Dear Rabbi Avi,

Your plant is a type of Croton. I believe it is the “Mammey” variety, but there are hundreds of varieties of crotons and many look quite similar. The good news is that the care is the same for all of them.

Croton houseplants need bright light to maintain their colorful leaves. If there is insufficient light, new leaves are green not predominantly yellow, red, or orange. Too much direct sun causes phototoridation, a condition that makes Croton leaves gray and dull looking.

Allow the top 25%-30% of the soil to dry out before watering. Crunchy leaves indicate over-watering. Leaves become soft and droop when your plant needs water. When a croton is severely over or under-watered leaves drop off.

You can read all my care tips for the plant in the Popular Houseplant section of the website,

https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/croton-how-to-grow-care-for-croton-plant

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

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