Croton plant

[ButterflyLady29]

Hubby bought me this cute little tagless plant last winter. He knows I'm a sucker for clearance plants. I finally identified it as a croton (hopefully petra) with a variegated English Ivy winding around it's base. (I really didn't try very hard to id it when he bought it, just watered and kept it happy) The poor little plant was in a very small ceramic planter with no drain holes, just a little basketball shaped pot maybe 4 inches deep and 6 inches diameter. I have been promising it that I would repot it. Last night I got it repotted into a much larger pot with drain holes and some good potting mix. I know it will probably start sulking and lose some leaves but it will be much better in the long run. I just hope it doesn't grow to the mature size of 3 feet! I don't have anyplace to set a 3 foot tall tropical plant.

[imafan26]

Sounds like a good plan. There are many different cultivars of croton. It is often used as a hedge here. It can get to 15 ft.

[ButterflyLady29]

My livingroom ceiling isn't 15 feet high. I sure hope this one doesn't get that big. But then, being in a container the size should be limited by the restriction on the root ball.

So far it hasn't drooped or lost any leaves. It needs to be watered again but otherwise seems happy.

[imafan26]

It takes years for it to grow and it is 15 ft in the ground. It will stay smaller in a pot. Watch out for mites and whiteflies they love it.

[ButterflyLady29]

Thanks for the heads up on the bugs. I had spider mites in my miniature potted roses last year. Had an awful time getting rid of them.

[catgrass]

Kept in a pot, you can control how big it gets. Prefers bright light, and can handle some drought. If it droops, water it. Definitely cut that vine out of it, it will strangle your croton.

[ButterflyLady29]

Definitely cut that vine out of it, it will strangle your croton.

Really? It was in the pot when he brought it home and so far hasn't caused a problem. It seems like the vine is the one struggling. It probably would be happier in it's own pot. I'll see how things go and separate them if they start having issues. The rootball had to be smashed quite a bit in the repotting process and I want to give their roots a chance to recover before I mess with them again.

[catgrass]

It's up to you-personally, I don't like vines of any type with my container plants-they take over. A croton is beautiful by itself. If it is English Ivy, it will attach to the stalk/trunk of your croton. But, maybe I'm being picky-as I said, I don't like vines in a container with other plants.

[ButterflyLady29]

I really don't know what kind of Ivy it is, it looks like a variegated English Ivy. I will keep an eye on the situation. As long as they play well together I think I'll leave them be.