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Gold Dusted Croton–Where to Buy and Best Care Hacks

Gold Dusted Crotons are gorgeous evergreen shrubs with freckled golden spots across their foliage.

Well, they add an exotic touch to your houseplant collection; however, in the meantime, they are also quite a high-maintenance plant.

Generally, Gold Dusted Croton, survives at a temperature of 60-85℉ temperature, bright and indirect light, moderate watering, and 40-50% humidity. Plant your Croton in well-draining and slightly acidic (5.0-7.5) soil with thrice-a-year fertilizer application.

I will guide you through the best places to buy them and add some cool tricks to care for them.

Gold Dusted Croton Overview

With its unique foliage pattern, the Gold Dusted plant grows up to 10′ feet in height at a medium pace.

Gold Dusted Croton plant
Gold Dusted Croton can be grown outdoors and indoors by providing favorable environments.

Often, they have various sizes according to the nature of their growing environment.

Indicator Identity
Scientific Name Codiaeum Variegatum ‘Gold dust’
Common Name Sun-spot Croton,
Croton Gold Dust
Native Habitat:Indonesia,
Southern Asia, and
Eastern Pacific Islands
USDA10-11
FamilyEuphorbiaceae
Plant TypePerennial plant
Plant sizeUp to 10 feet in height
Flower
White, yellow flowers
FoilageYellowish to orange golden spots
ToxicityToxic to pets and human

Where to Buy Gold Dusted Croton?

Several online retailers and nurseries provide several species of Crotons, and Gold Dusted is one of them.

Places to BuyDelivery Services
WalmartWithin 10 days
Plant AddictsReturn under 3 days after delivery
Green Fresh FloralsDelivery within a week

Gold Dusted Croton: Grow and Care Guide

A Gold Dusted Croton indeed adds an elegant vibe to your household plant collection, but at the same time, they are quite peculiar with the environment they grow up in.

Basis Requirements & Comments
Sunlight Requirements Bright but indirect light
Four to six hours every day
Ideal Temperature60℉ to 85℉
(15℃ to 29℃)
Watering ScheduleOnly after top two or three inches soil is dry
Humidity40-50%
Soil MixOrganically rich and well-drained
pH level 5.0-7.5
FertilizerDiluted fertilizer thrice a year
Potting ⅓ larger than the plant’s root ball with drainage holes
PropagationStem cutting,
Air layering, and
Petiole rooting
PruningAs the leaves turn yellowish

Below, I have discussed some of the basic yet crucial factors regarding the caring tricks of the Gold Dusted Croton.

1. Sunlight & Temperature

Although Gold Dusted Croton does grow in bright lights, it tends to get dull if the sunlight is too direct.

The Gold Dusted Croton thrives well when exposed to bright but indirect light for 4-6 hours daily with a temperature of 60-85°F.

Exposure to improper sunlight leads to leggy, stunted growth, yellowing, wilting, and browning of the plant parts, especially foliage.

Moreover, overexposure temperature results in yellowing, drooping, wilting, and browning of the foliage.

If you have a well-lit room, lace the Gold Dusted Croton in your house’s east or west-facing window. Use sheer or thin curtains to block out unnecessary direct light.

Tips to Maintain Ideal Temperature

  • Avoid keeping them near cooling/heating vents, uninsulated windows, entrance doors, or heat registers.
  • Keep its soil moist before it dries out to maintain a cool temperature.
  • You can also plant it outside near a big body of water.
  • Protect your plants from cold and frost. Heating pads and frost covers are helpful options.
  • Mist the plant frequently during the hot months of the year.

2. Watering & Humidity

Like most Crotons, Gold Dusted Crotons prefer a moderate watering schedule regularly. Well, it doesn’t like getting either too wet or too dry.

Water your plant when the top 2 inches of soil dry, possibly once a week during the growing season.

Additionally, the amount of water a plant needs depends on where the plant is kept.

These shrubs love a misty environment with about 40% to 50% humidity.

Improper watering results in yellowing, wilting, limping, and rotting of foliage.

However, plants show similar symptoms when exposed to improper humidity.

Tips to Provide Watering & Humidity Properly

  • While watering, you have to slowly pour it over the plant and wait for it to soak in the water.
  • Do not let your Gold Dusted Croton sit in water for long, as it will develop root rot.
  • Mist your plant frequently during the summer or use a room humidifier.
  • Apart from the pebble tray, you can also use the greenhouse effect. Cover the plant with light plastic and let it sit for a while.

3. Soil & Fertilization

Gold Dusted Croton requires a soil type that locks moisture for the plant.

Hence, they flourish in organically rich, well-drained, and slightly acidic soil with a pH of 5.0 and 7.5.
Stunning Gold Dusted Croton Plants
Fertilize the plants 3 times a year and use Nitrogen-rich fertilizers.

It is even better to have soil with additional materials such as gravel. The gravels assist with the increment in the soil drainage property.

Some of the potting mixes you can use are perlite and sphagnum moss. You can also make a combination of organic compost and peat moss.

Or, use a fertilizer with the combination of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in the target ratio of 3-1-2 and 8-2-10.

Inadequate and heavy feeding cause the plant to wilt, stunt, and get yellow.

Tips to Provide Proper Soil & Fertilization

  • Water your plants one day before fertilizing to increase the absorption of fertilizers.
  • Use All-Purpose, Epsoma, and Liquid fertilizers to feed your plants.
  • Always use fresh or decontaminated soil while potting the plant to prevent microbial infection.
  • Fertilization should always be conducted during the growing seasons. i.e. spring and summer.

4. Potting and Repotting

Always pot the Gold Dusted Croton in a container that is ⅓ bigger than the plant’s root ball and has a drainage hole in the bottom.

Additionally, repotting them into a new pot yearly at least once a spring is best. 

Furthermore, repotting during spring is the best to avoid shocking it with the transplant. Yet again, it would help if you did not put them in an oversized pot.

In the meantime, the key feature of selecting pots is the drainage system. Often for a subtropical shrub, drainage holes are the crucial parts.

Well-absorbing pots make a huge deal; however, you can often use terracotta pots.

Tips to Repot Gold-Dusted Croton

  • Pull the plant out by hand and loosen the root ball.
  • Clean the root zone with a little water and check for signs of rot or browning.
  • Fill a new container halfway with suitable soil and carefully place the plant.
  • Fill the pot with the rest of the soil and plant the plant by tapping it from the base.
  • Then let the plant rest in a bright place.

5. Occasional Pruning

Prune the dead and damaged plant parts occasionally, as frequent pruning is unnecessary for Gold Dusted Croton.

Moreover, prune the plant once a year to boost the plant’s growth.

The Outspread of pests and diseases can be prevented by pruning the infected plant parts.

Prime pests disturbing the plant’s growth are Mealybugs, Aphids, Scales, and Thrips.

These organisms feed upon the plant parts, making them yellow, stunt, and wilt.

However, the commonly found diseases are Blisters, Powdery Mildews, Crown gall, and Anthracnose.

Tips to Prune and Prevent Pests & Diseases

  • One of the easiest ways to control plant scale is to use organic neem oil, an all-natural insecticide that kills scale and other pests.
  • Sticky traps can be beneficial for flying pests.
  • Use copper-based fungicide sprays on plants in case of heavy infections.
  • Isolate the plant from other plants to prevent the disease outspread.

Gold Dusted Croton: All About Growth

The growth season for Gold Dusted Croton is from spring through summer.

Gold Dusted Croton
The male flowers feature five little white petals, whilst the female blooms have no petals and are yellow.

These bushes may reach a height of 3 meters (10 feet) in their native environment. 

The Gold Dusted Croton’s vividly colored green and yellow speckled foliage. 

The blooms occur in long clusters between big leaves; they are inconspicuous and easy to overlook.

Long racemes with small male and female flowers on independent inflorescences range from 3-12 inches.

Toxicity of Gold-Dusted Croton

Gold Dusted Croton is known for its level of toxicity. If one comes into contact with the sap from the leaves, it causes skin eczema for some people.

Well, most of the plant parts are poisonous, and if one ingests it in large quantities, it causes irritation and burning of the mouth.

This is because of the toxins present, like 5-deoxy ingenol.

Furthermore, this plant also contains oil, which is suspected of being a carcinogen. In the meantime, Gold Dusted Croton has potentially fatal seeds for children.

Hence, it is always best to handle them with care, and gloves play an important role.

If your children & pests ingest the plant accidentally, contact:

Propagation Methods for Gold-Dusted Croton

Gold Dusted Croton can be easily propagated with stem cuttings among the several propagation processes.

You can also propagate through air rooting; however, you must be patient to try petiole rooting.

Moreover, you need Knife, Disinfectant, Terracotta pot, and Gardening basket for propagation.

1. Stem Cutting

This propagation process is the best rejuvenation method to keep your plant bushy and short.

  • Cut about 4- to 6-inch tip cuttings with at least three sets of leaves below a growth nodule.
  • Use if you have powdered charcoal to dry the sap or lay the new cutting down on the paper.
  • Plant the cutting in a lightweight potting mixture of moist sand or perlite and sphagnum peat moss.

2. Air Layering

This process works for the leggy plants, giving them a bushy development and new appearance.

  • Cut about a 1/2- to 1-inch strip around the stem or upward halfway through the stem just below a growth node.
  • Hold your diagonal cut wound open by sliding a plain wooden toothpick in sideways and applying some rooting hormones.
  • Wrap the wound area with a handful of sphagnum moss dampened with distilled or purified water.

3. Petiole Rooting

It is one of the most complex propagation methods, and patience is necessary.

  • Remove a leaf cut and trim up to 112 inches of the petiole.
  • Place it in the water immediately and wait about four or more weeks.
  • Plant it in perlite and peat or ground coir as soon as the leaves portray the root development.

FAQs About Gold-Dusted Croton

Why are the Leaves on my Gold Dusted Croton Plain Green?

A Gold Dusted Croton has an exotic yellow and golden pattern on the green leaves. However, if your plant does not have so, it is caused by improper light exposure.

Why is my Gold Dusted Croton Wilting?

Often root rot is not only a sign of overwatering. Gold Dusted Croton also wilts as a sign of overwatering, which might sound different than others.

From Editorial Team

Conclusion!

Altogether, Gold Dusted Croton is a shimmering addition to the houseplant and thrives well with a little extra care.

Provide your plants with their requirements for a healthy and stunning Gold Dusted Croton.

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