Croton

Colourful Croton houseplants

With the broad colour palette in its leaves, this houseplant fits into almost any home, because there is always one colour that matches. This tropical houseplant comes from the Crotoneae family, also known as the spurge family.

Watering the Croton

The Croton should always sit in slightly moist soil, without drying out between waterings. Do make sure the soil isn't wet, because that can cause root rot and that won't do the plant's health any good. We recommend giving the Croton small amounts of water more often, rather than one big splash at a time. Watering once a week is enough in most cases. The amount and frequency do depend on a number of factors, though: the ambient temperature, the light intensity, the size of the plant and the size of the pot.

Misting the Croton

Misting the Croton is essential to keep spider mites off the plant and to encourage healthy growth. The more often you mist this houseplant the better; we recommend misting it at least once a week. In the winter months, when the heating is on, we'd even suggest misting this eye-catcher twice a week.

The best spot for the Croton

This colourful bush keeps its remarkable colours when it gets as much light as possible, but do be careful with direct sunlight in the summer months. If you do give this houseplant a spot in a lot of direct sun, build it up slowly so it can get used to the amount of light. If you don't, its wonderful leaves will scorch. If the Croton stands somewhere with too little light, it will stop producing new leaves and the colour intensity will drop sharply. Move it in that case and it will recover by itself.

This houseplant also likes a bit of warmth: the minimum temperature during the day is 18 degrees Celsius, and at night it sits around 12 degrees Celsius. So the Croton isn't really suitable for conservatories or garden rooms.

Help! The leaves of my Croton are changing colour

Even though you're doing everything you can to keep your Croton's leaves as colourful as possible, they can still change colour or lose some of their beauty. This usually comes down to the care the houseplant gets. Light intensity matters enormously for the colours on a Croton's leaves. When the leaves grow darker, we recommend moving the houseplant somewhere with a bit more light. The Croton can also develop dark edges on its leaves, which is a sign of too much water. When this houseplant drops its leaves, that's a sign of too little light or too much water.

Pruning the Croton

This houseplant isn't a fast grower, but if it does get too tall you can saw its trunk back to the height you want. It's best to do this in spring or summer, so the trunk starts shooting again. We recommend cutting away the new shoots in early autumn, so sunlight can reach the plant better through the winter. Milky sap is released while you prune, and we recommend rubbing the 'wounds' with charcoal dust or cigarette ash straight away. Besides keeping the milky substance in, this also stops bacterial infections from taking hold, because the Croton is vulnerable to those after pruning.

Propagating the Croton

You can propagate this houseplant from cuttings, for which you'll need tip cuttings of about 10cm. Cut the piece off and dip the 'wound' in cigarette ash or charcoal dust to seal it. Then remove 2/3 of the leaves on the little stem and root it in moist soil. The best temperature for the cutting is around 23 degrees. We recommend putting a plastic bag over the cutting to raise the humidity and the temperature. In time, this baby Croton will grow leaves just as colourful as its mother's.

Is the Croton a toxic houseplant?

The Croton is a member of the spurge family, and the milky sap that can be released while you trim it is irritating to the skin. Be careful with your clothes too, because this sap can leave nasty stains. It's also important to keep this colourful character away from pets and small children, because swallowing the sap can be dangerous.

Repotting the Croton

The Croton is best repotted straight after you buy it, or in spring. When you notice the Croton is getting a little snug in its jacket, we recommend choosing a pot that is 20% larger in diameter than its predecessor. Repot the Croton Excellent in spring, so any damaged roots can recover more easily. A larger pot encourages growth, improves health and creates a natural water buffer because the soil can hold more water. That makes caring for the Croton a good deal easier.

Feeding the Croton

If you want to give your Croton an extra boost of plant food, we recommend doing that only in spring and summer. In winter the Croton Excellent is dormant: it barely grows and uses very few nutrients. Never give your houseplant more than the packaging prescribes, either. Too much is harmful to the plant, because plant food is often quite acidic and that can damage the roots.

How the Croton flowers

As a houseplant it almost never comes into flower, and if it does you probably won't even notice. The flowers of this houseplant are very small and white. If you do spot them, we recommend cutting them away: they don't add anything to the plant's decorative value and they cost the Croton Excellent a lot of energy.

Common diseases in the Croton

The Croton can suffer from mealybug when it stands in a draught. This houseplant can also pick up spider mites, often because the air is too dry. Both pests are easy to tackle with a powerful jet of water. Just make sure the jet isn't so powerful that you damage the leaves. For a longer-term solution, we recommend treating the Croton Excellent with a chemical or biological pesticide.

Buying a Croton at Green Bubble

Looking for a beautiful, healthy and seriously tough Croton as a houseplant? Then you've come to the right place at Green Bubble. When you buy one of our Crotons, you naturally want a lovely, fresh plant. At Green Bubble we work directly with growers, so we can guarantee the freshness of our houseplants. We aim to deliver healthy, high-quality plants to our customers every single day, which means your houseplant arrives as fresh and as well cared for as possible.

Want to buy a Croton but don't fancy a trip to your local garden centre? We get it, which is why we send your Croton straight to you, free of charge. Buying a Croton is easy in our online shop, where you'll find different types of Croton of the highest quality.

Easy ordering and gorgeous houseplants, that's what Green Bubble stands for. Fancy a stunning Croton Excellent? Join the Green Bubble!