drooping croton, please help.

10 years ago

I posted this in the wrong forum. Hopefully this is the more appropriate group.

I've finally sourced all materials for Al's gritty mix. But now my croton is drooping, and I'm hesitant to repot it because of too much shock.
Background: plant is in los Angeles by a window facing south. We only have north or south facing windows. Over July 4th weekend we were out of town for a few days and when I returned the plant was drooping. The soil was bone dry, I used a chop stick to check the bottom soil. So I watered (tap water) using the flood method till I saw some water escaping the drain hole. I then tilted the pot to remove as much perched water as I could. After that I used a qtip in the drain hole to wick/remove more perched water. Its in miracle grow potting soil. No addition fertilizer used.

This was a few days ago. The photo shows the bottom branches starting to perk back up. But the rest of the plant is still drooping. There's only been 2 leaves that dropped and I'd like to save the rest.

Other miscellaneous info; this window has a fan blowing in for circulation. Though that didn't seem to effect it before. Window a/c runs in other bedroom to cool the whole unit. Heat wave hit us the 4th and has been oscillating since. Window is usually open for air flow.

What can I do to help my croton bounce back? Obviously right now is not ideal time to repot, but once the croton gets better and specific tips to help mitigate shock; other than keeping roots wet, out of direct light for a couple weeks, and no dyna-grow fertilizer?

Thank you in advance. I'm excited to become a better caregiver for my plants!

- Tofu

Featured Answer

pelargonium_gw

10 years ago

It seems like the top leaves are beyond rescue. I would just cut off the top, and let the bottom leaves grow. You could also put up some kind of sun shade, maybe a big white sheet of paper, to filter the strong sunlight in the south window. Then water regularly to keep the plant moist, but not soaking wet.

Comments (8)

lukewarmtofu
Original Author
10 years ago
Update, the bottom leaves are now also drooping. I move it to more filtered light. Maybe it was cooking in the window?
pelargonium_gw
10 years ago
By looking better at the photo, I can see that you already have a sun shade. Sorry! :)
lukewarmtofu
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for the response Pelargonium.
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
10 years ago
No ferts, just water.

I'd put it in a bucket of water filled so the water is just below the soil level and let it sit for 20 minutes, then lift and let it drain. See how it is 2 days later. Your soil may have become so dry that it is now repelling water.

tj
bornigeri
10 years ago
I have a croton that hasn't grown since I had it. The leaves don't droop and I water regularly. I'll send a pic if need be. Any advice? Thanks in advance!!!
rooftopbklyn (zone 7a)
10 years ago
I have a croton that languished in a not-very-bright corner inside for about 18 months, being mostly neglected. It lost a majority of its leaves, but not all. I put it outside this past spring, planning to repot and chop it, but became distracted converting other outdoor containers to 5-1-1. There were under 10 leaves when I moved it outside.

By July it had grown over 100 new leaves all along it's multiple trunks just by virtue of being in good sun. It also made some new branches. I never did chop it back, or repot it. I will do both this summer.

So - maybe your crotons all need some more light / sun. I do plan to repot mine into better media this summer.
Carol Hildebrand
8 years ago
I'm having the same problem with my croton plant (Bush on fire) drooping. The soil is usually damp unless I've just watered. The humidity is really dry like 18 - 22% with winter set in so I've placed a plastic over the croton. Also have a humidifier set up and 6 pails of water sitting around to help the humidity but to no avail. Plastic over the plant has helped the last of 3 croton plants (in same pot) to not droop till now. First the smallest, then the med. drooped and died during summer when a/c was on. The leaves are very colorful, shiny and strong and they stay that way even as they go down. I used miracle potting mix and wonder if this is the right soil? It sits in a south facing window in a mini greenhouse with extra plastic over the plant itself because the humidity is so low. I have containers of water under the plants in the greenhouse as well but with the greenhouse cover being quite loose at the bottom the air is very dry in there too. Also covered the bottom shelf with plastic to block some of the dry air and keep some circulation - not making a difference. What to do? any ideas?

Then today as I was watering the plant, there were bugs, I think because of being closed in plastic - very damp around the plant. Will try the soap in water container first as that seems the least expensive at the moment.

Thanks in advance.