Croton, or codium - a perennial indoor plant, which is distinguished by decorative leaves of different shapes, colors and sizes. Their appearance is so unusual that it attracts the eye. Therefore, many flower growers grow this plant at home. But often you can hear questions from gardeners: the leaves of a croton fall, what should I do? Various reasons can provoke the process. You should understand what this may be connected with and what to do.
Croton - home care, leaves fall
If you understand why the leaves of the croton dry and what to do, it is not difficult to fix the problem. Croton belongs to the category of evergreens. In the wild, this culture grows in the tropical jungle in the south and east of Asia. In nature, the height of the plant reaches 2.5-4 m, which is facilitated by favorable conditions.
Croton is appreciated by gardeners for the beauty of its leaves.
For the full development of the flower, warmth, good lighting and regular moderate watering are necessary. But at home, it is not always possible to maintain the optimal regimen for the plant. If the ends of the leaves begin to dry in the croton, this indicates a mismatch in the growing conditions.
Wrong watering
The reason why the leaves of the croton are drying can be a lack of moisture. This occurs as a result of the drying of the root system with prolonged absence of watering. To save the plant, it is necessary to control that the soil in the pot is always slightly moist.
Excessive soil moisture in the fall and winter can also provoke a problem with the leaves. This leads to root decay, which disrupts the metabolic processes in the tissues. Croton can be saved in this situation if the cause was established in a timely manner. It is recommended to carry out a complete flower transplant with the removal of rotten sections of the roots. You should also pour croton with the drug Maxim or Previkur Energy.
Regular overflow and drafts can lead to a sharp lowering of flower leaves
Diseases
Diseases can also provoke drying and further falling of leaves. Most often, they develop in violation of the rules for caring for a flower.
The most common ones are:
- Anthracnose. This fungal disease develops with increased humidity of about 90% in combination with a high temperature of + 27 ... +29 degrees. Also, an increased level of acidity of the soil and a lack of potassium, phosphorus can provoke the development of anthracnose. The disease manifests itself with brown spots with a dark brown border around the edge. Subsequently, they grow and merge into a single whole, which impedes the movement of nutrients. Against the background of the disease, the croton leaves begin to dry out, lose turgor and may eventually fall. For treatment, it is recommended to treat the plant with Fundazole, Antracol, Euparen.
- Root rot. This disease can also be the reason why croton abruptly drops leaves. It develops with excessive watering and cold maintenance. A provoking factor may be the low acidity of the soil. The disease can be recognized at the initial stage by the sharp yellowing of the leaves, after which they drop and become lethargic. For treatment, it is necessary to pour croton with Fitosporin-M or Previkur.
With root rot, you can save the plant only at the initial stage of damage
Important! For the treatment of fungal diseases, it is necessary to treat croton 2-3 times, alternating with fungicides.
Pests
In some cases, it is the pests that cause the tips of the leaves to dry on the croton. You can recognize the defeat by the oppressed appearance of the plant, slow growth or its complete absence, yellowing of the ends and falling of leaves.
Possible problems:
- Spider mite. This is a small insect that is difficult to see with the naked eye. The tick feeds on the sap of the plant. The lesion can be recognized by the dull shade of the leaves, the appearance of yellow dots on the upper side of the leaf along its edge, as well as a small cobweb on the tops of the shoots. A provoking factor is dry air and elevated temperature. To destroy the pest, it is necessary to process the plant twice with a frequency of 7 days. From the spider mite, it is recommended to use such drugs as Fitoverm, Actellik.
- Shield. The size of the insect does not exceed 5 mm. The body of the pest is covered with a shield that protects it from external influences. You can detect an insect on the underside of the leaves and along the shoots. As a result of the defeat, the plant ceases to develop, since it spends all its strength on the struggle. The leaves of the plant turn yellow, fall, and then fall. To destroy the scale, it is necessary to water the croton twice with Aktara's working solution with a 5-day interval, and also spray the aerial part of the flower with Fitoverm.
- Mealybug. The pest is a small white insect that feeds on the sap of the plant. With mass congestion, it resembles pieces of cotton wool. The insect propagates in the upper soil layer, and then moves to the leaves and shoots of the croton. With damage, the flower ceases to fully develop and can lower the leaves. For destruction it is necessary to spray the plant and the topsoil in a pot at least 3 times. For this, such drugs as Inta-Vir, Actellik are suitable.
Important! With the mass appearance of pests, it is imperative to treat the plants with chemical agents. You can get rid of the problem by folk methods only with a small number of insects.
Temperature mode
Often, the lowering of the leaves of the croton is associated with non-compliance with the maintenance regime. Favorable temperature for growing - + 20 ... +22 degrees. Any deviation up or down negatively affects the plant.
At elevated temperatures, air humidity decreases, which causes discomfort to the flower. The tips of the leaves begin to dry, and their decorativeness decreases.
Important! At a temperature of +14 degrees in the tissues of the plant irreversible processes begin.
Reduced temperature slows down biological processes in the tissues. This leads to the fact that the leaves do not receive nutrition, therefore they turn yellow, become soft and fall.
Croton does not tolerate both cold and hot contents
How to prevent
In order to prevent leaf croton from falling off, you need to properly care for it. This will avoid many problems.
Key recommendations:
- For a croton, you don’t need to pick up a container that is too large, since the earth that has not been developed by the roots begins to sour.
- The transplantation of young plants should be carried out annually in the spring, and grown up - once every 2-3 years.
- It is important to create a favorable temperature for the flower; its differences and drafts should not be allowed.
- It is necessary to provide adequate lighting, since croton belongs to photophilous plants.
- Watering should be carried out regularly so that the soil in the pot is always slightly moist.
- It should provide the plant with timely top dressing.
- It is important to regularly inspect the plant for diseases and pests in order to identify the problem at the initial stage.
Flower dropped leaves after transplanting
What if the croton lowered the leaves after transplanting? In this case, it is recommended to rearrange the plant in a light partial shade, control the soil moisture and regularly spray the leaves. When transplanted, the plant receives stress, so it needs time to recover.
