Croton Care Rules

Croton is a plant that has incredibly colorful leaves. Therefore, this type of plant can be seen in apartments and houses of indoor flower lovers who want to diversify their home environment with something unique and original. But, at the same time, the flower has specific requirements for growing and care, which we will talk about in the article below.

How to grow and care for croton

It should be said right away that the brighter and more varied the colors of the leaves, the more sunlight they need. Croton refers to those types of plants that can easily stand on the windowsill all day under the direct influence of sunlight, and this will not affect it adversely, but rather the opposite. In winter, you can’t do without installing additional light sources - for this you can buy a medium-power fluorescent lamp and direct it directly to the pot.
Croton also refers to hygrophilous plants, so it is recommended to place it in rooms with an average humidity level of 60-70%. If you heat rooms in the winter with stationary equipment (batteries or radiators), then the dried air can adversely affect the flower. You can solve the problem by installing additional humidifiers or spraying the petals several times a day (morning and evening, for example).
As for airing the rooms, the croton is demanding to this aspect. For him, streams of cold air are fatal, and experts do not recommend placing the pot on terraces or loggias. It is best to place the flower in a well-lit room with high humidity and plenty of solar ultraviolet light.

Watering, fertilizing and breeding

The rainforest is the birthplace of croton, so it can be concluded that the plant needs well-moistened soil. For irrigation, water at room temperature will be optimal, which can be used to moisten the soil once every few days. In the summer, the amount of fluid consumed by the flower increases (watered once or twice a day), and in winter - decreases (watered no more than once every two to three days).
The bright color of croton leaves is supported, first of all, by high-quality fertilizer. Minerals are recommended to be added to the soil once every two weeks, from March to October. At other times, the fertilizer procedure can occur no more than once a month.
The croton propagates, as a rule, by cuttings - for this, a cuttings are cut off during transplantation, which is then placed in water or planted in a mini-greenhouse. The composition of the soil, in this case, should contain a mixture of peat and sand, and the emergence of roots will be a signal of successful reproduction.