Plant Identification- Croton Gold Dust
Hello Judy! I’ve just brought home a new indoor plant but can’t seem to figure out what species it is. It has yellow mottling on the leaves which the previous owner assured me have always been present, but if this is a symptom of too much light/water/etc. of course I would like to know! Thanks for your help.
Hi Lacy,
Your plant is a Croton Golddust. Crotons were originally an outdoor plant and have only become a popular indoor houseplant within the last 15-20 years. They have beautiful multicolored, hard, leathery leaves in red, yellow, green, orange, and black. The leaf shapes on a Croton Plant can be long, narrow, wide, and elliptical.
Crotons grow best in bright indirect light. Leaves fall off when the plant is over -watered so always allow the top 1/3 of the soil to dry out and the leaves to become a little soft before watering. Fertilize a croton monthly in the spring and fall and every two weeks in the summer with a balanced plant food diluted to 1/2 the recommended strength. If your Croton is in a bright sunny spot, but the new leaves are coming in green, reduce the amount of plant food. Too much fertilizer also causes the leaves to curl. You can read all my advice on how to grow and care for a croton in the Popular Houseplant section of the website. The picture is of a different variety, but the care is the same.
https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/croton-how-to-grow-plant-care
These plants are considered poisonous and should be kept away from pets and children. Read more about common houseplants that are poisonous in Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants.