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Ok so I wrote an entire post for my first topic submission, went to take a few photos to go along with it, and when I came back, my entire post was gone. So now I’m starting over, and I’m agitated that I have to do it all over, so I’ll post an intro when I get over being mad. lol
Do you think my plant has this issue? (There are 2 separate ones in this pot)
Thanks in advance!!
Your new Sprout friend,
Glitter
Eastern Pennsylvania
Hi Glitter -
We apologize for your vanishing post and are so glad you've given it another try. Welcome!
The light brown spots on your croton's beautiful leaves may be due to an overly dry indoor environment. If this is the problem, daily misting may increase the humidity sufficiently to resolve it.
If misting does not result in fewer brown patches, anthracnose may be the problem.
Remove all affected leaves and discard them.
Take your plant outdoors on a mild day and apply a copper-based fungicide per package instructions. Such products are for garden use, and not intended for confined spaces.
Do not bring the plant back inside until it is completely dry. Under no circumstances should you apply the fungicide while the plant is indoors. Copper is a heavy metal that must be used with care.
Hi Nan!
Thanks so much for your reply! I snipped off the leaves with the spots and then I noticed a very small web in between the main stem and a leaf stem. Uh oh. Spider mites? Or just plain old tiny spiders? I have a detached, screened in sunroom and I swear there are webs at some place or another every single day. Ugh. Shudder. I hate them so much! Anyway, I wiped off the leaves (getting pretty dusty) and then I sprayed the plant all over with Neem Oil. It’s actually looking good now, except 4 leaves at the bottom of the one that had the spots, are pointing downward. That plant usually does that when it’s thirsty, so I added miracle grow liquid fertilizer to the water and watered it really good. Those 4 leaves are STILL pointing down. The leaf stem appears to have grown that way, rather than drooping. So far in the last two days, I haven’t seen any more webs. Thanks again for your insight! Now I’m off to the Christmas Cactus!
Eastern Pennsylvania
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