Crotons are tropical plants that are extremely popular for decorative purposes. They bear beautiful foliage and are an ideal fit for both indoors and gardens. They come in various breeds, each of which displays their unique brand of leafage that comes in a myriad of hues.
Crotons offer their owners mostly a hassle-free nurturing experience, but it causes considerable alarm when they begin to die out.
There are multiple reasons for croton to start dying out or exhibiting poor health.
If you happen to be an owner of the croton, you should be aware of the causes of your croton dying out and the steps you can take to revive them. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of reviving your croton plant in this article!
How To Revive a Croton Plant?
Your croton might be dying for various reasons such as – under watering, excess watering, shock from transplant, or exposure to harshly cold temperatures.
As mentioned earlier, crotons are of tropical origins, which naturally makes them intolerant to low temperatures—exposure to temperatures lower than 50°F triggers croton’s leaves to start falling off.
Prolonged exposure to any environment that does not roughly replicate its natural habitat renders croton unhealthy, and it starts to lose its leaves or turn its leaves yellow.
Hence, it becomes imperative for you, as a croton owner, to try and recreate the conditions of the plant’s natural environment to revive it.
It is very important to make sure that you provide your crotons with warm temperatures, evenly moist soil, ample exposure to the sun, and generous levels of humidity consistently.
Revival of Croton with Drooping Leaves or Losing its Leaves due to Underwatering.
- Soak the soil generously and make sure that the excess water shifts its way through the entirety of the soil. The key intention is to make sure that the water promptly reaches the plant’s roots and does not just wet the top layers of the soil.
- Frequent watering according to the requirements to keep the soil consistently damp but not saturated is important. The frequency of watering of croton is intrinsically related to the climactic conditions that a place has to offer. A proficient way of judging how much water your croton needs is by watering it generously and letting the plant bask in the moisture for about a week. After the waiting period elapses, make sure to check the top one inch of the soil for moisture. If you find the top inch of the soil dry, it is time to water the plant again. This way, you will also avoid overwatering and steer clear of its complications to the plant.
- To ensure your croton has a fairly humid surrounding, periodic misting of its leaves is necessary. Make sure you mist its foliage at least once every three days.
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Revival of Croton Dropping its Leaves due to Excess of Watering or Soggy Soil
- For starters, cut down on the watering levels instantly. Make sure you drain the soil off of excess water, and for some reason, if the soil seems to have a problem in draining itself out, consider transferring the plant into a pot made of a more porous substance like clay or terracotta. The main intention is to make the roots of the croton plant free from soil which smothers it with excess water. Even though crotons require moist soil, well-drained soil is a necessity. You need to protect its roots from overly saturated soil.
- Make sure that you plant your croton in soil that has a good mix. The ideal soil for a croton plant is a mixture of three parts of ordinary potting soil and one part of perlite. This soil mixture has fine water retention capabilities and is also easy to drain.
- You must make sure that you are emptying stagnant water from the saucers or outer pots regularly. It ensures great drainage and does not allow standing water to add to the sogginess of the soil inside the pot.
- It is a common observation that the revival of over-watered croton is slower than that of under-watered croton. Nonetheless, such crotons are still salvageable, and you can nurse them back to good health. Intricate care is crucial in the recovery stage by maintaining a healthy watering routine and exposure to many indirect, bright sunlight. Also, make sure that the pots in which you plant these crotons have well-functioning drainage holes in them.
Revival of a Dying Croton with Yellow Leaves Due to Exposure to Cold Temperatures or Transplant Shock
Suppose your croton has been a victim of exposure to severely cold temperatures. The chances of its revival solely depend on the extent of time it had exposure to such atrocities and the damage it has faced due to it.
The only way to revitalize croton in such a condition is to immediately shift it to warm surroundings and make sure that it does not face cold air currents. Expose it to much indirect and bright sunlight, regularly water it, and treat it with the best possible care.
If the plant’s recovery chances seem extremely bleak, chances of new growth are imminent shortly in the months of summer or spring.
If you shift croton plants from indoors to outdoor gardens or walkways, there is a fair chance that they will lose some of their leaves due to shock from the sudden change in the environment.
It is not a very worrying scenario though, the plant usually recovers quickly in such cases as long as you ensure frequent watering, maintain humidity, and the ideal temperature range of 15°C-30°C. Avoid adding fertilizers to the croton during such times and wait for the natural emergence of new growth.
Revival of Croton Leaves Losing Colour
The main reasons for crotons to lose the color of their foliage are- exposure to an excess of direct sunlight or the lack of sunlight. Crotons can very well thrive in bright indirect sunlight and can even tolerate exposure to partial sun. Too much sun can also be a reason for the discoloration of croton leaves.
Your croton’s magnificently colored foliage might be dulling out due to either too much sun or too much shade.
But no need to panic because this has an easy fix. Just by transferring the croton to an ideal location for its growth, i.e., an optimally sunlit place, it will recover in due time.
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Will My Croton Come Back?
Whether or not your croton plant’s life is salvageable is circumstantial.
It completely depends on the kind and the amount of damage that it has faced. In most cases, you can nurse the croton back to health provided you take diligent and proper care of the plant in its recovery process.
Here are some key points to keep in mind:
- Avoid underwatering, excess watering, or exposing them to severely harsh temperatures. Temperatures below 50°F lead to the croton plant losing its leaves and causing it to die. Poor watering and low humidity levels pave the path for the plant’s leaves to turn yellow, die and eventually shed.
- Excess watering also causes the leaves to turn yellow and drop off as the plant shows signs of stress. Ideally, it would help if you planted it in pots with good drainage and a significant drainage hole at the bottom, which would help the excess water from the soil seep out. Make sure you clear the saucers or outer pots from stagnant water that the soil has drained out through the drainage hole in the primary pot to avoid the formation of a pool of water surrounding the roots.
- Exposure to an excess of direct sunlight makes the croton plant scorch in the heat and leads to its leaves losing their vibrant colors. At the same time, too much shade can also lead to the plant’s leaves losing vitality and eventually making them lose their varying hues.
- The key to reviving dying croton is to place it in bright and indirect sunlight, keeping it in an evenly moist soil that you can drain properly. Maintain the humidity of the surroundings by frequently misting the plant’s leaves to recreate its natural habitat (the tropics), and ensure a consistently warm environment with temperatures ranging between 15°C to 30°C.
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Conclusion:
Crotons are usually sturdy and competent survivors. They do not ask for an excessive amount of care.
Nonetheless, a lack of care can lead to their ill-health, and it is best to be aware of why. Minor setbacks in a croton’s health are pretty common, and you can treat it with relative ease.
If you are a croton owner and your beloved beauty is losing its luster or dying out, this article is sure to provide you with all the information you need to nurse it back to good health! Diagnose the issues early for the most effective recovery of your crotons.