Codiaeum Variegatum (Croton)

Temperature:
60-75 F

Splashes of brilliant color to relieve the monotonous green of a greenhouse devoted to foliage plants. Broad flat or narrow twisted leaves are splashed or speckled with myriad hues and shades of pink, red, yellow, purple-brown, and cream.

Grow crotons in mix of equal parts garden loam, clean sharp sand, and humus or leafmold, with a little well-rotted manure added. Keep moist at all times except when plants are resting. Good drainage is required.

Keep crotons out of direct sun; semishade is ideal, especially during summer. Seeds started in moist sphagnum moss almost any time of year usually germinate in about 30 days.

Six-inch tip cuttings may be rooted from March to June.