How to Grow & Care for Codiaeum Variegatum ‘Croton Mammy’ (2024)
Hey folks!!
Welcome back! I hope you are doing great in your gardening field. Today I was wondering why I have not grown Codiaeum varieties in my home garden. So, I thought of doing so. In this guide, you will come to know about the process of growing Codiaeum Variegatum ‘Croton Mammy’.
Codiaeum Variegatum ‘Croton Mammy’ is one of the evergreen plants that is a famous houseplant as it tends to develop green foliage. It will cherish you with its magical leaves.
So, let’s get started.
Quick takeaways:
| Scientific Name | Codiaeum variegatum ‘Croton Mammy’ |
| Common Name | Croton Mammy, Mamey Croton |
| Light | Bright indirect sunlight |
| Watering | you need to water top 2 inches of the soil |
| Temperature | 60 to 80ºF (15 to 27ºC) |
| Hardiness Zone | 11 to 12 |
| Humidity | 40 to 80% |
| Soil Type | Rich, quick-draining, loamy |
| Soil pH | 4.5 to 6.5 (acidic to mildly acidic) |
| Fertilizing | the perfect time for fertilizing the plants is in spring, fall season. |
| Repotting | Every 2 to 3 years |
| Pruning | In early spring |
| Propagation | Root in water or soil |
| Toxicity | Toxic to humans and pets |
| Mature Size | 42 inches as a houseplant |
| Bloom Time | Summer and Autumn |
How to grow Codiaeum Variegatum ‘Croton Mammy’?
Growing Codiaeum Variegatum is somehow tricky but not difficult with the help of this guide. So, without wasting time, let’s proceed to know its steps:
Through stem cuttings:
Step 1- First, you have to collect your materials like scissors, containers, water, old plants, etc.
Step 2- Take a stem from the mother plant including 2-3 leaves on it.
Step 3– Additionally, you can dip the cuttings in the water and add some fertilizer to it.
Step 4- After observing its growth at 2 inches, it’s time to plant it.
Step 5- Take a good container and add well-drained soil to it and add sprouts to it.
Step 6- Do not cover them wholly, place them in a warm place to grow well.
Step 7– East-facing window would be good for them and when they grow more, you can put them in bright but indirect sunlight.
Pro Tips
- Water your plant every week.
- Fertilize your plant one time in the springtime.
- Make sure not to fertilize in wintertime.
- Provide them with a high level of humidity.
- Before watering, check the moisture of the soil.
How to care for Codiaeum Variegatum ‘Croton Mammy’?
Codiaeum Variegatum ‘Croton Mammy’ plant tends to grow int he humid areas as it originated from the South Pacific islands. Provide this plant with sufficient sunlight, water, temperature, and pruning so that it grows well.
Sunlight needs
- Codiaeum Variegatum ‘Croton Mammy’ likes to grow in the bright indirect sunlight that ranges between 10,000-20,000 lux.
- Make sure you are not exposing your plant to the full sun as it will ruin its leaves and your plant with time.
- You can provide your plant with a southeast window so that it can get the indirect sunlight fully.
- Last but not least, you can even make use of plant light if your plant is not getting enough natural sunlight.
Watering needs
- Another need of the plant is to be watered. But how much? Codiaeum Variegatum needs water more often than other plants.
- When the soil of the plant is moist, then it does not need water but yes when it’s dry, then is the right time to water your plants. So, water them 3-4 times a week.
- Make sure to keep the saucer empty always so that there remains no standing water in the plant.
- If you are using rainwater for your plants, you are doing appreciable as your plants love that water more than the tap water.
Humidity and Temperature needs
- These plants tend to thrive well if you provide them with a temperature range of 60 to 80ºF.
- For feeding them in a more humid temperature, you can place them on the balcony.
- The ideal humidity level for these plants is above 80% all around the year.
- Making use of a small humidifier will also let your plants grow more.
- The level of humidity should not go below 40% as it is not good for the plants.
- Last but not least, you can make use of a pebble tray filled with water to increase the level of humidity for your plants.
Soil needs
- Codiaeum Variegatum will grow best in a well-drained and organic mix which will enhance the beauty of the plant.
- These plants like rich potting mix for their growth and the best pH level for these plants is 4.5 to 6.5 which is slightly acidic.
- Also, making use of peat moss or sphagnum moss will be gerat for your plant.
- Pour some perlite into your plant so that it provides nutrients to the plant.
Fertilizer needs
- Fertilizer is needed by every plant so that it grows well at a faster pace.
- You can make use of a granular fertilizer that has a ratio of 20-3-19.
- You have to fertilize your plant 2-3 times a year, especially at the time of springtime and summer.
- Before watering your plant, you have to pour fertilizer on the soil surface so that it spreads equally.
Potting & Repotting
- Codiaeum Variegatum needs to be repotted after every 2-3 years.
- Make sure you are choosing a pot that has good drainage holes so that the excess water drains out.
- Ensure to choose the pot that is bigger than the previous one so that the plant grows there comfortably.
- Repotting is needed by plants when it overgrows and the roots are coming out from the drainage holes.
Pruning needs
- Codiaeum Variegatum needs to be pruned so that the growth of the plant does not look messy.
- Another motive of the pruning is to remove all the dead and affected leaves from the plant.
- You must use a sharp and sterilized knife or scissors for your plant to prevent infection.
- Do not cut off more than 1/3rd of foliage from your plant as it will lead to damage plant.
Types of Croton Plants:
There are many croton plant varieties and are unique in their own way having genetic instability and variability. Mainly the croton plants are basically classified on the basis of leaf type such as curling, twisted, oak leaf, narrow, broad, and oval. Here are some different types of croton plants:
Codiaeum variegatum var. pictum:
This type of croton plant does have large, brightly colored leaves of orange, red, bronze, green, purple, and yellow. They tend to grow up to 3 to 6 feet tall.
Codiaeum variegatum ‘Gold Star’:
The gold star croton plants do have narrow, linear leaves of green having bright yellow spotting. They do grow tree like that are about 20 inches in height.
Codiaeum variegatum ‘Petra’:
The petra croton plants do have oval-shaped leaves that are green and veining in pink, red, orange, and yellow hues. They used to grow about 3 to 6 feet tall.
Common names of croton plants:
There are common names of croton plants that you can hear for this plants such as:
- Mammy Croton
- Mammey Croton
- Croton Mamey
- Codiaeum variegatum (var-ee-GAY-tum)
- Codiaeum croton mammy
- croton mami Codiaeum
Common problems with Croton mammy
While growing croton mammy plants there are common problems that you have go through such as:
- Pest control
- Leaves do not offer color
- Leaves have brown edges
- Plants drop leaves.
- Leaves are dull and not glossy.
Pest Control:
These croton plants get diseases which are caused due to the bacteria present in the soil due to which the plants undergo abnormal growth called as falls which are visible on roots and leaves. If you find anything like this you need to cut the infected parts of the plant to cure them. You need to treat them as soon as possible to save your plants.
Leaves do not offer color:
The croton plants will start getting green or dull white leaves mostly when they don’t get proper light. To undo it you need to move the plant to a place where it gets bright light. Make sure not to place them in direct sunlight which is not good for croton plants.
Leaves have brown edges:
The croton plants will start to get brown edges because of getting too much water. Don’t let the soil soak wet. In this case, you need to reduce the watering frequency and make the pot soil to drain out completely after giving them water.
The plant drops leaves:
If you keep the plant’s soil dry completely, the leaves will start dropping. For this, you need to make sure that the soil never dries out and water them at least once a week and keep the soil moist.
Leaves are dull and not glossy:
The leaves of healthy Croton plants are thick glossy leaves. If they get infected they get dull and to maintain this you need mist spraying the leaves to increase the Humidity of the plants. You may need to water the plant with calcium water such as distilled water and add some drops of neem oil.
Wrapping up the context
In this guide, you coem to know about how to grow and care for Codiaeum Variegatum ‘Croton Mammy’. Codiaeum Variegatum ‘Croton Mammy’ is one of the evergreen plants that is a famous houseplant as it tends to develop green foliage. It will cherish you with its magical leaves. I hope you are clear with the process of growing Codiaeum Variegatum ‘Croton Mammy’ and also how to maintain them. For any queries, you can scroll down the guide and I know you will be clear.
Thanks for reading! Happy gardening!
