Jump to content
FIRST IPS “WEEKEND BIENNIAL” EVENT REGISTRATION NOW OPEN ×

  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

Crotons outdoors in SoCal??

AS in SA

By AS in SA
in TROPICAL LOOKING PLANTS - Other Than Palms

 Share

Recommended Posts

AS in SA Collaborator

AS in SA

Posted
Posted

Are there any crotons that can handle our winters?  I live in Santa Ana, CA - Orange County (zone 10ish).  The pictures under the topic "Crotons Crotons Crotons" are gorgeous - I'd love to plant some of these but am afraid they might be toast come winter time.  Are there any extra cold-hardy strains available?

Allen...

Santa Ana, CA.

AS in SA,

Santa Ana - CA.

SubTropicRay Grand Master

SubTropicRay

Posted
Posted

Hi Allen,

It can't hurt to try but keep in mind that crotons thrive in high humidity.  In Florida, they look their best when it rains every day and the afternoon temps reach 85-90F.  Your winter temps are probably not a problem but the lack of humidity could be.  Just something to consider.  I'm sure someone is pulling it off out there.

Ray

No one cares about your current yard temperature 🙃

epicure3 Grand Master

epicure3

Posted
Posted

I have many....I mean many croton plants around my yard planted in the ground. Probably in the neighborhood of 20 or so. Some of them are thin leaved, some are banana leaved, some are large leaved. They all do fine in the winter and none have died over the last 3-4 years I have had them. Depending on where I have placed them, I will occasionally have some leaf drop from some cold nights but they always come back with vigor in the spring. Some have no leaf drop at all and are quite large now. Keep them on the dry side in the winter or they will develop root rot.

crotontree.jpg

Coastal San Diego, California

Z10b

Dry summer subtropical/Mediterranean

warm summer/mild winter

epicure3 Grand Master

epicure3

Posted
Posted

More...

crotonsandcolocasia.jpg

IMG_2460.jpg

Coastal San Diego, California

Z10b

Dry summer subtropical/Mediterranean

warm summer/mild winter

epicure3 Grand Master

epicure3

Posted
Posted

More....

croton2.jpg

thinleafedcroton.jpg

Coastal San Diego, California

Z10b

Dry summer subtropical/Mediterranean

warm summer/mild winter

BobbyinNY Veteran

BobbyinNY

Posted
Posted

Here is a pic of one of mine.... been doing really well... getting more colors

post-57-1156703704_thumb.jpg

Bobby

Long Island, New York  Zone 7a (where most of the southern Floridians are originally from)

AVERAGE TEMPS

Summer Highs  : 85-90f/day,  68-75f / night

Winter Lows     : 38-45f/day,   25-35f / night

Extreme Low    : 10-20f/day,    0-10f / night   but VERY RARE

doubravsky Mentor

doubravsky

Posted
Posted

I have 6 or 7 crotons, just the normal Home Depot kind outside... after two years in Riverside they haven't blinked. They are under an Archontophoenix which gives some protection, but you should be fine.

Dave

 

Riverside, CA Z 9b

1700 ft. elevation

approx 40 miles inland

DoomsDave Grand Master

DoomsDave

Posted
Posted

There's a sign for the crotons over my dive:

"Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here."

That said, maybe I'll try some on a sandy mound, like epicure suggests.

dave

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

SubTropicRay Grand Master

SubTropicRay

Posted
Posted

"If at first you don't succeed.....yada yada yada".

No one cares about your current yard temperature 🙃

AS in SA Collaborator

AS in SA

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks all,

You've certainly convinced me to give them a try.  I love the variety of colors that these add.  Curious - are they particulary susceptible to any bugs/parasites or generally hardy in this regard?

AS in SA,

Santa Ana - CA.

DoomsDave Grand Master

DoomsDave

Posted
Posted

AS in Stan Anal:

Nice to meetcha!

Mo' pics?

PLease pretty please?

And mo' about yo'??

dave, the ho' fo' mo' bout' yo.

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

  • 1 year later...
Tropicalken Contributor

Tropicalken

Posted
Posted

I was looking back at some old posts and came across this one about crotons in California.

Epicure,

I was wondering how the croton collection was doing? Did you lose many during the freezing weather of last Jan.?

I keep trying different types in my yard in South Pasadena and find they seem to vary a lot in cold tolerance and root rot resistance. At the present I have six or so varieties in the ground that have done well for over five years. The ones I keep in pots seem to have a tendency to get root rots easily. The plants wilt down and the whole plant dies. I have tried some cuttings from Hawaii and Florida, but most have not done well. I think they need to be pampered until they get to a certain size. What varieties have done well for you? I seem to have little trouble with Norma, Petra, Mrs. Iceton, Banana, Mammy, and a few others that I can't recall the names on. Do you know of any local sources for unusual varieties?

Ken

epicure3

Group: IPS MEMBERS

Posts: 1122

Joined: Jun. 2006

 Posted on: Aug. 27 2006,00:48        

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have many....I mean many croton plants around my yard planted in the ground. Probably in the neighborhood of 20 or so. Some of them are thin leaved, some are banana leaved, some are large leaved. They all do fine in the winter and none have died over the last 3-4 years I have had them. Depending on where I have placed them, I will occasionally have some leaf drop from some cold nights but they always come back with vigor in the spring. Some have no leaf drop at all and are quite large now. Keep them on the dry side in the winter or they will develop root rot.

Ken

LJG Grand Master

LJG

Posted
Posted

Ken, I am new to Crotons. I had one I bought at HD 2 years ago. It did fine through the freeze of Jan 2007. So I got 20 more Crotons from Jeff Searle. All are doing well. No leaf drop so far nor root rot. But it is still early. I plant all mine where they get some sun at some point in the day, but also have protection. I also statically placed them where I feel there are some 'humidity traps' (if there is such a term) in my yard. Next to pool, under palms, etc. After this winter I will have a better understanding of what will happen. Many of mine are flushing new growth as we speak. But I think it is Jan and Feb that will be the issue. We will see.

Len

Vista, CA (Zone 10a)

Shadowridge Area

"Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are."

-- Alfred Austin

Tropicalken Contributor

Tropicalken

Posted
Posted

Thanks for your response Len. I'm glad your crotons are all doing well. The ones I have in the ground do great, but the potted ones have a tendency to rot in the winter. I'm going to give a dose of hydrogen peroxide and a fungicide to my remaining potted varieties in hope that they do not also get a root rot.

Finding new varieties in Southern California is a challenge. Armstrong is the best source I have found at the moment. Have you found any varieties that have grown fast for you? Some of mine have been in the ground for five years and are still only a couple of feet high. Our really warm weather doesn't last long enough for fast growth. I also collect ti plants which I find are much easier to grow. I have 70 or so now. If you ever want to swap cuttings, let me know.

Ken

Ken

LJG Grand Master

LJG

Posted
Posted

Ken, I have a few Ti plants. Just started adding these to the garden as they actually do pretty good here. So I woudl love some cuttings.

Tomorrow I will look at my labels to see which ones grow best. I know Davis #1 and Purity do well here. There is one more that has done really well that I need to see what it is called tomorrow.

Len

Vista, CA (Zone 10a)

Shadowridge Area

"Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are."

-- Alfred Austin

LJG Grand Master

LJG

Posted
Posted

Ken, I have a few Ti plants. Just started adding these to the garden as they actually do pretty good here. So I woudl love some cuttings.

Tomorrow I will look at my labels to see which ones grow best. I know Davis #1 and Purity do well here. There is one more that has done really well that I need to see what it is called tomorrow.

Len

Vista, CA (Zone 10a)

Shadowridge Area

"Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are."

-- Alfred Austin

Tropicalken Contributor

Tropicalken

Posted
Posted

Perhaps we can swap some material when it starts to warm up in the spring and things root more easily. Probably 70% of the ti material I have is still quite small and needs another year's growth, but the rest have cutting material. I was fortunate last summer to get around ten really large 5 gal. plants that looked a little ratty. They were originally $75 or so, but they let me have them for $5 each. It was quite a find. They were all between 5 and 6 feet with three large canes per pot. Within a month or two they all looked great again.

Ken

Ken

Jeff Searle Grand Master

Jeff Searle

Posted
Posted

(LJG @ Jan. 03 2008,00:50)

QUOTE
Ken, I have a few Ti plants. Just started adding these to the garden as they actually do pretty good here. So I woudl love some cuttings.

Tomorrow I will look at my labels to see which ones grow best. I know Davis #1 and Purity do well here. There is one more that has done really well that I need to see what it is called tomorrow.

Len,

      I can hear my babies calling out.....Daddy ? Where's our Daddy? LOL!!  Kidding aside, I'm glad to hear that their all doing so well. At least for now. By Monday, I should know if I'm coming out for the banquet, and would like to come by. I heard through the grapevine you have a nice property with a nice home and still a young garden. But in time, your landscape will change rapidly and you will be amazed.

Jeff

Searle Brothers Nursery Inc.

and The Rainforest Collection.

Southwest Ranches,Fl.

Tropicalken Contributor

Tropicalken

Posted
Posted

Jeff. If you get out for the banquet at the Huntington, you're invited to stop by my yard if you have the time. I'm only about ten minutes west of the Huntington. I don't have a lot of rare palms, but I have collected a lot of rare things over the years that you are welcome to take cuttings of.

Ken

Ken

epicure3 Grand Master

epicure3

Posted
Posted

(Tropicalken @ Dec. 31 2007,17:26)

QUOTE
I was looking back at some old posts and came across this one about crotons in California.

Epicure,

I was wondering how the croton collection was doing? Did you lose many during the freezing weather of last Jan.?

I keep trying different types in my yard in South Pasadena and find they seem to vary a lot in cold tolerance and root rot resistance. At the present I have six or so varieties in the ground that have done well for over five years. The ones I keep in pots seem to have a tendency to get root rots easily. The plants wilt down and the whole plant dies. I have tried some cuttings from Hawaii and Florida, but most have not done well. I think they need to be pampered until they get to a certain size. What varieties have done well for you? I seem to have little trouble with Norma, Petra, Mrs. Iceton, Banana, Mammy, and a few others that I can't recall the names on. Do you know of any local sources for unusual varieties?

Ken

epicure3

Group: IPS MEMBERS

Posts: 1122

Joined: Jun. 2006

 Posted on: Aug. 27 2006,00:48        

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have many....I mean many croton plants around my yard planted in the ground. Probably in the neighborhood of 20 or so. Some of them are thin leaved, some are banana leaved, some are large leaved. They all do fine in the winter and none have died over the last 3-4 years I have had them. Depending on where I have placed them, I will occasionally have some leaf drop from some cold nights but they always come back with vigor in the spring. Some have no leaf drop at all and are quite large now. Keep them on the dry side in the winter or they will develop root rot.

Hey Ken:

I didn't lose any crotons that we had on the freeze last winter. They all did pretty well. You just want to make sure that they are well established before the winter comes and keep them in a well protected space. They definitely don't like the hot winds that we get and the exposed leaves will bleach out a bit in full sun and hot, dry winds. Growth all but stops in the winter....for me anyways. As far as finding new varieties, good luck. The best bet for me has been some online sources such as toptropicals that carry the new "in" Thai varieties with somewhat rounded leaves. Now...if JEFF would only do mail order........ :P

Coastal San Diego, California

Z10b

Dry summer subtropical/Mediterranean

warm summer/mild winter

Tropicalken Contributor

Tropicalken

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the reply John. I'm glad your crotons all made it through last year. This year we only have several more weeks before we're out of the woods again as far as cold damaging weather. I'll retry some of the varieties that I lost last year. I'm guessing that root rot was the culprit more so than the cold weather.

I was in Armstrong today and saw some good sized Freckles crotons. The prices keep going up on them as they were selling for the mid $20s.

Ken

Ken

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...