It's called a CROTON. I bought it last year as part of a live-plant splurge I went on to decorate the new studio.
I bought about 8 plants and mixed them in with about 4 fake plants to create a nice green area on one side of the broadcast console to hide all the cords and power cables.
Two of the new plants said they needed bright light and I knew they wouldn't get it, but I wanted some color and the ones that needed bright light were very colorful.
When I got this plant it was bushy, with about 40 leaves coming out of maybe 4 stalks. Little by little the color drained from the leaves and they fell off one by one, dead. Eventually all that was left is what you see below. A sad little excuse of a plant.
Does anyone know, can this be saved? If I keep it outside in spring will new branches sprout? Or is it a lost cause that should just be dumped?
These are one of the most eye-catching plants, with leaf colors of yellow, pink, red, and orange. They will wilt if the soil completely dries out. Crisp crunchy leaf ends indicate soil is staying too moist. Crotons are available in many different leaf colors and leaf shapes.
PRUNING:
Cut off the top of the stem, back to the joining leaf or axil. This keeps them bushy.
A few questions for the poor plant:
Are you giving it plant food? Have you examined the root system to see if it is too crowded and needs to be repotted in a bigger planter? Have you considered moving it's location? The plant may struggle if it is too close to a heating vent or in a drafty area. A great place to call for advice - try contacting Buds by Brenda and see if they normally carry this plant and how they reccommend caring for it given its ailing condition. Or, you might call the place you bought it from if a professional florist/nursery.
Hope this helps!
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-- Heather: "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!"
Give the tips a try. I am amazed at how some plants just pop right back to life. My most resilient ones are my Peace Lillies. I used to kill everything until I got those. Now I have a bunch of different ones. (all from funerals )
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