Croton plants (Codiaeum variegatum) are incredibly varied plants that are often grown as houseplants. The croton indoor plant has a reputation for being fussy, but in reality, if you know about caring for a croton houseplant properly, it can make for a resilient and hard-to-kill plant.
Croton Indoor Plant
The croton plant is often grown outdoors in tropical climates, but also makes excellent houseplants. Crotons come in a wide variety of leaf shapes and colors. Leaves can be short, long, twisted, thin, thick, and several of these combined. Colors range from green, variegated, yellow, red, orange, cream, pink, and black to a combination of all these. It is safe to say that if you look hard enough, you will find a croton that matches your décor.
When considering croton growing, check the variety you have purchased to determine the light needs of your specific variety. Some varieties of croton need high light, while others need medium or low light. In general, the more variegated and colorful the croton plant, the more light it will need.
Tips on the Care of Croton Plants
Part of the reason that these plants have a reputation for being fussy is because they tend to make a bad first impression. Oftentimes, a person will bring home a new croton from the store and within days, the plant will have lost some and maybe all of its foliage. This leaves the new owner wondering, “How did I fail in caring for a croton houseplant?”
The short answer is that you did not fail; this is normal croton behavior. Croton plants do not like to be moved, and when they are moved, they can quickly go into shock which results in leaf loss. Therefore, it’s best to avoid moving the plant as much as possible. In situations where moving the plant is unavoidable (such as when you buy one), don’t panic at the leaf loss. Simply maintain proper care and the plant will regrow its leaves within a short period of time, after which, it will prove to be a resilient houseplant.
Like many houseplants, caring for a croton involves proper watering and humidity. Since it is a tropical plant, it does benefit from high humidity, so placing it on a pebble tray or regularly misting it will help keep it looking its best. Croton growing in containers should only be watered when the top of the soil is dry to the touch. Then, they should be watered until the water flows out the bottom of the container.
The plant should also be kept away from drafts and cold, as it cannot tolerate temperatures below 60 degrees F. (15 C.). If it is exposed to temps lower than this, the croton will lose leaves and possibly die.
The croton plant (Codiaeum variegatum) has colorful variegated foliage and nearly limitless leaf forms with hundreds of croton plant varieties. Croton plants grow best outdoors in warm, humid climates. They like full to dappled light and plentiful water. Growing croton plants indoors can be a challenge to mimic their ideal conditions. Outdoor croton plants can reach around 8 feet tall, but as pot-grown houseplants they tend to be much smaller, making croton a good indoor plant in that regard. In general, Codiaeum variegatum grows relatively slowly, gaining less than a foot per growing season.
The primary challenge with croton plant care indoors is maintaining the ideal temperature. If it is too cold, the plant will start losing leaves. However, crotons are well worth the effort for the explosion of color they can provide in a space. Other croton plant benefits (and houseplant benefits in general) include cleaning the air, adding humidity to a space, and improving mood and productivity.
Codiaeum variegatum can be planted any time of year, depending entirely on the temperatures remaining consistently 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit indoors, outdoors, or in a greenhouse. Be careful about where you plant, as crotons are toxic to humans and animals.
| Common Name | Croton, garden croton |
| Botanical Name | Codiaeum variegatum |
| Family | Euphorbiaceae |
| Plant Type | Shrub |
| Mature Size | 3–8 ft. tall, 3–6 ft. wide |
| Sun Exposure | Full, partial |
| Soil Type | Moist, well-drained |
| Soil pH | Acidic |
| Bloom Time | Spring, summer, fall, winter |
| Flower Color | Yellow |
| Hardiness Zones | 11–12 (USDA) |
| Native Area | Asia |
| Toxicity | Toxic to people, toxic to pets |
Watch Now: How to Grow and Care for Crotons
Croton Plant Care
The trick to take care of a croton plant is to provide steady warmth. A well-grown croton plant keeps its leaves down to the soil level. Even croton plants outdoors drop leaves after a cold night. Croton plants also need sun to maintain their vibrant leaf colors.
When caring for a croton plant indoors, low humidity can make the plant particularly susceptible to spider mites. Mist your plants daily to help avoid an infestation. Crotons can be brought outdoors in warm weather, as long as they are properly acclimated to the light and temperature conditions.
The Spruce / Kara Riley The Spruce / Kara Riley The Spruce / Kara RileyPlanting
Croton plants outdoors should be planted in loose, well-draining soil. If your area experiences nighttime temperatures of below 50 degrees Fahrenheit at any time of year, you'll have to pot your croton to bring indoors. Use a sturdy pot that will be able to anchor the plant as it gains height. Croton plants indoors typically should be placed by your brightest window. A quality potting mix that drains efficiently should suffice. Make sure they're protected from drafts around windows and doors, as well as air-conditioning vents.
Light
Croton plants need a fair amount of sun. Bright, indirect light is best. Some croton plant varieties don't tolerate unfiltered, direct sun as well as others, but they will thrive in dappled sunlight. If the plant is getting insufficient sun, the leaves will turn green.
Water
Keep croton plants evenly moist in the summer. Crotons need about 1 inch of water per week. Reduce watering in the winter to biweekly. Watch the plant for signs that it needs more water, such as wilting young foliage. Increase watering if the wilting noticeably happens during hot weather, but check the top couple of inches of soil with a finger for moisture before you increase water. If it's still moist, hold off on watering. Mist frequently during the growth period.
Soil
A well-drained, moist soil that has been enriched with compost is ideal. This plant prefers humus-rich, acidic soil.
Temperature and Humidity
For croton plants indoors, keep the room above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and do not expose the plant to cold drafts. Humidity, along with a lack of bright light, can affect leaf color. Keep the humidity level at 40 to 80 percent. If the humidity isn't high enough, the plant might drop some of its leaves. If you have trouble maintaining the moisture in your home at this level, run a humidifier in the room or set a humidity tray beneath the plant and group it with other plants.
Fertilizer
Apply slow-release pellets three times per growing season: early spring, midsummer, and early fall. Or you can use a liquid fertilizer every other month during the growing season from early March to the end of September. Because fertilizers vary widely by type, read the package instructions for feeding quantity. In most cases, if you intend to feed on a regular schedule, you can reduce the package-suggested amount by half strength. Then, observe the plant's growth rate over the next month; you can adjust and add or reduce fertilizer depending on how vigorous you want your plants to grow. Stop giving fertilizer during the winter months.
Because this plant prefers slightly acidic soil, use acidifying fertilizers that contain ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, or sulfur-coated urea. Your best target NPK ratios are 3-1-2 and 8-2-10 (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium).
Types of Croton Plants
There are hundreds of croton plant varieties, with names like 'Dreadlocks', 'Ann Rutherford', 'Mona Lisa', and 'Irene Kingsley.' For a plant with such incredible diversity, it's impressive that there is only one species (Codiaeum variegatum). Each plant is unique due to this plant's genetic instability and variability; enthusiastic collectors highly prize unusual varieties. Crotons are often classified by leaf type: curling, twisted, oak leaf, narrow, broad, and oval. A few notable varieties include:
- Codiaeum variegatum var. pictum: Large, brightly colored leaves of orange, red, bronze, green, purple, and yellow; grows 3 to 6 feet tall as a houseplant
- Codiaeum variegatum 'Gold Star': Narrow, linear leaves of green with bright yellow spotting; has a tree-like habit and grows to only about 20 inches in height
- Codiaeum variegatum 'Petra': A prevalent variety with oval, green leaves with pronounced veining in pink, red, orange, and yellow hues; can reach 3 to 6 feet tall
Pruning
These plants respond well to trimming, so if your croton plant becomes leggy, prune it back hard at the beginning of the growing season. Remove unhealthy leaves and branches or if you want to maintain a specific shape. Trim just above a node or leaf set. Try not to remove more than 1/3 of the stem at one time. The plant will regrow from the cut portion. If pruning an indoor plant, move it outside once it's been hardened off (gradually introduced to outdoor conditions for a week).
Propagating Croton Plants
You can propagate croton plants any time of year; the codependent factor is temperature. In tropical locales where the temperature remains consistently in the 70 to 80 degree Fahrenheit range, you can propagate croton plants year-round outdoors. Similarly, you can propagate indoors or in a greenhouse if you can maintain those temperatures.
Crotons do not grow well from seed, as the plant is unstable and the offspring won't resemble the parent. Crotons are easily propagated with stem cuttings. Stem cuttings encourage new growth and will control the size of the plant. Use a rooting hormone on your stem-cut ends to increase the odds of rooting success.
Crotons sometimes produce "sports," or shoots, that are entirely different from the parent plant. These offshoots can be potted up independently, and only cuttings reproduce a plant identical to the parent. Here's how to propagate your croton by division:
- You will need sterile pruners, well-draining commercial potting soil (sand, peat moss, and a vermiculite mixture), a growing pot, and rooting hormone (optional). You do not need a pot if you plant directly in the ground in tropical environments.
- Using sharp, clean pruning shears, cut a 4- to 6-inch stem with the circumference of a pencil at a 45-degree angle right above a leaf node. The cutting should have at least three leaves.
- Optional: For a higher rate of rooting success, dip the cutting in rooting hormone at the cut point.
- Plant the cutting in moistened soil about 1 to 1.5 inches deep. Put the plant in a warm, sunny spot away from cold drafts. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. You can enclose the pot in a clear plastic bag to create a greenhouse atmosphere to increase rooting success. After one week, remove the plastic bag.
- Roots should develop in four weeks. If you notice new growth, the plant has rooted. You can also test rooting by giving the cutting a gentle tug. If it feels taut, it has set roots. Once a plant has rooted, it's ready for transplanting to a larger pot or a spot in ground.
Potting and Repotting Croton Plants
Repot a young croton every year in the spring or early summer for the first three growing seasons. After that, only repot when you notice roots growing out of the drainage holes or see roots growing at the soil level. Get a container with ample drainage holes. It should be only one size larger than the plant's current container. Put one to two inches of damp peat-based potting soil into the bottom of the new container.
Remove the plant from its old container by turning the croton on its side and gently sliding it out of its container. Set it in the center of the new pot. Fill in around the roots with potting soil. Water the plant, and add additional soil if needed to bring the soil level to about one inch below the rim of the new container.
Overwintering
Crotons are sensitive to cold weather. If you live in a location that sometimes gets freezing temperatures or infrequent cold snaps, you should consider maintaining your plants in pots and bringing them indoors during temps that plunge lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
To protect in-ground specimens during unexpected cold weather, add about two inches of mulch around the base of the plant to insulate the roots. Use gardener’s blankets to keep the frost away. Use stakes to keep the blankets from weighing down the leaves and branches. These coverings keep in the warmth and protect against ice and harsh winds. Ensure the coverings are staked well or weighted down, so they do not blow away with the wind.
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
Croton is susceptible to a few plant diseases and pests. Crown gall is a common bacterial infection that affects croton. Crown gall appears like thick, swollen growths on the croton's stems and the veins of its leaves. If your plant gets this disease, it's recommended that you pull up the plant, discard it, and sterilize the container and gardening tools. It can spread to other plants and leave a path of destruction in its wake.
Anthracnose is a fungal infection that is sometimes called leaf spot or leaf blight. It makes tan-colored spots on the leaves. Cut off any infected foliage, and avoid letting the leaves touch other plants since its spores can spread. If most of the plant looks affected, treat the plant with a standard copper-based garden fungicide.
The insects that like croton include mealybugs, spider mites, scales, and thrips. Use pesticides to remove these pests or less harsh alternatives, such as horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. If left untreated, leaf growth might get stunted, leaves will drop, and the plant can eventually die.
How to Get Croton Plants to Bloom
All crotons are capable of making tiny star-shaped flowers on long thin stems when grown outdoors. However, croton plants rarely flower when grown indoors. The flower stem looks like a feathery vine, and the tiny blooms don't have a scent. They can flower any time of year, but it will likely happen when conditions are ideal, such as bright sun, enriched and acidic soil, moist but not soggy soil, and temps in the 70 to 80 degree Fahrenheit range. Also, relocating an indoor plant outdoors when the temperatures are warm might spur flower production.
Common Problems With Croton Plants
Crotons are finicky plants. Cool breezes, insufficient humidity, and poor soil or insufficient nutrients will affect the health of this plant and can invite a host of problems, including pests, diseases, and a lackluster appearance. Control its environment as best as you can to keep your plant thriving.
Dull Leaf Coloration
The plant's most vibrant colors come with bright light, but the temperatures must not be sweltering. Summer in tropic zones might be a little too much for some croton. Reduce or hold off on applying fertilizer during a heatwave or higher temps. Intensely hot days will stress out croton and can cause graying or flat colors. Fans or air ventilation can cool down the leaves and will help preserve the health of the leaves. Check water levels, and don't let the plant dry out during periods of high heat.
Curling or Rolling Leaves
Leaves can roll or twist when they get large. To fix this, reduce fertilizer. The plant is likely growing too quickly and might need more light to grow properly. Move the plant to a location with more lighting if you can.
Leaf Drop
Crotons will drop their leaves at any
hint of cool temperatures or cool drafts. Bring in the plant if your plant is in a pot outdoors and the forecast calls for temperatures dipping below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Insect activity can also cause leaves to fall, namely mites and mealybugs. Inspect the undersides of leaves closely for tiny eggs or insects. You'll need to clean off the leaves with insecticidal soap or treat the affected areas with horticultural oil to remove the pests.
FAQ
What are alternatives to crotons?
Another plant known for its colorful foliage (instead of its flowers) is the coleus plant. It comes in many different color variations and is not as challenging to keep.
Where should I put a croton plant in my house?
Crotons require six to eight hours of direct sunlight to produce vibrant yellow, red, and purple foliage. Place a croton plant in an eastern, southern, or western exposure window to ensure that it gets enough sunlight.
How long do crotons live?
The average lifespan of indoor croton is two to four years. To keep your plant outliving its lifespan, take stem cuttings from a mature, healthy plant to propagate the plant. A plant living outdoors in the correct zone in ideal conditions will live longer.