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How to get rid of insects, pests and diseases from your Croton plant
Crotons attract the potted plant enthusiast with their bright colors and boldly patterned leaves. There are dozens of species and popular croton plant varieties to choose from and they are generally easy to care for. Still, these eye-catching leaves can also bring in more pests than simpler houseplants. To prevent damage and the spread of disease, a proactive approach to natural pest control is required. Make sure your Croton houseplants do not lose color or health with these tips for easy pest and disease control.
Dealing with common pests and diseases from croton plants – the essentials
Crotons are susceptible to damage from most small insects that can end up indoors, including thrips, aphids, spider mites and more. They are generally disease resistant but can become infected with powdery mildew or anthracnose if kept too moist.
The most common pests and diseases of croton plants (and how to identify them)
Croton plants are a tropical group that needs warm temperatures, but they are planted outdoors in Hawaii and Florida. When grown outdoors, they are exposed to several serious pest infestations. Thankfully, there are only a few pests that can affect them when grown indoors as potted plants instead. The following are the most common pests that affect Croton potted plants.
Spider mite:
These mites do not look much like spiders because they are a little too small to be easily seen. The name instead refers to the nets that they tend to leave over the soil and along the underside of plant leaves.
Despite their small size, severe infestations can quickly kill a Croton plant. They must be treated with a thorough cleaning and use of a pesticide spray or garden soap every week. Spider mites spread quickly, so separating houseplants is also the key to treatment and control.
Other mites:
Bright red mites, also known as false spider mites, and two-spotted mites can both threaten the Croton plant as well. But unlike spider mites, neither of these two pests.
Scale:
One of the best disguised pests that threatens the health of a Croton plant, mountain insects, tends to look more like raised spots on the leaf than insects. Still, that brown or green lump that was not there the day before actually sucks the juice out of the leaf and weakens the plant.
Mountain insects must be removed by hand and then checked daily. Spraying with pesticides is not a very effective way to treat them, but using the right oils can help keep them away in the first place.
Whitefly:
White flies of all kinds are a significant pest of Croton plants. There is even a type of whitefly that specifically targets Croton species and is therefore named after the plant. These pests are similar to moths when they flutter around plants, but their small green or white larvae do the most damage. If white flies manage to attack houseplants indoors, they can be difficult to treat.
Check for signs of adult flies or their eggs throughout the home, isolating any infested or damaged Croton plants. Insecticides are available in most states that are safe to apply indoors, killing the larvae and adult whiteflies when they try to eat.
Trips:
Trips are small, so small that they are difficult to detect at all. They are also often the color of the foliage they feed on to help them hide. You will notice patchy, widespread, uneven damage rather than insulated depressions or holes.
If a new leaf comes out curly, discolored or thin, try tapping the Croton over a white sheet of paper. Small patches of green or brown around the size of black pepper indicate that thrips have attacked. Predatory insect checks such as beneficial nematodes and mites are commonly used in the greenhouse, but you must stick to garden soap and hand cleaning at home.
Mealybugs:
Small but clearly fluffy meal beetles are easier to see than many other pests that attack Croton. Still, they will still avoid your inspections at first, leaving damage to the underside of leaves and stems.
Treating the plant while it has only a few insects attached increases the chances of success. Even chemical pesticides do not help if the attack is severe enough. If the leaves are heavy with aphids and their sticky honey residues, discarding the plant may be the only option.
Aphids:
Aphids lead to weak, discolored and wilting leaves that will not recover with watering. Aphids are small and difficult to detect, but they can be visible with a magnifying glass if you look along the ridges. Removing aphids with garden soap and treating the plant with oil can naturally fight these pests as long as they are detected early.
Croton can also develop several disease problems. Most diseases come with the plant from the nursery, although they can lie dormant until poor care allows them to overwhelm the Croton’s defenses.
mildew:
Looks like flour or powdered sugar has been spilled on the plant’s foliage. This fungal disease slowly kills the infected parts of Croton. Cut off any infected tissue and allow the plant to dry out with fresh air to reduce the humidity between the leaves. Fungicides can work well, but most must be applied outdoors for safety.
Krongall:
Caused by a bacterial infection that spreads with the help of pruning tools, the crown bile leads to swollen sections on leaves, stems and roots. Destroying the infected plant is the only way to deal with it.
Anthracnose:
If you notice stains on the leaves that are submerged and dark, it may be anthracnose. This fungal infection means that you overwater and mist the plant too much. Let the Croton dry out and use a well-draining mixture to ensure that the fungus levels remain low.
Solutions for pesticides and insecticides
There are a few different options for dealing with pests and insects. First, check what is available locally and legally for use in your country. Chemical alternatives vary considerably between states, but almost all areas offer natural treatments such as garden soap and neem oil.
Garden soap
It may sound silly to wash the leaves and stems of your Croton, but it is the best way to get rid of most pests without risking damaging the plant. Garden soaps penetrate through the shell or exoskeleton of many insects to help kill them instantly while remaining relatively inert.
Although these soaps are primarily used to treat pest infestations directly, they can also reduce the risk of disease but remove honeydew and mold growth.
Different oils
Neemolja is one of the most well-known organic pesticides available which is also known to treat many plant diseases. Crotonic plants can generally handle their application in dilute sprays or washes.
Other vegetable and essential oils are recommended for specific pest infestations such as whiteflies, which can be advised against with peppermint or rosemary oil.
Isopropyl alcohol
For stubborn and difficult to remove insects as mountain pests, isopropyl alcohol is an excellent choice that is available everywhere. Use a product with 50% strength to dry down the Croton leaves so that honeydew, dust, insects and more are lifted away. This can be done every week to simultaneously reduce the risk of disease. There is no need to rinse the leaves as long as a proper dilution is used.
Insecticidal sprays
Thanks to their stiffer leaves, several commercial insecticides are safe to use on Croton plants. But only a handful of these sprays are recommended for indoor use. You may need to take out Croton and store it there for a few weeks to avoid direct exposure to the chemicals.
How to use pesticides and insecticides for croton plants
Target the sprays, soaps, or wet wipes you choose on the areas that show signs of pest damage. But do not neglect to treat the whole plant, including the soil if the insecticide recommends it. Croton generally needs weekly cleaning and inspection to ensure no signs of insect damage.
Deal with pests and diseases
Croton plants are generally resistant to pests because they have thick, almost leathery leaves. If the plants attract pests that suck sap such as aphids and mealybugs, they are likely to suffer from other health problems.
Reduce the watering cycles of your croton plant, provide more sunlight and balance the soil mixture so that the plant can resist insects on its own. Croton often stops developing diseases if it is kept too cold in particular. Although they do not like extreme heat, they want to stay above 60 degrees F all the time. It is also wise to fertilize your croton plant every month during the spring to summer each year.
Summarize
Attractive and generally easy to care for, Croton plants deserve the attention they get for their colorful foliage. Make sure you do everything you can for your potted plant by knowing the signs of common pests and diseases that can affect it. By acting quickly at the first sign of damage, you can treat these problems before they take over your plant’s health.
