Why is my Croton Dying?

сroton yellow green leaves

I bought a croton more than three years ago. Everything was good with it: very beautiful, well-grown and not sick. I enjoyed the vivid color of its foliage when it suddenly began to dry up and started losing leaves.

There were no pests, just leaves began to fade around the perimeter and then fell off. I knew that normally it drops leaves twice a year. In other cases it should hold the foliage. I was wondering why is my croton dying?



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I needed an urgent answer on what to do with the plant which leaves are falling off.

I asked a shop assistant from the shop, where I bought my croton for some help. She told me that it’s quite a challenge to keep this genus attractive and healthy. According to her, that a lot of people complain about their plant dropping foliage.

She was convinced that the reason why it is unhappy and why my croton is losing leaves is that it has a disease. There are many different factors that may cause a disease:
- lots of light (but crotons do not like heat),
- not to overwater the plant if you don’t want your croton plant dying. It can kill the roots and cause root rot. Watering must be done regularly. The soil shouldn’t be dry as well as it shouldn’t be soggy. The plant can get stressed because of the cold water, so use tepid one. Make sure the cultivar is not sitting in stagnant water.
- should be transplanted,
- check between the trunk and branches for tiny webs with a magnifying glass (they may eat your croton),
- keep the humidity around the plant high in order to discourage more problems. The problem I experiences (shedding leaves) could be a common response to dry conditions. If the humidity of the room is not good enough, a humidifier can help or you can place the pot in a tray which will have pebbles and water. The bottom of the pot mustn’t be submerged.

See our croton infographic.

The water will gradually evaporate increasing the humidity. Once the water evaporates from the tray, add some more.

- spray it with water five times per week,
- soil may not retain water. Many plants produced with commercial purposes are planted in soiless mix. It wears out in a short period of time. Once it happens, the water will just run through it. This can cause the plant’s stress. To be on a safe side, the shop assistant advised to add some soil of high quality to the pot.
- avoid temperature fluctuations. The plant needs consistent environment. Otherwise, it won’t live long.

She gave me a good piece of advice. If all the leaves are gone, scratch the bark on the main stem. If there is green tissue under the scratch, it’s a good sign. It indicates that the plant is alive and is likely to get better. This period of recovering, however, can take up to several months. But who cares about that as long as their lovely plant lives?

When I came home, I did exactly what she told me. I discovered with relief green tissue inder my scratch. After all, my plant wasn’t dead. After that I changed the soil and put my croton in a good place for it. My favorite plant is happy now!

Why is my Croton Dying?