Croton bell pleas help and gold dust croton?

I have a croton bell house plant and I don;t have a very sunny window to put it in so i was wondering if I can use a lamp to improvise for the 4hrs of sun light its supost to get. Also I have a gold dust croton that i transplanted and watered and the one plant i have is wilting big time does anyone out there no how to take care of a gold dust croton? Thnxs so much

Croton bell pleas help and gold dust croton?
If you are going to use a gro light you can leave it on 24 hrs a day and the croton will like every bit of it. A regular light bulb will not do, it must be a gro light. 12-20 inches away from the plant- your hand should be able to make a distinct shadow.


Wilting may be caused by too much water, too cold temperature, a draft or soil that is too dry.


Crotons can handle being very root bound, it will not bother them. They don't like thier roots disturbed.


They like humidity. you can rinse the leaves and it will help . Just make sure you do this without adding water to the soil.


When you repotted it did the roots look ok, there should have been a lot that were white and firm. Dead roots are wiry, hollowed brown and black.


You may have made a common mistake- repotting a newly acquired plant.


Plants rarely need to be repotted as soon as you buy them


they are sold by the pot size and many times have been put in pots that are already too large for the size of their roots.


I grew crotons commercially and at home for years.


Temp- above70,


feed 1/4 strength


light-bright.
Reply:Crotons need very bright light, if not direct sunlight in order to maintain their colors. It should be placed in a window that gets at least 4 hours of afternoon sun, like a south or west window. They like to be kept relatively dry. That may be why yours is wilting. Transplanting is hard on plants. Cut your transplanted croton back by half, and let it dry out. It should begin to get new growth when the daytime temps stay above 70 degrees.