Croton plants are bushy with slender, narrow, green, or purple-speckled bright yellow leaves that take ages to give the first flower indoors.
Read along with the article before making any theory about touching, bringing the Croton flower, and cutting it off.
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What does a Croton Flower Look Like?
The flowers of Croton plants look like tiny yellow stars and hang themselves, forming a clump from the branches.
Look at the basic overview of Croton flowers.
| Indicator | Identity |
|---|---|
| Structure | Long clusters with star-shaped yellow flower |
| Size | Nearly half inches long |
| Color | Off-white to yellow |
| Fragrance | Unpleasant |
| Toxicity | Toxic to pets, kids, and adults |
| Lifespan | Nearly two weeks |
| Fruits | Three lobed with oval, dark brown seeds |
| Blooming Season | Spring and Summer |
The white male flowers of Croton are arranged like stars, while the female flowers are more yellow and look like balls as they do not have any petals.
How often does Croton Flower?
Almost every variety of Crotons is grown for foliage rather than flower, but that does not mean your Crotons have no flowers.
Croton plants may take two to four years to give small and clustered flowers.
However, managing the Croton to bloom indoors is all about luck, as some Croton varieties can take about ten years or more to start the first bloom.
Croton Flower Meaning
Having a Croton with flowers or without symbolizes the same: ‘bring change by knowledge and training.’
Most offer the Croton plant with flowers to the students in their learning phase and try hard to move forward.
It also symbolizes positivity, joy in the pain, and strength to overcome the challenges faced in life.
How Do You Pollinate Croton Flower?
In the natural habitat, 22 insect species help pollinate Croton flowers, with wasps and bees being the most important pollinators.
However, you do not have to wait for insects to pollinate your Croton flowers and perform hand pollination yourself.
Continue with the following steps to complete the hand pollination.
- When the plant blooms, gather the pollen from the anther and the long filament using a Q-tip, toothpick, or camel brush.
- Rub the brush containing pollen on the Stigma of another flower to transfer it there.
- Wait for at least four to five months to know if it was successful.
If fertilization occurs, there is a high chance of getting offspring different from parents.
Take reference from the video for a visual guide!
How To Make Croton Plant Flower?
Croton plant flower needs bloom boosters, encouraging healthy, sustained flowering during its final development stage.
However, you may also consider the following care requirements if you need to let your Croton plant bloom.
- Provide 6 to 8 hours of indirect sunlight, or keep the plant under grow light supplement if your room does not get enough sunlight.
- Maintain the temperature of 55-80ºF. Anything above or below the range is hazardous for the plant.
- Water the Croton once every 3-7 days in summer and spring when ½ inch of topsoil is dry.
- Croton prefers well-draining, acidic soil with pH levels ranging from 4.5 to 6.5 to give flowers.
- Croton flowers generally require fertilizer with NPK ratios of 3-1-2 once a month, especially during summer and spring.
- You can also use grounded coffee soaked in water with liquid fertilizer.
- When growing a Croton indoors, the humidity should be high, around 50-80%.
- Crotons can attract small insects like spiders, thrips, and aphids, so you need to monitor their signs and drive them away.
- These plants are also prone to Anthracnose and other fungal infections, including Powdery Mildew, Oedema, and Crown Gall.
- So, you must treat them before the symptoms kill your plant.
After fertilization, the female flowers will turn into round, green, and red seed pods and become large and dark.
If the flower stalks appear droopy after fertilization, do not worry, as it undergoes normal seed formation.
What to do with Croton Flower?
Though Croton flowers do not add beauty necessarily to the home decor, they do not threaten the plant except for the consumption of nutrition.
So, it is purely subjective to keep or remove the flowers.
If you leave the flower, the red-colored fruit pod will eventually form and burst and disperse the angular, tiny seeds capsulated in it.
Try to collect them before they scatter to use for the propagation of Croton from seed.
However, if you choose to cut down your Croton flowers, follow these steps without messing up and harming the plant.
- Get a pair of gloves to protect yourself from the toxic sap, and disinfect the pruning shears with isopropyl alcohol.
- You can cut the Croton flower at any time of year, but avoid it during short winter days not to stress the plant.
- Hold the flower a few centimeters above the base with your hands and cut them off using sharp shears.
- Make sure the cut is clean to avoid accidental injury.
- You can also simply pinch your flowers and deadhead them easily.
- Do not apply massive force while deadheading, as it may damage the plant’s stem.
Along with cutting Croton flowers, you can also cut down damaged leaves and stems.
It can prevent your Crotons from mites and insects from feeding on damaged plant parts.
Is Croton Toxic or Non-Toxic?
Croton plants discharge milky saps from broken branches containing toxic compound diterpenes and may irritate when ingested or applied to the skin.
When ingested, pets may get mild oral and gastrointestinal irritation resulting in mild drooling, vomiting, or diarrhea.
It can also cause mild skin irritation after exposure to the sap.
The diterpenes develop in the plants’ bark, roots, and sap to act as a chemical defense against herbivores but can be toxic to pets.
If you feel an urgency for yourself or your pets, you can get help from the emergency hotline below.
To Conclude
The Croton plant bears small yet beautiful white clustered flowers that you can choose to cut or keep based on your needs.
Also, it is easy to pollinate and care for Croton flowers. So, good luck with your Croton!
