Question

Jayla's Crotons   QUESTION: Hello Will,    
  
I live in Charlotte, NC. I've enjoyed reading the information that you post on Allexperts.com and have learned a great deal from your articles. I love having a house full of plants but I have never been successful at making them thrive. Most of my plants are usually barely hanging on. I finally decided to try to figure out what I've been doing wrong all this time, and that's how I found you. :) I抳e had good and bad luck with house plants (mostly bad, except for those that I grow in water; they seem to do quite well) and so to cut down on the expense, I抳e recently taken to buying plants that were on sale, at the end of the season, or that had to be sold due to becoming distressed in a retail store environment. My hope was that I could make them thrive if I could learn how to properly care for them and if not, I wouldn抰 have invested too much $$.

I have quite a few questions, but I will stick to one subject in this letter so as not to overwhelm you or take up too much of your time. About six months ago, I brought a beautiful Croton from Harris Teeter (a grocery store) for $10. The plant is still in its original 9 inch pot which I sat on an end table next to north facing French doors. I would always open the blinds on these doors all the way every morning and leave them open all day. There was also an air vent on the ceiling, above the door. Within a few days, surely no more than a week of bringing it home, ALL of the leaves began to fall off! I was devastated and could not figure out what was wrong! One by one, seemingly healthy leaves just kept falling off on a daily basis. I didn抰 know what to do but couldn抰 bear to throw it away. After reading your column, I realize that it must have been infected with spider mites as there is evidence of webbing. I抦 not sure when the webbing appeared and I never saw any bugs. After reading your article on "the Psychology of Plants", I suspect that I may have been "over nurturing?it as well. My question for Croton #1: Is it too far gone and should I give up and throw it away? I have since moved to a new apartment and placed it near a West facing sliding glass door that receives plenty of light. And although I抳e been controlling my urge to overwater by sticking to a weekly watering schedule, I haven抰 seen any real improvement in this plant. I have occasionally used Miracle grow on all of my plants because I thought it was supposed to be a good all purpose fertilizer.

Croton #2 was purchased from Lowes Home Improvement for $2. It is also still in its original 9" pot and is sitting in a nook close to a large, East facing window. This room gets plenty of light, especially on Sunny days. It抯 been about 2 weeks and now I notice that when I water it, little black flies are starting to swarm around it. I thought it was doing well but I抳e also noticed that some of the leaves are starting to turn brow and crumpled in spite of my watering schedule. When the plant dries out, I'll follow your treatment for fungus gnats. Is there anything else I should do? Also, where do I get the sharp river sand that you recommended in your article? Another website that I visited suggested using a mixture of Hydrogen Peroxide and water to kill the Fungus Gnats. What are your thoughts about that?

Finally, Croton # 3, that I purchased for $.25 from Lowes, was originally in a 2" pot. I repotted it in a 3" pot. I placed on the sill of an East facing window that receives direct bright light for several hours in the morning. After about 2 days the plant seemed to be under a great deal of stress. I moved it to the sill of a West facing window that's much shadier in the morning and not quite as bright in the afternoon. It抯 still withering and looks burnt. I抳e been picking off the withered leaves. Can it be saved?
Please just go ahead and send me any of your articles that you think I need to read. I can send more pictures if needed.Thank you so much for your help!
P.S. My next question will be about Dracaena Marginata!

ANSWER: Hi Jayla,

It appears that your bargain plants may not have been such a good bargain after all. Stores do not usually sell healthy plants at bargain prices. Not all plants can be saved even under the best care.

Plants #1 and #3 do not look like they have a future. It is evident that their roots are severely damaged, probably from improper watering or repotting. Plant #2 may still be viable, but the presence of fungus gnats means that the plant was not grown in good quality soil and that the soil is not drying out enough between waterings.

Crotons require direct sunlight most all day long. They also need to stay tightly potted and watered only when the top quarter of the soil feels dry. Keeping plants on a weekly or any other calendar schedule is never a good idea. Plants should be watered when they NEED water, regardless of the day of the week.

When plants are stressed, usually due to improper watering, they are very susceptible to plant pests. That is why yours are having spider mite and fungus gnat problems. These pests can be treated effectively, but unless the underlying stress factor is eliminated, the plant will not survive.

I have an excellent article on how to eliminate plant pests that I can email to you (or anyone else), but only if you email your request for the article to me at [email protected]. I do not have access to your email address from this website.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

Visit my website at: A link to PlantCareExperts.com



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: If Croton #2 was not grown in good quality soil, should I repot it with a better quality soil? If so, what is the best kind of soil to use? Also, where would you recommend someone who lives in the city to buy house plants? I generally go to The large home improvement chains.
Thanks.

Answer
Hi Jayla,

I mentioned the poor quality soil to point out that this is not a top quality plant and that means it may be a struggle for you no matter what you do. When you purchase better quality plants they are potted in sterile soil that does not have pest problems. Bargain plants are rarely a bargain.

That said, I do NOT recommend replacing the soil. Doing so will damage all of the tiny root-hairs that do most of the work. Instead, remove all loose soil from the surface that is not in direct contact with the roots. This will remove many of the gnat larvae. Then, put the Croton on a sunny window sill and do not water it until the plant starts to wilt slightly. Then, add a small quantity of water so the plant receives , but dries out again in a few days. The key is to provide just enough water for the plant to survive, while depriving the larvae of the excess moisture they need to develop. Sometimes sprinkling some sand on the soil surface helps prevent the winged gnats from emerging from the soil.

Most plants do not need to be repotted, so you should not need much potting soil. Pro-Mix is a good brand if you can find it. Otherwise, mix 5 parts of peat moss with one part Perlite to make your own mix. Avoid Miracle-Gro potting mixes because they are often contaminated with gnat larvae.

Big Box stores have great plant prices, but they contract with growers at very low prices. These nursery growers cut corners to meet their contract obligations. The result is plants that are grow rapidly, but are often weak, pest-infested and not properly acclimated for home use. Big Box store personnel are not knowledgeable about plant care and the plants are often poorly cared for in these stores.

If there are retail specialty plant or florist shops in your area, they area better bet because they specialize in plants, not a thousand other kinds of items. They are also more inclined to want to keep their customers happy because they rely on repeat business. Yes, you pay more for this, but I think it is worth it in the long run.

~Will