Homemade Croton flower. The leaves dry and fall off - what is the reason?

Connoisseurs of flower beds on the windowsills often collect the most valuable collections of indoor plants. Criteria for selection can be very different: someone likes flowering, someone - succulents, for someone important - ease of care, and someone more important than the compatibility of plants with each other and the formation of harmonious compositions. Among all the abundance is such a croton flower. And many ignore it. It is difficult to find a more beautiful, but also more demanding plant than croton (leaves dry and fall off at the slightest error of the owner). But the main beauty of this "pet" is in the foliage, as it blooms quite unattractively. And yet there is in it some attraction, forcing the plant growers to again and again make attempts to crochet the capricious man in his flower garden.

Description of the plant

A native plant from the tropics. And there this shrub from the category of evergreen waved up to one and a half meters. Croton at home has a much more modest size: the maximum growth for nago are considered to be 70 cm, but usually it is half less. The skiny leaves of the plant - its main pride - often resemble laurel, but not infrequently variants of tape-like, elegant twisting and carving in the most bizarre way. Young shoots have a yellowish or greenish color, but as they grow, they brighten up, and acquire bright spots of warm shades. Not surprisingly, the owners are upset when the croton is sick - the leaves dry and fall, and the plant loses its attractiveness.

Temperature requirements

One should never forget that the attracted flower is very whimsical. It is necessary not only to know exactly how to care for croton, but also to follow all the rules, otherwise it will not last long. One of the main parameters is the temperature. First, it should never fall below 17 Celsius. And this is a critical threshold on which problems with a plant can already begin. Roots rot, then it is extremely rare to save the croton. The optimum temperature regime is between 20 and 22 degrees. Secondly, there should be no sudden temperature changes. On the eve of the winter, it is better to include a heater in advance or to equip a croton with a mini-greenhouse. And thirdly, the complete absence of drafts. For the death of the flower it is enough to keep him on the "windmill" for a quarter of an hour.

Requirements for lighting

Light is the second factor that can spoil your growing. Croton (photo) requires a lot of sunlight, but not direct ones - they burn leaves that are unable to recover. For winter, it is better to keep the flower on the southern or eastern window - the rays are cold, and it receives only the necessary. With the approach of summer, the pot needs to be moved to a calmer place, north or west. And it is necessary to accustom the plant to a more intense sun gradually. If you do not guess with the degree of illumination, the leaves will become primitive-green, and the croton will lose 90% of its attractiveness.

The most important detail: watering

The correct dose of water is the guarantee of the survival of any plant. Croton room requires good soil moisture. In warm, and especially hot months, you can not allow the soil to dry out deeper than a centimeter. In the non-vegetative period, the moisture content is reduced, and the watering should become more rare. Water should be able to evaporate from the ground to a large extent, so as not to cause decay of roots. It is noteworthy that the croton (the photo you see in the article) quite clearly shows the gardener about the lack of moisture: his leaves amicably drop. To correct the situation is quite simple - unscheduled irrigation. But it is better not to bring to this: it is every time stress, and the plant can not bear it.

Required humidity

The tropical past of the flower requires maintaining a fairly high humidity in the room where it is located. In the months of active life, spray plants should be daily and be carried out at room temperature. It can (and even is useful) to add fertilizers in low concentration. In winter, when radiators dry the air, spraying should be accompanied by rubbing the leaves with a damp cloth and periodic showers (the earth must be covered with a film). And it is better to put in the room a humidifier. Or at least a bowl of water next to the pot.

Other features

The croton has certain nuances in life and care that you need to know about.

1. The plant blooms regularly, abundantly, but ugly. In this case, the forces are selected from the whole plant: the leaves grow smaller, and the growth slows down. So the ovary should be cut off.
2. The transplantation of young plants is carried out every spring in low pots by overtaking. Older plants should not be transplanted more than once every three years. More frequent relocations harm them.
3. Home croton flower has a poisonous juice. It's difficult to poison seriously, even if you chew the stalk, but the irritation is eliminated with difficulty. So after all manipulations with the plant, it is better to wash hands with preventive measures, and with soap.

By the way, the last factor explains why the croton room is rarely affected by pests. They just do not like the poison produced by plants. Nevertheless, if the leaves are seldom wiped and sprayed, the flower may be affected by a spider mite or scab. The most reliable way of removing both varieties of pests - washing the leaves with tobacco infusion with diluted soap in it, can be - with the addition of kerosene. The greatest attention is paid to the underside. In this case, the earth is closed from the penetration of the "medicine" with polyethylene, and after a couple of hours the plant needs to be washed with clean water.

Moody Croton: the leaves dry and fall off - possible causes

Even diligently taking care of plants, lovers of home gardens often encounter the stubborn desire of "pets" to get rid of the deciduous cover. With this, you must certainly fight, first of all, finding out the cause of the mantle of the croton. There can be several.

1. Dryness of air. She is the most frequent culprit. Try to spray the bush more often.
2. Soil drying. We remember: not deeper than a centimeter! If the rule is regularly violated, it is not surprising that the plant relieves excess weight.
3. Mite. Despite the poisonousness of the plant, he often tries to eat them, so it's worth to inspect the "pet" for pests.

If you have a young, recently bought croton, the leaves dry and fall off at it, most likely, it is due to the poverty of the soil in which it lives. Not later than a couple of weeks after the acquisition, it must be transferred to the nutrient soil from equal parts of leaf, sod, humus, sand and peat with the introduction of charcoal. And after - regularly feed it with complex fertilizer: weekly in spring and summer and monthly in the remaining months of the year.