Croton Petra

Originating from the tropical areas of Malaysia, Sri Lanka, southern India, and Southeast Asia, the Croton Petra is a stunning plant with some of the most colorful and vibrant foliage you will ever see.

Though it’s an exotic plant known to initially be high maintenance, the Croton Petra becomes easier to take care of once it is settled into its habitat. Croton plants can be fabulous indoor plants or exotic outdoor plants and will stand out thanks to various color palettes from yellow, orange, and red.

 

Let’s dive a bit deeper into the Croton Petra plant, how to take care of this plant, why you should choose this plant for your home, and similar plants to the Croton Petra.

 

What is a Croton Petra?

The Croton Petra is an exotic plant native to the tropical areas of Malaysia and India. This plant is famous for its vibrant and eye-catching leaves with bursts of reds, yellows, and oranges.

 

The Croton Petra is also known as the Golden Petra or Codiaeum Variegatum. At first, this plant is pretty demanding as far as meeting its needs, but it becomes relatively low maintenance once situated in a certain environment. Here are a few key details you should know when taking care of a Croton Petra.

 

 

Size

The Croton Petra can grow somewhere between 6 to 8 feet tall and about 6 feet in length. The leaves themselves can grow up to 18 inches long. This can be quite a lively outdoor plant or a fun accent of color inside a living room.

 

Lighting

The best place to keep your Croton Petra is in a space where bright, indirect sunlight shines. This plant needs roughly 4 to 6 hours of light to flourish all the intrinsically colorful leaves. If your Croton plant does not get the light that it needs, you may discover it growing tall and lanky with less colorful leaves.

 

Watering

As mentioned, the Croton Petra is a tropical plant that enjoys humidity. So watering your Croton plant, the right amount is extremely important. The best time to water your plant is when the top 25% to 50% of the soil is dry. Ensure the water the plant until liquid flows through the drainage holes and get rid of the excess water.

 

Excessive watering can lead to root rotting, so make sure you are not overdoing it. As a rule of thumb, check the soil regularly to ensure it is still moist but not soggy.

 

Temperature

Croton plants thrive in average temperatures from 60° to 70° degrees Fahrenheit. They can tolerate the warmth up to 85° but may struggle in weather colder than 50°.

 

If your Croton plant is outside and the weather in your area tends to get cold at night, you may want to bring in your plant to ensure it is happy and cozy. The same thing applies to heat. The last thing you want to see is your Croton plant drying out because of a hot draft.

 

Because of their origin in tropical areas, Croton plants enjoy high humidity. So daily misting or placing a humidifier close by can keep your plant happy. Usually, low humidity indoors can attract spider mites, so it is best to keep an out for those.

 

Nutrition

The best time to feed the Croton plant fertilizer is once in early spring, once in early summer, and again in the middle of summer. It is not necessary to fertilize them in the fall or winter.

 

Why Choose a Croton Petra Plant for Your Home?

Croton Petra is extremely versatile and can be grown outdoors or as a lovely houseplant. The Croton plant is absolutely stunning with its eye-catching splashes of reds, orange, yellow on its leaves. But besides its elegance, these plants can bring about a handful of benefits.

 

If your Croton Petra plant is indoors, it can help with providing your home with clean, purified air. The way this happens is the plant absorbs the pollutants into their leaves, and then these toxins are absorbed into the Croton’s roots. These toxins are then converted into nutrients for the plant. In the process of absorbing these toxins, Croton’s release fresh oxygen back into the air, revitalizing the oxygen we breathe in our homes.

 

If you choose to keep your Croton Petra outdoors, you will be adding an incredibly unique and breathtaking plant to your outside garden. Your Croton Petra will crave center stage with its burst of color proudly on display for anyone to see.

 

 

Are Croton Petra Plants Good Indoors & Outdoors?

Whether you live in a small apartment or have a large backyard, Croton Petras are perfect for an indoor plant or an outside plant. They can acclimate to any living situation pretty well with the right amount of attention and care.

 

With the vast range of colors on the leaves, Croton plants can be fabulous decor in a living room, adding natural life. Growing up to six feet, the Croton will be the star of the show in any room they are in, and rightfully so.

 

If you decided that you want your Croton as an outside plant, this would be a great choice. Your Croton will thrive outdoors in the natural sunlight and humidity levels. Whether you place the plant in the midst of your other garden plants outside, or you place it on a doorstep to get all the attention, your Croton Petra will always put a smile on your face.

 

Are Croton Petra Plants Pet and Children Friendly?

As magnificent as this plant can be, this plant is moderately toxic to pets and humans. So, it is best to keep this plant in an area where it can grow and away from any young children and pets.

 

All parts of this plant are considered poisonous, especially the seeds. If a pet begins to feed on this plant, there will most likely be stomach and mouth irritation and potentially vomiting.

 

Croton Petra Plant Family Relatives

The Croton Petra comes from the Euphorbiaceae family of plants. Also known as the spurge family, the Euphorbiaceae plants are known for their shrubs, but there are other relatives, such as herbs and trees. Many plants in the spurge family originate in tropical regions and enjoy high humidity. Still, there are a handful of other plants in this family that come from nontropical areas.

 

The leaves of a spurge plant are usually simple, always palmate. The reproductive portion of these plants is monoecious or dioecious, and the flowers of a spurge plant are unisexual.

 

The Euphorbiaceae plant family is the fifth largest flower plant family with about 7500 different species.

 

Plants That Are Similar to the Croton Petra

As stated above, the Croton Petra comes from a large family of plants. Many other plant species are similar due to their genetic structure, visual aesthetic, or amount of attention needed. Here are some other plants that may be right for you.

 

• Zanzibar Croton
• Yellow Iceton Croton
• Victoria Gold Bell Croton
• Superstar Croton
• Red Iceton Croton
• Oakleaf Croton
• Mammy Croton
• Magnificent Croton
• Gold Star Croton
• Florida Select Croton

 

Final Thoughts – Croton Petra

If you enjoy bright, warm colors, a this plant is a superb choice. With its bold and astonishing leaves to its incredible height, the Croton Petra is sure to provide any home with enough tropical plant vibes to last a long time.