The croton appears almost unnatural with its brightly colored leaves. Despite its extravagance, the miracle shrub is easy to care for and choose a location for.
The croton owes its synonym "miracle shrub" to the variety of colors of its leaves. We give tips on how to pot, care for and propagate this special shrub.
Croton: flower, origin and characteristics
The miracle shrub (Codiaeum variegatum), which is often traded under the older name Croton, has its origins in Southeast Asia, especially in India and Indonesia. There, the spurge (Euphorbiaceae) thrives in tropical forests. The croton always grows upright and has evergreen sword-shaped leaves that also shine in other colors depending on the light intensity: yellow, orange, red or purple are often found. There are significant variations between the different varieties bred. In the wild, the wild form of the shrub grows up to two meters high. Flowers rarely appear on croton in indoor culture. If they do, the white flowers emerge from the upper leaf axils and are arranged in small racemes.
The most beautiful species and varieties of the miracle shrub
The varieties of croton differ both in the leaf shape and in the variation of the color palette. The following beautiful varieties are commercially available - the ornamental plants mostly belong to the variant Codiaeum variegatum var. pictum an.
- C. variegatum 'Petra': Leathery, heavily veined leaves of branched main wood
- C. variegatum 'Patient': broad, yellow-orange leaves
- C. variegatum 'Aucubafolia': Glossy leaves with yellow dots
- C. variegatum 'Norma': oak-like leaves with red veins
- C. variegatum 'Van Ostensee': Narrow, yellow-green speckled leaves
Plant croton: location,Earth and Co.
The miracle shrub needs a spot indoors with plenty of indirect sunlight, but never direct sunlight, otherwise the leaves may fade. Depending on how bright its location is, the color of the croton varies. The more light, the more color variation the plant shows. The tropical plant likes high humidity. However, drafts or room temperatures below 18 °C should be avoided. In winter, a place with an ambient temperature of around 16 °C is sufficient for the croton.
A suitable soil should be able to store a lot of water. At the same time, however, it should not collapse after a short time, otherwise root rot will easily occur. This property is achieved through the use of coconut pulp, which has a particularly favorable ratio of water and air capacity. Our Plantura organic universal soil, for example, consists to a large extent of coconut pulp, contains no peat, but does contain compost in order to be able to store and provide nutrients in the long term. A drainage layer at the bottom of the pot ensures good water drainage - you can use expanded clay balls or pebbles for this, for example.
Hydroculture is also possible for the miracle shrub so that it does not have to be watered too often. In this case, watering once a week is sufficient.
Kroton care: The most important measures
For such a beautiful plant, which also bears the name "miracle shrub", the croton has surprisingly few requirements.
Fertilize, water and cut
In the summer months you can fertilize the croton weekly in small doses, while in the winter time a monthly application of fertilizer is sufficient. A potassium-rich liquid fertilizer is suitable for this, which ensures a firm and resistant cell structure. For example, our primarily organic Plantura organic indoor and green plant fertilizer enables such plant nutrition. The microorganisms contained also support root growth.
You should also water the miracle shrub plentifully in summer, the soil should always be kept moist. In addition, the croton likes high humidity - for this you can often spray the croton with soft water and often wipe the leaves with a damp cloth.
Pruning is not necessary in principle, but you can cut off individual shoots to influence the shape,if that is desired. The best time for this is in autumn at the end of the growing season. When the shoots are cut off, a lot of milky sap escapes, which is irritating to the skin and poisonous. Therefore, you should wear gloves when doing this.
If the whole root ball has penetrated or the soil has collapsed and is no longer able to absorb water, it is time to repot. A rule of thumb is: repotting every two years. Also an indicator is noticeably inhibited growth and the need for constant watering. The best season for repotting is spring. Because then the shrub forms new roots in order to start growing and thus survives repotting best. The new pot should be about 20% larger than the old one. It also makes sense to provide the miracle shrub with an organic long-term fertilizer when repotting to provide trace elements and phosphorus. For example, our Plantura organic universal fertilizer can be used for this, which contains no animal components and therefore does not spread any unpleasant odors in the home.
Broken brick or gravel is the best drainage layer to avoid root rot.
Wonder shrub is losing leaves: why is it?
If the croton sheds leaves, this indicates incorrect care. We have listed some possible reasons below:
- Location too cool: The croton's comfort temperature is 12 - 20°C.
- Too dry: The miracle shrub thrives best if the substrate never dries out completely and the leaves are frequently sprayed wet.
- Too dark: An optimal location for the croton is about 2-3 meters from the window where it will receive 5 hours of indirect sunlight.
- Nutrient deficiency: fertilize regularly and repot every 2 years.
- Infestation with spider mites or thrips: Happens especially when the culture is too warm and too dry; therefore keep wetter and cooler after treatment.
Tip: You can fight thrips on croton, for example, with our biological pesticide against biting and sucking insects. Our Plantura organic pest-free neem is gentle on beneficial insects and easy to use. When using, please always observe the instructions in the application recommendation.
Increase Croton
The colorful croton can do it himselfbe propagated. This is possible via moss, leaf cuttings or shoot or head cuttings. The easiest way to propagate is to use top cuttings:
- In early spring, cut off a fresh, he althy and strong shoot with about two young leaves and first place in a glass with water or plant directly in moist soil for rooting.
- The wound can be treated with powdered charcoal to stop the discharge.
- Put the cuttings in loose and nutrient-poor soil. Rooting is often successful in simple garden soil mixed with sand. On the other hand, our Plantura organic seed and herb soil is optimal and germ-free. Since it is steamed, the cuttings remain he althy and the addition of perlite also ensures good ventilation at the base of the stem, which has been proven to facilitate rooting.
- It is important that the soil is kept warm and moist. In addition, the jar with the offshoot should be placed in a warm place.
- Roots develop well at temperatures between 22 and 30 °C.
- It is a good idea to make a small greenhouse for the offshoot by putting a bag over it - this keeps the humidity high on the cutting.
Is the miracle shrub poisonous?
Like other spurge plants, the croton contains plant milk, which is slightly toxic and therefore irritates the skin and mucous membranes. Ingestion causes gastrointestinal problems.
The following symptoms of poisoning occur in dogs, cats, birds and rodents: severe irritation of the mucous membranes, salivation, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Are you excited about colorful houseplants? Then have a look at our article about the wicker plant (Calahea).