With its colorful, vibrant leaves, croton is one of the most popular and beloved indoor flowers. This ornamental leafy plant is used to decorate and decorate apartments, houses and offices. At home, a plant with beautiful, unusual leaves can grow up to one and a half meters.
It is a pleasure to look after him. The main thing is to provide the croton with all the conditions necessary for its growth, and follow the recommendations of experienced florists.
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Description, types and photos of croton
Croton (codiaum) belongs to the Euphorbia family. In vivo he grows in the islands of India and the Pacific Ocean, in the Malaysian Islands and in the forests of Southeast Asia... In nature, the shrub grows up to three meters and is distinguished by leathery leaves of various shapes. They can be broadly ovate, notched, trilobate, obtuse, pointed, oblong-lanceolate, asymmetric.
On a young plant, light leaves of yellow-green shades are first formed. As the bush grows, they become rich green-burgundy. Therefore, the codiaum is very similar to an elegant tree in the autumn forest. Croton blooms with inconspicuous flowers of cream shades, which make up axillary carpal inflorescences.
Types of crotons - photo
Several types of shrubs are grown indoors., differing in the shape and color of the leaves. The most popular of these is Croton Motley. The plant is a bush up to three meters high, with short-peaked green-brown leaves on the branches. The species has several varieties that differ in the shape of the leaves:
The “Excellent” variety is a plant with “oak” leaves. From above they have a yellow-green color, and from below the leaf color is red-burgundy.- Variety "Disraeli" is a bush with lobed leaves. From below they are brick-brown, and from above they are green with yellow specks and veins.
- The Black Prince variety is a very exotic plant with orange and red spots and veins on its black-green leaves.
- The "Petra" variety is distinguished by pointed, lobed or oval dark green leaves with bright yellow specks, veins and edging.
- Mrs. Eiston is a large tree with brightly colored leaves. They can be yellow-pink, golden with black fragments, or maroon with pink spots.
Croton Varigatum is also very famous among flower growers. The plant is a bush with a bare trunk at the bottom and green-brown spreading leaves. At the base, the leaves can be heart-ovate or elongated-lanceolate.... Codiaum variagatum is presented in several varieties:
- Flat-leaved croton is distinguished by slightly wavy oval leaves, the length of which reaches 30 cm and the width is 10 cm.
- The lobed type of codiaum is a plant with characteristic three-lobed leaves. Their lateral lobes are shorter than the central one and are less pointed. Coloring can be monochromatic or variegated. The sheets grow up to 22 cm long and up to 10 cm wide.
- The appendage croton has both green and variegated leaves, consisting of two plates. The upper plate, as it were, hangs down from the lower one, connected to it by a thin bridge.
- Colored codiaum is widely used by breeders to create numerous hybrids.
Croton: home care
Codiaum refers to light-loving, unpretentious plants, however, when caring for it, you must follow some rules.
Lighting and temperature control
In order for the plant to delight with its beautiful leaves, it must be placed in a well-lit place. With a lack of light, the leaves turn green and lose their decorative effect.... In the summer, the bushes are shaded from direct sunlight, otherwise burns will appear on the leaves in the form of spots. In winter, Croton will feel good on the southern windowsills.
Codiaeum is a thermophilic plant, therefore the temperature in the room where it is grown should not fall below +16 degrees The optimum temperature for it is within + 20- + 22 degrees. In summer, the bush can be taken out to the balcony or garden, placing it in a place protected from the scalding sun and strong winds.
Air humidity
When caring for croton, one must not forget that the plant is very fond of high humidity. Therefore, in the spring and summer period, it must be sprayed regularly.
If the codiaum is kept in cool conditions in winter, then it can be practically not sprayed. However, the heating system in the room is very dry. In this case plants are removed away from batteries and sprayed with standing water at room temperature several times a day... You can increase the humidity around the bush with the help of a pallet with wet expanded clay or moss supplied nearby. The plant will also like the humidifiers that work nearby.
Another prerequisite for caring for codiaum is regular wiping of the leaves. It is recommended to carry out this procedure with a damp and clean soft sponge once a week.
Watering and fertilizing
It is necessary to water the croton so that the soil is slightly wet all the time, but the water does not stagnate in the roots. With an excess of moisture in the flower, the roots begin to rot, and with its lack - dry and fall off the leaves. Therefore, drainage is necessarily poured at the bottom of the pot, and the plant is watered abundantly and regularly. In autumn and winter, if the room is cool, it is recommended to reduce watering.
Croton is fertilized twice a month from April to November and once a month in winter with complex mineral fertilizers for decorative leafy plants. Bushes must be fed after wateringotherwise, the fertilizer can burn the roots.
Craton flower - transplant rules
Young plants are replanted every year, and adults as the pot fills with the root system. Transplanting should be carried out in the spring, when the growing season has not yet begun.
The composition of the soil must correspond to the soil in which the codiaums grow in natural conditions. You can prepare such an earthen mixture at home by mixing in equal proportions:
- sod land;
- sifted sand;
- humus;
- peat.
Adding charcoal to the soil will prevent root rot. To prevent insect larvae and harmful microorganisms from remaining in the soil, it is recommended to ignite it or spill it with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Croton should be planted in wide, shallow pots, at the bottom of which there should be at least three centimeters of drainage. A small layer of earth is poured onto expanded clay, then the roots of the plant are placed, which are sprinkled with new soil in a circle.
The flower is watered, and for the first time it is placed in a slightly shaded place. Caring for it consists in timely watering, spraying the leaves and shading from the sun's rays.
When replanting a plant, the new pot should be only 2–4 cm larger than the previous one. Its size depends on the size of the root system. Once Home Grown Croton will be transplanted into a container with a diameter of 25 cm, transplants are ending. After that, only the top layer of soil will need to be renewed in the pot every year.
Reproduction of croton at home
There are two ways to propagate codiaum:
- cuttings;
- seeds.
Propagation by cuttings
With this method, it is easiest to cut off the top of the bush 6-10 cm long and root it. If you need to get several young plants at once, then the shoot is cut into several parts... Moreover, each segment should have one healthy leaf and one internode.
The milky juice flowing out of the cut is washed off with water, and the stalk dries up within a few hours... From the lower part of the segment, the leaves are removed, and on the upper part, the leaves are shortened by half parallel to the veins.
Prepared and dried cuttings are placed in a container with water, the temperature of which should be up to 23-30C. In colder water, the planting material will start to rot.
Cuttings with roots 2 cm long are planted in pots filled with substrate. Caring for them consists in frequent spraying of the soil and the shoot itself. As soon as the elasticity of the leaves is restored, the cuttings take root and the plant begins to grow.
Croton propagation by seeds
Sowing is done with freshly harvested seeds, as they quickly lose their germination. With this method of reproduction, the plant loses its varietal characteristics., and the germination process itself takes a long time.
Before planting, the seeds are warmed up in water with a temperature of 60C for thirty minutes, and remain for a day to swell. In prepared containers with soil sowing is carried out to a depth of 1 cm... Seedling boxes are covered with glass or polyethylene and removed to a warm place with an air temperature of 22C. Until the first shoots appear, the earthen mixture is moistened with bottom irrigation.
After the seedlings appear, the glass is removed, and the container with the seedlings is placed in a well-lit place. After the appearance of the third leaf, young plants are seated in separate pots., the diameter of which should be no more than 7 cm. Care for them is required the same as for adult plants.
Possible problems when growing croton
Subject to all the rules of care, the flower is not afraid of any diseases and insects. Their appearance suggests that Croton does not like the conditions of detention.
Irregular watering, dry indoor air and rare spraying can lead to the appearance of a spider mite, scale insect or mealy worm on the flower leaves. In the early stages, you can fight pests with folk remedies. To do this, the leaves and stems of croton are wiped with a solution of tobacco and soap... After an hour, the bush is rinsed under the shower so that water and solution do not get into the soil. If there are already a lot of pests on the plant, urgent treatment with special chemicals is required.
Why does codiaum shed its leaves?
The plant sheds a small amount of lower leaves during growth. There is nothing wrong with that. However, in case of massive leaf fall, it is worth looking for the cause and eliminating it. Croton leaves can fall off in several cases:
- The plant is standing in a draft.
- Low air humidity.
- Constant insufficient watering.
- Sharp temperature fluctuations.
Why do leaves dry?
The drying lower leaves of a flower are a natural process. In a plant, the lower part of the stem is exposed with age. Dry leaf edges and brown spots indicate that the codiaum is cold., and it urgently needs to be rearranged to a warmer place. Dry leaf tips indicate that the room is low in humidity. If the leaves not only dry, but also fall off, then the plant is overdried and its roots lack moisture.
Why did Croton drop the leaves?
If the roots are cold, they stop absorbing moisture, causing the plant to drop its leaves. In this case, the flower pot must be moved to a warm, well-lit place., water and spray regularly, stop feeding. It is recommended to put on a transparent bag or cap for some time.
Despite the fact that a beautiful tropical tree at home looks stable and strong, it still needs proper care. A negligent attitude to the plant can lead to the appearance of pests, diseases, and even to its death.... In order for Croton to delight with its decorative foliage all year round, it needs to be surrounded by attention and care.
oksana
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