Question
Hi Will,
I purchased a curly leaf croton a few years ago as a tiny baby.  It has been so happy in my south facing, warm, upstairs living room that it has gotten over 4 feet tall and very bushy.  It got large enough that I asked my gardener to transplant it for me--it was just too heavy for me to do.  I asked him to amend the potting soil with worm castings, as my compost wasn't ready--it had lots of undigested sawdust, etc.
Anyway, I guess he forgot, and put the compost in.
It had been in a 12" pot, and was repotted to a 15" pot. It had been repotted last about a year and a half ago, and was a bit root bound.
Now, 2 weeks later, my gorgeous plant has mostly yellow leaves that are all falling off!  And, the gardener did his all too frequent disappearing act and didn't show up today.
I was thinking to repot it, but thought first to ask.  It looks so sad that I would like to know what would be the best way to try to save it!  (If possible)
I see no signs of disease on it, just totally yellow leaves that are starting to fall off.
I would be very grateful for any information you might have!
Thanks,
Hillary

Answer
Hi Hillary,

Just because a plant has grown considerably does not necessarily mean it needs a larger pot. In fact, plants grow best when they are moderately potbound. Yours did not need to be repotted and you would be facing the same problem even if the gardener had used appropriate potting mix.

The best thing for you to do is to un-do the recent repotting. That means removing all of the soil that was added to the top, bottom and sides. Get back to the original rootball and put it back into its original pot or one of similar size.

Your Croton will continue to drop leaves for a while longer due to the trauma, but should slowly settle back in. Any stems that are now bare and leggy can be pruned back so that new growth comes in lower on the stems.

By the way, worm castings and compost are terrific for outdoor plants but not a good idea for indoor plants. Compost depends on the continued forces of outdoor nature to work its magic. In addition, whereas we can live with certain critters and odors outside, we don't want them in our homes. Always use a soilless, peat-based potting mix for your indoor plants.

I have written articles on repotting that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who emails a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

Visit my website at: A link to HorticulturalHelp.com