What should I do with a top heavy Croton?

Question

My Croton is top heavy and I'm not sure what to do to fix it. I'm afraid that the stem will break.

Should I prune it, and if so, how would I go about doing that?

Answer 1

The croton is a member of the family Euphorbiaceae and can be found around the world. Although native to Asia you can see it used as hedging in Florida and Mexico.

If grown outdoors in full sun it can grow ten feet tall (3 M).

Your plant is doing quite well as it has leaves all over the stem. These are high light plants and the most common appearance is a lot of bare stem where the lower leaves have dropped off.

Croton's bud readily from old wood so if it gets too tall you can cut the stem almost anywhere and it will bud out and resume growth.

I recommend:

• rotating the plant a quarter turn every week. Plants grow towards the light and your light source seems to be from one direction. Rotating it will keep it more upright.
• if you repot one size up it will stop putting on top growth for a while as the roots find more nutrients. I recommend taking the plant out of the pot: cutting an inch of roots from the bottom and adding fresh soil less mix at the bottom instead. No need to buy a new pot.
• crotons are commonly attacked by spider mites, mealybug and thrip. Look on the underside of the leaves on a regular basis for whitish salt crystal size objects (spider mites) or whitish cottony tufts (mealy bug). If you observe any take a picture and ask another question.

Answer 2

Looks like it could need a larger pot to help stabilize the base. Some species of croton, such as the broad leaf one you have, can have a more droopy form. If it only has one stem don't prune it.