Plant Care: Croton Petra
Croton Petra care tips
Watering: Water whenever the top 2cm of soil has dried out. Keep the soil moist, but don’t allow the roots to sit in water.
Light & placement: Plan for 6-8 hours of indirect sunlight to keep leaves vibrant. If kept in low-light conditions, leaves will remain green.
Humidity: Croton petra enjoys a decent amount of humidity, which you can create with a humidifier, regular misting or by setting on a pebble tray.
Good to know: Give it a feed with liquid fertilizer once a month in spring and summer. Croton petra is toxic to children and pets if ingested.
Do you ever wish you could just bottle the autumn season up and keep its colors around forever? Let us introduce you to the Croton Petra! Sporting vibrant hues of yellow, red, and orange, the Croton Petra can be a year-round reminder of cozy autumn days and the bountiful harvests of fall…if you know how to care for it.
Why choose a Croton Petra?
Break up the monotony of green foliage with a Croton Petra! These sturdy indoor plants brighten up any space they’re brought into and are surprisingly easy to care for. With its shrublike appearance, it can be a perfect accent to corners, side tables, and more. The Croton Petra is not only easy to grow, they can also produce blooms! So look out for those tiny delightful star-shaped flowers.
Common care mistakes
As with many plants, overwatering is the enemy, keep an eye out for drooping leaves and signs of root rot. You’ll also find that the Croton Petra’s leaves are able to turn green as well. This means that the plant is not receiving enough sunlight.
Solutions
To avoid overwatering, keep the roots out of pooling water and repot when they start to peek out or become visible and always check if the top 2 cm of soil is dry before watering. If its leaves turn green, it’s time to rethink sunlight exposure. For ideal colors, place the plant in bright, indirect sunlight. Speaking of leaves, these plants enjoy a good clean. Take a damp washcloth to the leaves every now and then to remove dust or debris.
Lastly, the Croton Petra likes a stable environment. This means limiting how much the plant gets moved around. A good amount of humidity and maintaining a temperature within 15 to 24 degrees Celsius will also keep this plant healthy and happy.
Care tips for prevention
The Croton Petra is native to southeast Asia and India, so think warmer and wetter climates. Keeping that in mind, it’s relatively easy to suss out what the plant needs. Make sure to maintain the plant's growth with pruning once in a while (and save the clippings for propagation!) and keep it in a warm, moist environment. Fertilizer also doesn’t hurt, plan on feeding your Croton Petra at most twice a year.
Croton Petra and you
The Croton Petra adds a bit of diversity to any plant catalog and requires easy to moderate care. You can either grow it out into a bushier houseplant or prune it into a tame little shrub, the choice is yours. With its stunning colors and decor possibilities, the Croton Petra is a great choice for a beginner plant parent’s collection.
