I'm a little north of you in BR, and I keep mine outdoors, water once a
week, and they're in pots with regular ol' potting soil/topsoil mixture.
They smile all day long.


"Trevor" wrote in message
om...
I recently got a croton as a gift. I am young and have never really
cared for a plant before, so I did a little research online regarding
what crotons need to flourish. I was "following the directions," but
it is starting to look sad.

I have had it for 2-3 weeks, living indoors, getting approximately 6
hours of indirect sunlight and 2 hours of direct sunlight. Ambient
temperature is constantly between 70 and 80 degrees. I am unsure
about watering... I read a few different suggestions, and ended up
going with once every few days.

Now its leaves are drooping. The plant has 3 main stalks coming out
of the soil, and the leaves on two of them are not being supported at
all. The leaves feel OK to the touch (semi-firm with a soft texture),
but they are not being held up by their connection to the stalk. The
other 3rd stalk is doing better, but the leaves on it are sagging a
little as well. The leaves on all look healthy (yellow+green, some
darker and more green than others, red on the middle and edges of
some), other than the droop.

More details... It is in a plastic pot with very dark, fairly hard
soil. There is a grassy type substance on top of the soil, put there
by whoever arranged the plant (organic but dead, unattached to the
soil).

So the inevitable questions...

- How often should I water it, and how much water at a time?

- Would it be happier out on the fire escape (3rd floor apartment)
than inside by a window? I live in New Orleans, where it is usually
over 90 degrees and 90% humidity in the daytime.

And most importantly...
- How do I save it?!

Thank you for any advice!

Trevor