Croton plant flower is a relatively small flower and you may even do not know about these flowers. So let me explain it to you.
Do a croton plant flower?
Mature croton plants flower with small insignificant flowers and they would tend to take the looks of small bulbs. One might think that they look like a holy berry.
They may look like fireworks too. Croton plants are famous plants which you could commonly spot grown in many gardens. Further it is a common sight in garden stores and in nurseries as well.
Their unique looks and the ability to produce attractive flowers are some unique features of these plants and many gardeners tend to grow them due to these features. Croton plant leaves would appear in numerous shapes, colors and in different patterns as well.
Besides, if you provide the right growing conditions , you could spot them flowering as well. That said, many people tend to grow these plants due to their unique appearances and not for their flower blossoms. So, from this article I will give you an in-depth knowledge on croton plants flowering.
Croton plants overview
Croton plants are endemic to some tropical areas in Asia, and they would get as tall as 10 feet when they fully mature. Croton plants belong to the family Euphorbia. They would usually form in clumps and chances are that they may form in vines as well.
They go by the scientific name Codiaeum variegatum. These plants are perennial and evergreen plants. Further their leaves would be thick and leathery. When they are young, you could spot them forming in numerous colors and they may tend to darken in color as they mature.
You could grow Croton plants both indoors and outdoors. If the croton plants receive sufficient sunlight, they could easily produce flowers.
However, you could grow them outdoors only if you live in USDA hardiness zones 10 and 11. If you could protect the plants from unhealthy adverse winter conditions, you could grow them in USDA hardiness zone 9 as well.
Is it rare for croton to flower?
The crotons plants which you can grow indoors can produce flowers. However, it is something very rare and there should be perfect conditions for them to flower. The ideal temperature should be around 65 and 85 degrees.
Furthermore, plenty of full sunlight should also be available. However , the maturity and the croton variety may affect the flower blossoming activity of the crotons.
How often do they flower?
Croton plants flower in summer and spring be it indoors or outdoors you grow them. However, if there are optimal growing conditions, they can grow right throughout the year too.
These are perennial plants and once they bloom, they will shed their flowers after a couple of weeks. Having said that, keep in mind that they would flower only if they were one or two years mature only.
What do croton flowers look like?
Croton flowers are tiny. Further you could spot them forming in flowers forming on a single stem. There are two categories of croton flowers such as male and female.
Male flowers would tend to look like small firework explosions. On the other hand, the female croton flower would carry three stigmas. However, they would not carry any petals though.
How long croton flower last
Croton flowers would not survive for a longer period. As aforesaid, they would stay in bloom for a few days to a couple of weeks only.
How Do You Pollinate Croton plant Flower?
You can pollinate the croton plants flower by hand without waiting for the insects to do it. To start off, you have to take a Q tip or a toothpick. Thereafter, when the plants are in bloom you simply have to gather the pollen from their anther as well as from their filament .
Thereafter you simply have to rub the pollen with the brush on another flower and the pollinator is done. Once the pollination is complete, they would produce black seeds.
Once the fertilization takes place, the offspring would be different from their parents. Further the female flowers would also become seed pods and they would be green or red in color.
Once the seed pods mature, they would become larger and darker in color. As they mature, the pods will burst and develop seeds. Those seeds would be tiny and angular.
How do you make a croton flower?
Croton plants would prefer to have bloom boosters and they would be quite beneficial in producing healthy and sustained flowers especially when they are in their latter part of the development stage. That said, you need to ensure that you are providing the favorable conditions for them to produce flowers too.
If I briefly explain, croton plants need to have indirect sunlight for about 6 to 8 hours. If you grow them indoors and if the plants are lacking ample sunlight, you could consider making use of grow lights to supplement sunlight.
Temperature wise, a temperature around 80 degrees Fahrenheit or a temperature slightly below that that would work well with these plants.
When it comes to watering, best would be to water them once every 3-7 days during summer and spring. However, you need to ascertain whether the top layer of the soil is dry and proceed with watering. Lastly you need to provide a soil mix which is fast draining.
The right ph. the level of the soil mix should be acidic . In fact, a ph. range between 4.5 to 6.5 would be ideal. If I further elaborate on the right soil mix, it has to be ideally a mix of 50 % peat moss, 25 % perlite, 10 % sandy soil, 5 % lime and 10 % compost.
In addition to aforesaid, you need to feed them preferably with an acidifying fertilizer which has a NPK ratio of 3-1-2. You need to fertilize them during summer and spring. Many people tend to use ground coffee soaked with water as well.
Croton plants are used to flower in tropical conditions. Hence you need to ideally provide high humidity levels when you cultivate them as well. To be more precise a humidity level around 50 and 80 would be perfect for them.
In addition to the above, you need to watch out for insects such as spiders, thrips, and aphids as they may tend to infect the plants if they feel welcome towards them. Thus, make sure that you monitor the plants well and see whether you could spot any early signs of pest’s infestations.
Croton plants are also susceptible for Anthracnose attacks and for fungal infestations. Furthermore, you could commonly spot powdery mildew, oedema and crown gall as well. In simple words, if you ensure that you provide the right growing conditions, you could easily make them flower.
Do croton flowers have seeds?
Croton plants flowers come up with seeds once fertilization takes place. Seed pods would usually contain the seeds and they would be somewhat tiny and angular.
Should I cut the flower off my croton?
You could cut croton flowers off if you think they look less appealing. You could simply cut their stalk up to the base of it. Alternatively, you could let them flower and cut the flower stalks when they are spent. Cutting the flowers off from the croton will not traumatize them.
How to take care of croton flowers
Croton Plant temperature requirement
The optimal temperature which would work well with croton plants would be around 60 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. However if you live in a cold region you could keep them outdoors when the weather is warm. That said , croton plants are not tolerant of temperatures which drop to 46 degrees Fahrenheit.
Light and Humidity requirement of the croton plants
Bright indirect sunlight would work well with these plants. In fact, it would help them to develop their vibrant leaf color and help them to grow vigorously as well. if the weather is too intense, you may grow them exposing to partial shade.
Bear in mind that scorching sunlight during the hottest hours of the day may burn the plants. When you cultivate them indoors, you could locate them closer to a sunny windowsill as then they could obtain the required sunlight levels.
Croton plants are used to grow in semi tropical conditions. As such you need to provide them with moderate humidity levels to grow well. In this context I recommend you mist the plants or place the pots on trays where you have filled them with wet pebbles.
This would be a fine thing to practice if there are low humidity levels especially due to air conditioning. When you grow them outdoors you could spray the plants with tepid water. Alternatively you could be tactful in placing the plants near swimming pools, ponds and streams as well.
Water and Fertilizer requirement of the croton plants
Croton plants would grow optimally if you keep them moist all the time. So, if you keep growing the plants in dry conditions, it would be harmful for the plants. On the other hand, you should refrain from keeping the plants exposed to waterlogged and soggy growing conditions as well.
So, when you grow them outdoors, I urge you to keep an organic mulch layer as that would keep the soil moist. Besides, it would be healthy for the croton plant’s roots as well.
Fertilizing wise, you need to feed these plants once a week during their growing season. Avoid watering and feeding these plants during winter as then it would allow them to relax during these periods. A balanced fertilizer would be ideal on these plants.
Furthermore, you may also use an azaleas acid formula fertilizer which you could use on these plants occasionally.
Pot requirement of the croton plants
Croton plants would usually grow upright. As such it would make them become top heavy as they grow to their full potential. So, you need to choose a pot which can retain the plants without toppling when they are mature and large.
Soil requirement of the croton plants
Croton plants opt to grow in a potting mix which has an excellent drainage. As aforesaid, croton plants prefer to grow in most soil but not in damp and soggy soil mix.
Conclusion
Croton plants are such attractive plants which many plant lovers tend to grow. They have a stunning coloration which is unique to them. In addition to that, their ability to produce attractive flowers intensifies the beauty of these plants.
If you make sure that you take care of these plants well and provide the optimal growing conditions, they will amaze you with their beautiful flower blossoms.
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