My Croton Cold Tolerance

Last fall a Croton plant caught my eye and I decided to get it for my patio. Everything was good until winter started. The first few nights of cold weather made my plants drop leaves, and they became very weak. I was a bit shocked and left them in the soil for another day.

Then I did a research and figured out that plants have hardiness as well. Crotons are tropical plants and their cold tolerance is not very good. They barely survive hard or extended freezes, particularly if the plant is young.

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Cold tolerance is not the advantage of this genus, and croton hardiness varies depending on the species. You will certainly have to keep an eye on the cultivar if it is a representative of skinny-leafed varieties, such as, for example, Zanzibar or Picasso’s Paintbrush.

Some crotons can handle freeze and do pretty well in cold growing areas. Among them are Yellow Excurrens, Lt. Paget, Nestor, Bogoriensis, King of Siam, and Dreadlocks.

Although some people claim these cultivars to be quite tough, some gardeners are convinced that even if the species was cold resistant one year, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be able to endure the next cold spell. However, if according to the weather forecast there is a threat of frosts, the best thing you can do is to protect your plant.

Before the temperatures get really low, move all the plants grown in containers inside. If it is not possible to do, then find a sheltered spot of the yard and group the cultivars together. After that, cover them with plastic. Outdoor crotons must be watered well before the frost hits.

Otherwise, dry winds which normally accompany cold temperatures are bound to dry the species out. The soil should be watered, not the foliage. If you have an outdoor croton, cover it with a quilt, bed sheet or plastic. Don’t forget to water the genus when the cold snap subsides. Even if there are dead-looking branches, do not prune them. Do that only when new growth appears.

After reading all this information, I dug out a few of my Crotons that looked better and made them potted plants. I watered them and put in a sunny place. A few days later they started reviving and I have been growing Croton on my window sill for the whole winter.

My family enjoyed it a lot!