periodically will help your croton thrive by giving it a warm and sunny time to grow full and lush. When moving your croton out for the first time of the year pick a cloudy day so the leaves don’t get scorched from the sudden shift in light. If you cannot bring your croton out during the summer you can still keep them, they will just grow slower and have less vibrant color.
When indoors place your croton in a very sunny window like a southern or western facing window. If the plant is getting too little light the new growth will be less colorful. Should its leaves begin to revert to all green with the lowest ones dropping, they aren’t receiving enough light, and you might want to move the plant to a south-facing window instead. If the foliage takes on a grayish bleached look or its yellow sections turn black, the plant is receiving too much sun and should have a sheer curtain placed between it and the glass. If you are wintering your croton and plan to return it outdoors you may notice less colorful growth but these leaves will darken when you put it outside for the summer.
Keep the soil evenly moist and allow to dry between waterings. Do not let your croton sit in water for prolonged periods, drain off excess water from the plants tray.
Fertilize the plant during the spring and summer with an all purpose plant fertilizer. Do not fertilizer during the colder months.
Some of our favorite varieties
‘Petra’ is a popular cultivar. It has green leaves with red, orange, and yellow veins.
‘Gold Star’ has green leaves that are splashed with bright gold “stars.”
‘Eleanor Roosevelt’ has skinny leaves that range in color from burgundy to lime green. The leaves are mottled with bright yellow, as if they were spray painted.
‘Oakleaf’ has oak leaf–shaped dark green or bronze leaves with veins in yellow, orange, and red.
Croton’s are toxic to dogs, cats, and humans. They produce a milky sap when the leaves are broken and damaged that causes skin irritation, ingesting the plant or sap can cause nausea.
