The croton o A variegated javelin it is a very popular plant that you will find in many homes. It can be outdoors although they also grow in pots that are located next to large windows or very well lit places. Having it is not difficult, just go to the nursery and buy one, the most complicated thing is caring for the croton, because it is a somewhat delicate plant so it is not easy to keep it healthy for a long time.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything about the care of the croton and its main characteristics.
Key features
It is a type of plant that belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. A wide variety of decorative plants can be found in this genus. The origin of the Croton is from Malaysia. Its scientific name is A variegated javelin. Its leaves are of the alternate type, petiolate and it is a perennial plant. We can find leaves of various types with shades ranging from green, white, red, pink, yellow and brown. It is not a plant that stands out for its flowers since it has little decorative interest since they are tiny.
What is striking about this plant are the leaves. It should be mentioned that it is not a plant whose cultivation will be easy. It can be grown indoors and outdoors. It is not a suitable plant for those beginners in the world of gardening. If you buy the potted croton It should not be exchanged until at least 2 years after its purchase. What must be taken into account is that, if we see that the roots begin to break the pot, we must move it to a pot one or two measures larger.
Croton care
We are going to divide the care of the Croton from the fundamental aspects, since it has quite complex requirements. It is a challenge for all gardening enthusiasts so we are going to explain it in parts.
Climate and exposure
El croton It is a challenge for all gardening enthusiasts, so today we will review your needs in order to ensure that you live with us for a long time.
The croton is a plant that needs light to grow in good conditions Although it is not good that it receives the sun’s rays directly, so it must always be located in a place with good light but sheltered.
In addition, it is necessary to combine the exposure with the ambient temperature as it is a plant that grows well with medium to temperate temperatures, that is, winters with a minimum of 15 degrees and summers with a maximum of 27 degrees. However, one of the most important aspects is that you live in a place where there are no sudden changes in temperature and that the plant is not subjected to strong drafts.
Irrigation and compost
This plant needs moisture so watering is important. It is calculated that watering 2 or 3 times a week in spring and summer, and every 4 or 5 days in winter will suffice. The important thing is that the plant is never in dry conditions. You can spray it in the summer to give it more moisture.
The best thing for the croton is to receive a fertilizer twice a month to favor its growth. You can apply a liquid one and add it to irrigation.
Soil and pruning
As for the soil, if we sow it outdoors, the soil should be a mixture of equal parts of soil and peat. It is a plant to which the leaves can fall, although not all of them completely since it is a perennial plant. If you want your plant to almost always have all the leaves, you can try to cut the upper stem in the spring time. Thus, we get the birth of new shoots from the base and refresh the rest of the plant. If we do this, we must take into account that it needs high temperatures and all possible humidity to help the new leaves grow. Therefore, it is recommended in the late spring season.
If the stem that we cut secretes a kind of latex, hot wax must be used to heal the wound on the stem. It is important that we prevent the plant from losing latex for a long time and any infection can enter it.
Croton maintenance tasks
Let’s now analyze what are the maintenance tasks that the croton has. If we want the plant to have a good growth, we must respect all the care mentioned above. If we use this potted plant we can get to enjoy a plant of almost a meter in height and very little time. The most striking thing about this plant is its horizontal growth. As long as the plant is covered with all its requirements, it will present a great profusion of leaves.
These are one of the reasons why this plant must be transplanted from time to time. As we have mentioned before, it is interesting to do it about every two years as long as you can transplant it to a larger pot. If we have just bought the plant, it is advisable to wait to be able to transplant when the plant is no longer comfortable in that pot and it has to be replaced by another larger pot.
This plant It does not need drastic pruning but we can do a small pruning if we want to reduce the volume of the leaves. It must be taken into account that pruning must be carried out without affecting the total development of the plant. The only precaution you have to take is regarding its sap which is toxic. If we have pets with children at home, it is important that the sap does not remain outside the plant and it can come into contact with some. To do this, we will apply a healing agent to be protected. We also help protect the plant against infections.
As you can see, the croton is quite a complicated plant to care for and is not suitable for beginners. I hope that with this information you can learn more about croton care.
