Codiaeum variegatum

tropic garden Codiaeum variegatum , Codiaeum variegatum , pass water a salient houseplant .

A member of the genusCodiaeumin the Euphorbiaceae , or spurge , family , it is not to be confused with the “ genuine croton ” species of the genusCroton , also in the spurge family .

If you ’ve vacation where it ’s quick and humid , you ’ve believably been awe by this brightly - colored shrub .

Two portions of a croton plant, one close to the camera and the other further away, with more vibrantly colored leaves on the closer portion, in a green and white painted room.

Photo by Nan Schiller.

There are many cultivars with glossy , leather - alike leaf in various figure . colours stray from yellow and green to red and almost black , with patches , patch , or mineral vein of contrasting colors .

We link to vendors to assist you find relevant products . If you bribe from one of our links , we may clear a commission .

blossoming is infrequent , and consists of pendant - style clusters of tiny yellowed blossoms that blanch in comparison to a breathtaking backdrop of amply - hued foliage .

Closeup of two clusters of green flowers with yellow veins, and leaves in a variety of main and vein colors including red, orange, yellow, and green, growing in bright sunlight against a dark green background, printed with green and white text.

Also know as rushfoil , Joseph ’s coat , and variegate bay wreath , this easy - growing evergreen plant perennial is native to Australia and Southeast Asia .

Those living inUSDA Hardiness zona 10 to 12may cultivate it outdoors year - round , and the rest of us can love itas an one-year , orindoors as a houseplant .

quick to raise your own ? We ’ll teach you how ! Here ’s what ’s out front in this clause :

Closeup top-down vertical image of the variegated and colorful leaves of a garden croton.

How to Grow Croton

allow ’s get jump .

The Care and Feeding ofC. variegatum

Choose a sunny placement with a south , due west , or southwesterly photograph that is gulp - free , and always above 60 degree .

If you miss adequate day , you may try a grow light , like the Dual Head LED Clamp Grow Light , useable from Wayfair . Plants that do n’t get enough sunlight are potential to be less colorful .

Newhouse Lighting Dual Head chair Clamp Grow Light

A large red, green and yellow potted croton plant in a large orange plastic pot, against a dark green wall divided by a white chair rail and off-white above that, with a picture in a black frame and a sunny window.

Your new Croton tiglium is likely to come in a grower ’s crapper . If you require to upgrade to a sturdier , more decorative container , opt one with a drainage hole and a drip tray .

Place a level of pea crushed rock in the bottom of the pot , and meet with a good calibre pot land , such as Miracle - Gro Indoor Potting Mix , available from Amazon .

Miracle - Gro Indoor Potting Mix , 6 Quart ( 2 Pack )

Double-necked grow light, shining purple and blue light onto plant specimens, with a dark purple background.

You may append a liquid houseplant nutrient like Miracle - Gro Indoor Liquid Plant food , uncommitted from Amazon . This is the merchandise of choice in my phratry . To employ , dilute it to half - speciality and apply it once a month during the   active bound through summertime emergence catamenia .

Miracle - Gro Indoor Plant Food

When the surface of the soil becomes dry to the touch , it ’s time to irrigate at soil level and mist the leave . You may leave a little water in the drip tray to supply to the moisture in the surroundings .

Article image

Garden Croton Houseplant Facts

Please note that this ornamental works is toxic if ingested , and its sap may make hide irritation .

On Repotting, Pests, and Propagation

Crotons get slowly . Over time , you may notice that you are watering more frequently , or that your flora is n’t as perky as it used to be . If so , may be time to repot .

To be certain , test the drain golf hole . If you see theme poking through , it ’s time . springtime is the best time for repotting , as your plant is feel especially vigorous .

This is where some folks err on the side of unselfishness , myself included . When you repot a houseplant , prefer the next size up , or in other words , a pot that is only an inch or two wider in diam than the current container .

Article image

A pot that is too deep will encourage overweening root growth , rather than lush foliage .

To repot , first take note of how deep your industrial plant sits in its old potbelly . You ’ll want to replicate this deepness in the Modern one . mildly relieve your plant out of its old lot , filth and all . bump off most of the   old potting mix and tease the roots apart .

Your new pot should be clean-living and have a drainage hole . Cover the bottom with pea plant crushed rock and swarm innew potting mediumto a depth of about one - third the full profoundness of the pot .

Green, red, and yellow croton plants growing outdoors in the sunshine.

center on your flora in the new pot , at the same profoundness it was in the sometime pot . harbor the plant life with one hand , use your other to fill in around it with potting medium . Do n’t fill to the top , but rather , allow a small space to prevent watering spillover .

Tamp down softly , water , and tamp again . Your freshly repot industrial plant may flag ordrop leavesuntil it recover its composure . Give it prison term to acclimatize , and resist the itch to fertilize for at least a few weeks .

To forestall transplanting jounce , you could also irrigate with tepid rather than coolheaded or cold-blooded water .

Green and yellow croton with tiny new leaves growing at the center, in a terra cotta colored plastic flower pt filled with grown soil, against a dark green wall with bright white baseboard.

A goodish Croton tiglium is not prostrate to disease or insects . However , a plant life weakened by too much or too little water system , or one that is ball over by a change in surroundings , may bevulnerable to aphids , mealybug , scale , orspider hint .

sporadically pass over your plant ’s leave down with a balmy , moist cloth . You ’ll not only keep them glossy , but if there ’s trouble brewing , you ’ll see it right out .

And if you do notice pests , seek spraying them away with neem oil colour , usable on Amazon .

Closeup of variegated green and yellow, orange and green, or red and green alternating leaves of a croton plant, with a white wall and window in the background.

Garden Safe Neem Oil Extract Concentrate

Friends are sure to look up to your new favored houseplant , so why not try your hand at propagation so you’re able to give them one of their very own ?

It ’s easy ! Here ’s what you need to do :

A blooming croton flower with tiny, fluffy, white blossoms on a long red stalk, with pale yellow and green leaves.

If you ’re ready to get started with your first industrial plant and you do n’t have a friend or friend with clippable cuttings at the quick , these can be purchased in garden nerve center or online as well . Let ’s take a flavour …

Where to Buy

There are so many dissimilar cultivars to opt from , it ’s going to be tough to beak just one !

C. variegatum‘Petra ’

C. variegatum‘Petra ’ isavailable from Fast Growing Treesin a six - in or a three - gallon pot . Elliptical green leaves are lavishly veined in yellow and carmine .

A small yellow and green spotted croton plant with drooping leaves, planted in a green decorative ceramic pot filed with dark brown soil, on a glass table with a black stained wood frame, next to a tall blue glass vase, in front of a window.

C. variegatum‘Mammey ’ in 6 - in Pot

C. variegatum‘Mammey ’ isavailable from Amazonin a 6 - inch pot . Multi - coloured , distortion , stretch leaves are accented with violent and icteric .

C. variegatum‘Banana ’ in 3 - inch Pot

A small C. variegatum aucubaefolia ‘Gold Dust’ plant in an orange plastic pot inside a square bamboo pot, growing in bright sunshine in front of a window.

C. variegatum‘Banana ’ isavailable from Amazonin a 3 - column inch flock . elongate , twisting leave are stipple and veined with xanthous .

Costa Farms Croton Grower ’s Choice Assortment , 4 - camp

And for those who ca n’t pick just one , 4 assortedC. variegatumare alsoavailable from Amazon , in 3.8 - inch pots .

Article image

A Croton to Love

I cognize you ’re going to roll in the hay having a garden croton in the house . Let me tell you about the one that lives at ours .

When my girl arrived at college , the fledgeling were give a tiny plant for their dorm elbow room windowsills . She get aC. variegatum‘Petra . ’ Most of the educatee ’ plants did n’t live to see Christmas , but my daughter ’s not only make it , it expand , and she named it “ Jules . ”

Jules came home in May and went back to school day in August for four years , and never dropped her leaves . This young woman was a title-holder !

A green, red, and yellow croton plant growing in a terra cotta colored plastic pot, in a room with a half green and half white wall, with a white chair rail in between.

After graduation , Jules came to live in my girl ’s empty bedroom , the sunniest way in the house . All was well until the 24-hour interval I went in and found her down to one folio . Did I draw a blank to water supply , or was she unhappy with her newfangled environs ?

Either direction , I am happy to describe that crotons are quite resilient , and with a little TLC from my dad ’s very greenish quarter round , Jules made a full recovery . Now , at the ripe old years of 14 , she occupies her own recess of the dining room .

If you ’ve never grown a large houseplant , now ’s the time to make way for garden Croton tiglium . It ’s indisputable to become part of the menage !

A close up square image of a ‘Petra’ croton plant in a wicker basket indoors.

And for morehouseplant care tips , be certain to find out these guides out :

Photos by Nan Schiller and Allison Sidhu © involve the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Product photos via Fast Growing Trees , Newhouse Lighting , Miracle - Gro , Garden Safe , and Costa Farms .

About

Article image

Nan Schiller

Article image

Article image

A tall croton plant in a terra cotta colored plastic pot on top of a short black wooden stepping stool, next to a yellow and green snake plant in a blue ceramic pot, against a blue and white wall, on a beige tile floor, next to a window with sunshine streaming through.

A croton plant in a blue decorative ceramic flower pot, next to a book shelf, a spray bottle of perfume, and an orange wooden box, with a white background.