Question
2 days ago, I bought a Croton Plant(Codiaeum variegatum). The plant is beautiful, it has 3 stems full of beautiful leaves. I brought it home and immediately re-potted and watered it. When I woke up the next day, the upper leaves on one of the stems were completely droopy. I put a little more water in the area of that particular stem and noticed that did not help. The more I monitor, the more I noticed that more leaves on that stem are dropping. HELP! I don't know what to do.

Thanks
Tamena

Answer
Hi Tamena,

You have made the most common of all plant care mistakes - unnecessarily repotting your new plant. New plants have a difficult time adjusting to their new environment and the stress of repotting just makes that process more difficult. In addition, most people do not know how to properly repot and end up damaging fragile root hairs in the process of repotting. Not knowing the specifics of just how you repotted, I cannot say exactly what has happened or how to remedy it.

If you simply took the rootball out of the original pot and moved it into a larger pot and added soil around it, then you can undo what you did by removing the added soil and putting your Croton back in its original pot. That should prevent further damage.

However, if you partially or completely dismantled the original rootball (removed soil from the rootball), then all bets are off and your Croton may not recover. You can try moving it back to its original pot and keep your fingers crossed.

In any case, your Croton must be kept on a very sunny windowsill where its gets lots of indoor direct sunlight each day. Water it thoroughly as soon as the surface of the original rootball feels almost dry. Do not fertilize it.

Next time you acquire a new plant, resist the temptation (and common advice) to repot it. Allow your plant to adjust for 3-6 months before considering repotting. Repotting is a misunderstood process. For more detailed information on how and when to repot, I have written an article on repotting that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who sends 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  www.HorticulturalHelp.com