How to Care for a Croton Plant? The eye-catching Croton is a well-loved houseplant with a colourful and variegated foliage. Its usual color are bright yellow and orange. You may also see it in red and black colors. With so many varieties, Croton immediately adds a tropical touch to its surroundings. Crotons are native to the tropical regions including Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia, and naturally grow in open forests.
Here’s how to care for your Croton Holly.
Light
To mimic its natural forest habitat, the Croton needs part shade although it tolerates bright light indoors. For its glossy rainbow leaves to maintain their strikingly bold colours, you need to find the perfect spot for your Croton where the plant can enjoy a healthy balance between sun and shade.
Water
This plant requires moderate water with the top 3-5cm of the soil being left to dry out before watering again. Make sure the soil is evenly moist when watering your Croton.
Temperature & Humidity
Crotons are happy in average room humidity and prefer warm temperatures between 15-27°C. If the humidity levels in your house are low or you notice the edges of the leaves turning crisp, you can increase humidity by misting the plant with water regularly.
Maintenance
The leaves of a Croton tend to accumulate dust quite quickly, which you can clean by gently wiping the leaves with a moist cloth to keep the plant happy. To give your Croton a bit of a boost, you can feed the plant with fertiliser during its growing season in spring and summer.
Monitor the growth of the plant and repot during spring if it needs a bigger pot. Crotons can easily be propagated in water to grow new plants. Use a scissor that has been disinfected to take cuttings from the mother plant, remove the bottom leaves of the cutting and place it in water until roots start to form. Once you transfer the cutting to soil, you can continue to care for the plant as usual. (Remember that Crotons are poisonous to pets and children, so be especially careful when repotting the plant or taking cuttings since it produces a milky sap that may cause skin irritation.)
