Croton
Codiaeum variegatum
Through the year 🗓️
☀️ Summer now
Full-color season: sun and even moisture, and watch for mites in the heat.
🍂 Fall
Colors hold if the light does; ease the water down.
❄️ Winter
Dropping leaves means drafts or darkness, so keep it warm, bright, and slightly drier.
🌱 Spring
Prune for bushiness; color deepens with the strengthening sun.
The details
Light & placement
- Light
- Very bright indirect plus some direct sun; the more light, the bolder the red/orange/yellow
- Ideal PPFD
- 300–500 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹
- Grow-light distance
- 10–16 in below LED
Water & feed
- Watering method
- Keep evenly moist; water when the top inch dries. Hates both drying out and staying soggy, so consistency is everything.
- Fertilizer
- Balanced feed at ½ strength, monthly in spring–summer.
Home & habit
- Soil
- Rich, well-draining mix with peat/perlite; pH 4.5–6.5
- Humidity
- High (50%+); dry air triggers leaf drop
- Temperature
- 65–80 °F; very cold-sensitive, no drafts
- Mature size
- 2–4 ft indoors
- Repotting
- Every 1–2 yrs in spring
- Propagation
- Stem cuttings (let the milky sap stop first); air layering.
When something looks wrong
- Overwatering signs
- Wilting with wet soil, yellowing, brown leaf drop
- Underwatering signs
- Drooping, crispy edges, sudden leaf drop
- Common pests
- Spider mites (top problem), mealybugs, scale
Common problems 🩺
The usual suspects when Croton looks unhappy. Most houseplant trouble is watering or light, not disease — see all plant problems if you are not sure which plant is the culprit.
Dropping leaves suddenly
Likely cause
Shock — crotons drop leaves after any move, draft, or temperature swing.
What to do
Settle it in one warm, bright, draft-free spot and leave it alone; new growth follows.
Colors fading to plain green
Likely cause
Not enough light. The reds and yellows need strong light to develop.
What to do
Give it the brightest spot you have, including some direct sun.
Fine webbing and stippled leaves
Likely cause
Spider mites, which love crotons in dry indoor air.
What to do
Rinse thoroughly, raise humidity, and treat weekly with neem or insecticidal soap.
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