The one known as crotos plant belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family and its scientific name is Codiaeum. It is a very decorative plant that has its origin in Polynesia, Malaysia and the East Indies. It is very common to confuse it with another plant called inner croton, of the same genus but that does not have any decorative species but they are all medicinal.
The leaves of this plant are petiolate, perennial, alternate and can have various shapes: oval, lobed, trilobal or lanceolate. They can have different shades, always in colors such as pink, white, green, red, brown or yellow. Its flowers are not interesting at an ornamental level since they are very tiny and can hardly be seen with the naked eye.
Basic care
- Location: its cultivation is not very simple indoors, it always develops much better outdoors. In hot climates, it is best to have it outdoors, always protected from the wind and in the shade. It should be a very well-lit place but not direct sunlight, so it should not be right at a window.
- Temperature: ideally, it should be in environments that do not drop below 16ºC or exceed 25ºC.
- Transplant: it is not advisable to do it for at least two years after its first planting, and when you do it you must transfer it to a pot that is at least 1-2 measures higher so that it has enough space to grow.
- Soil: it should be a mixture of equal parts of peat, sand and garden soil.
- Compost: use a liquid fertilizer every 15 days during spring and summer.
- Irrigation: it has to be regular so that the soil is always moist, but without waterlogging. Ideally, use a pot with a reserve of water so that it never dries out and you don’t have to pay much attention to watering as it will be self-sufficient for a good season.
- Pruning: If the leaves fall off, cut the top stem in the spring so that new shoots begin to emerge from the base.
- Multiplication: the best option is to do it by stake, but it is so complicated that it can only be done successfully by specialized professionals.
Crotos plant care
