Water and fertilise regularly if you want to see your Croton at its best. Organic/natural fertilizers, on the other hand, don’t feed the plants directly but rather add essential nutrients to the soil where they become available to the plants, more slowly, over time. Fertilize your indoor-growing croton plants once a week at watering time using a water-soluble general-purpose plant food with a guaranteed analysis of 10-10-10. During active growing periods in spring, summer, and early fall, feed the plant every month by adding a liquid or powder fertilizer to the water before watering. In spring is the time to repot. Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. The best fertilizer for crotons is a low-nitrogen, time-released, granular fertilizer, that has an 18-3-6 NPK ratio. Natural light is preferred, but certain varieties can thrive under fluorescent lights as well. Repot a croton in spring when needed. Pictum; Dr. Leonard Perry. What do I do? Crotons. Keep crotons away from cold drafts. The beautiful leaves of the croton are also used to enhance floral arrangements. They are prized for their brightly-colored, glossy and varied leaf patterns. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. The next step is to prepare your 5- to 8-inch long cutting for the rooting hormone. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. This Euphorbiaceae family plant originates from tropical regions throughout Asia, Australia and Pacific Islands. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 123,579 times. Spring is the best time for repotting, as your plant is feeling especially vigorous. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. At 40 degrees the plants will enter dormancy and stop most growth. Will a croton plant thrive indoors in bright indirect light? Don't feed the plant during dormancy periods during the late fall and winter months. Not only can these plants be grown outdoors in warmer parts of Florida, but some cultivars can be raised as decorative houseplants as well. Spread the fertilizer out over the entire pot, if the croton is potted. Though crotons like slightly moisture soil, they don’t like “wet feet”. Stop adding fertilizer. I, "All the tips are true and real, I love that. For over 25 years Harts Nursery has provided a large range of quality indoor, patio and new exotica outdoor plants and specialise in sourcing and promoting … Instead of repotting the plant, you can also top dress it to keep it healthy. My croton plant is losing one or two leaves every day. Spiral-leafed croton plants have foliage that twists and swirls into spiral formations. Keep children and animals away from these plants. It probably gets about 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight, which is from early morning until late afternoon. I do so by wetting down the bottom half of the wood to allow the rooting hormone to stick to it. Application of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticide liquids is effective as it contains the bacterium Bt that helps in killing those caterpillars. Lately I have been using Liquid fertilizer for Azalias I think it was, I started doing this after seeing the results on another members plants. In colder locations, it is best to grow croton plants in containers so that they can be transported indoors when outdoor temperatures become too extreme. There are hundreds of varieties of crotons, so today we’ll highlight a few of my favorites. Understanding the Basics about N-P-K. Photo by Nan Schiller. Wear gloves when pruning to protect your hands from irritation caused by the sap. Should I trim the stems back or is there something else I should do for it? Add fertilizer to the watering water every 8 to 15 days. If the humidity level is low in your house, set your croton plant on a bed of gravel in a drip tray. You will know if you can see the roots peeking through the plastic pot, it has started to shift to one direction and the soil is getting dry too fast (compared to before). Add another handful of 5IN1 to the soil surface and water thoroughly. By using our site, you agree to our. Reply. Crotons thrive in warm weather, but they do not tolerate hard frosts well. The method works better when applied during the spring. Watering Needs: Indoor croton plants should be watered only when the top of the soil is dry to the touch. Fertilize garden-grown croton plants using a complete, balanced slow-release granular fertilizer formula with a guaranteed analysis of 10-10-10 three times a year beginning in the spring, again in the summer and again in the fall. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/8b\/Care-for-a-Croton-Plant-Step-01-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Care-for-a-Croton-Plant-Step-01-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/8b\/Care-for-a-Croton-Plant-Step-01-Version-2.jpg\/aid5515632-v4-728px-Care-for-a-Croton-Plant-Step-01-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"