Croton Leaf Drop

[TikiRick]

All,

It reached 52 at my garden last week and this week I am noticing an exceptional amount of croton leaf drop. Some of the crotons that appear to be hit the worse from the cold are:

Eleanor Roosevelt

Goldust

Rhedii

Are some crotons real wimps when it comes to cooler temps?

[SubTropicRay]

Rick,

My "Sunray" has been decimated. If it hadn't had 200+ leaves before the cool snaps of recent weeks, I might notice more that it's dropped over half. Everyday I come home there's a small pile underneath the plant. Typically in my experience, the older hybrids are more cold tolerant.

We skipped fall this year and went right into "winter." This is compounded by the fact that some of these early cold fronts have been accompanied by very dry north winds. The sudden lack of humidity and cooler temps shocks the plants into leaf drop. The farther along we get into winter, the more hardened off the plants become and the less affected they are by these same temps we've had. You can water plants in before a cool snap to try and minimize leaf loss but ultimately, the temps and humidity have everything to do with how crotons look. I also noticed that more exposed specimens faired much worse than those surrounded by other plants or under canopy. Of course, a healthy, well fed, pest free croton makes it through winter better too.

Ray

[LJG]

Try growing Crotons in California.

I have noticed a large difference in leaf drop between varieties. Some hardly drop, others drop 100%.

[TikiRick]

Thanks Ray.

I get so frustrated picking up croton leaves. South Florida is said not to have a fall, but me raking these colorful leaves up is as fall as it gets! Damn I hate winter. Bring back the heat and humidity...but hold the hurricanes, thank you.

[freakypalmguy]

I tried a croton here in Temecula. It dropped all it's leaves then dropped dead . I wish there were more cold tolerant varieties. I spend a lot of time in FL and have seen some beauties.

Matt

[paulgila]

ray what to crotons like to be fed & when? thanks.

[spockvr6]

Oddly enough, I havent noticed any Croton leaf drop yet (and I probably have 100-200 plants but only of maybe 10-15 varieties), expect for one single Mammey! This one has dropped maybe half its leaves for what reason I have no idea.

[SubTropicRay]

I give them Azalea fetilizer or any other highly acidic blend. Coffee grounds aren't fertilizer but spark a new flush within a couple of weeks. I'd start feeding them in late Feb/early March.

[Jeff Searle]

  LJG said:

Try growing Crotons in California.

I have noticed a large difference in leaf drop between varieties. Some hardly drop, others drop 100%.

You So-Cal guys never keep me from a good smile. There....

Len, don't give up, your giving all the non-croton believers out there something they don't have...........

Jeff

[JungleGina]

I have one (that originally came from you, Ray, with a number instead of a name) that had two stalks on it--one stalk dropped all its leaves and died but the other is doing just fine. How do you explain that one?? Obviously, they're getting exactly the same care. I'm just glad part of the plant has held up and hope it makes it. However, since we're not even officially in winter yet, I won't be holding my breath. All the others look fine.

[SubTropicRay]

One of my plants is doing the same thing Gina. I'd give that one a little extra TLC until winter passes.

[southlatropical]

  freakypalmguy said:

I tried a croton here in Temecula. It dropped all it's leaves then dropped dead . I wish there were more cold tolerant varieties. I spend a lot of time in FL and have seen some beauties.

Matt

If your climate is too cold the closest you can get to croton is Aucuba japonica 'Gold Dust' or 'Crotonifolia'.

[Central Floridave]

Croton get spider mites and thrips in the dry winter. This will make the croton drop their leaf during colder weather. I've learned that if you spray the undersides of the leaf with a strong spray of water it will knock them off and/or slow them down. Once or twice a week I'll go through the yard and spray down the crotons. I haven't had any leaf drop and I'm much further North.

I never fertilize my croton and they grow good. I do use heavy mulch and live under live oak canopy so thus they do get good oak leaf mulch year round.

I've found that spraying the leaf with a strong spray of water every so often prevents leaf drop in the winter.

Here is a UF page that mentions problems with croton production:

http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/Foliage/folnotes/crotons.htm

http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/Foliage/folnotes/crotons.htm

[epicure3]

Crotons are surprisingly hardy for me, considering that it is much colder here in Cali than in FLA. I don't know why. Maybe they react more favorably to a gradual cool down....more along the lines of what we have. Not to say that I don't have any leaf drop. I usually have some leaf drop on a lot of my 20 or so crotons. Just not enough that they look bad in any way. The thin leaved variety generally ahave more leaf drop for me that the larger ones.

[SubTropicRay]

I think you are right about the gradual cool down. The first significant temprature drop in November is what caused the loss of foliage here. 80F one week and 45F the next. TikiRick mentioned that his plants lost foliage from sudden temps in the 50'sF. His 50's are my 40's but either way, the temperature change was sudden.

Ray

[TikiRick]

And now with low temps at 73 and highs at 83, some of the same crotons that dropped are now pushing small 'buds'. Go figure. I'll take it!

[SunnyFl]

  TikiRick said:

All,

It reached 52 at my garden last week and this week I am noticing an exceptional amount of croton leaf drop. Some of the crotons that appear to be hit the worse from the cold are:

Eleanor Roosevelt

Goldust

Rhedii

Are some crotons real wimps when it comes to cooler temps?

Sorry for the late response, but I just now saw this.

I have Golddust in the ground (quite a bit of it) and Eleanor Roosevelt (in a pot). We got down a few degrees lower than you did and I didn't have any leaf drop. Someone else mentioned spider mites and another suggested watering the leaves. I think the problem may be spider mites, especially if you are experiencing drier than normal conditions.

Also, I agree with the coffee grounds suggestion. I use them on my crotons too.

[epicure3]

  TikiRick said:

And now with low temps at 73 and highs at 83, some of the same crotons that dropped are now pushing small 'buds'. Go figure. I'll take it!

I would take that as well. No such luck here though.

I also have placed my crotons in the warmest part of my yard. Next to the house or grouped together. I also place them under canopy for an added layer of warmth.

[amazon exotics]

with winter low temps we also have a lack of water (rain). Cold wind following the fronts dehydrates plants and they drop leaves. Sunny mentioned spraying the leaves for mites and that extra water they receive helps. Crotons usually look their worst in sw fla around april or may when it is very dry (lack of rain and water restrictions) and their tired of being poisoned by city water.

[SubTropicRay]

Derek,

I've found that watering these plants before a cold snap hydrates them just enough to minimize the leaf loss. 35F seems to be the cutoff for them to stay healthy.

Ray

[amazon exotics]

Ray, Totally agree. I also notice that the cork screwed leaf shape crotons are more drought resistant.