Croton distress

Hello all my wonderful Tropical Friends! I'm hoping you can put your collective minds together to help me figure out a problem I'm having with my 13' croton. It is in a huge pot...the largest I can buy on island, and it is a corner of the yard. It has been doing fine there for nearly a year, but now it is losing its leaves....they are all turning brown and falling. I checked this morning and the soil is damp...not wet but damp...the soil and roots are pulling away from the sides of the pot, so I guess that might be the problem...but I don't have anything larger to put it in. At least not yet...I am checking around to see if someone has a drum or something I can put it in. It is such a pretty croton that I really hate to lose it..any suggestions?

A friend of mine uses round plastic tubs with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. Often they have rope handles to help tote them.

Here they sell them at wally world for kids toys, dirty clothes, ya know what I'm talking about? Don't know if you could find one there. Basically anything can be used as a pot as long as it has drainage holes. You may have to get creative.
Good Luck!

Good suggestion 77 ** ! I'm going up to the store tonight, so I will look around with new eyes.

If you can't go to a larger pot try pouring sand down the sides until it fills the spaces if there if there is a gap then use fish emulsion as directed until it looks a bit happier....then a little gentle feed...get some big fellas to lift the pot to see if the holes are clogged by something (like roots)....just in case the water can't get out.We grow stuff in half wine barrels ...but I guess you would not have access.....good luck

No wine barrels, but I may have a lead on a 55 gallon drum. Don't have fish emulsion - but I can go to the marina and get some fish guts easy enough....will that work the same?

Ha ha ha might do but I think the croton would jump out of the pot and run away...boy the smell!!!!...seriously I plant fish under my passionfruit ...just a gentle fertilizer

Run.. run... run... run away ..why.... why why why she ran away.....:)

"Who hid the halibut on the poooooop deck?" Hahahahahha

I'm going to plant a banana passion fruit vine....are there any other gentle fertilizer's other than fish?

The left over bone of your leg of ham...or lamb.....bunch of green prawns left from fishing........put that stuff in and cover with a couple of inches of some kind of really smelly manure (to keep any critters from wanting it then cover with a few inches of soil and plant...
whoosh hundreds of big juicy passionfruit!

Alfalfa tea...anybody here use it? Seems to make a huge difference in my garden.

Alfalfa Tea ....well I have never made tea of it ......but I use Lucerne
chaff (chopped finely) ......this is what we call alfalfa here in ozz ...in the large gardens we buy the lucerne bales and use the "tiles" to tile the garden....it acts as a wonderul mulch.....and due to it's nitrogen ....feeds .... as it breaks down it feeds the worms .....so I guess it would make sense that lucerne tea woud be good......how long do you soak it?

You guys will love this! I was calling "Buildings and Grounds Maintenance Dept" to see about getting a big barrel of some sort. Had to leave message...yada, yada. He called back this am and was very nice, said he would stop by to see the container it was in now, yadda yadda. DD yas here this am, and we were outside having coffee, when he showed up. His last name, I noticed when he called, was the same as a dear friend of mine from last tour. So I asked do you by any chance have a relative....and he is her brother!!!! I am so jazzed! He and his family have been here for a few months, and I didn't even know it! We are going to be getting together for dinner here real soon and do lots of catching up...he is married to a girl I used to coach! This place never ceases to amaze me! Fun huh??

Cool Shari....hope that lifts you up girl......see ...go hug your croton and say thankyou.....hope she gets well soon!
Boy... Oh boy when we say it's a small World ....in your case it is a micro mini World!
Around the World I searched for you ....I travelled on.... till hope was gone to keep a ....rondevue... (spelling?)( but you know what I mean)...I knew somewhere.... some time... somehow......
ha ha ha

.....sooooome daaaay! You are a trip, dear girl, a wonderful, joyous journey through the music in your mind.

Round, like a circle in a spiral,,,,like a wheel within a wheel. Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel.....

Shari, why is your croton in a pot not in the ground? Just wonderin'...
Alfalfa tea, dead easy.
Put a couple of handsful in a pail (I use 5 gallon paint buckets), add water to top and stir well. Sometimes I will add a dolop of molasses to feed the microbes too. I leave it to brew for a couple of days until I see it foam when I stir. I don't leave it for days until it stinks like some do... When it is foamy I might add some soluble fertilizer (at recommended strength), some epsom salts (1Tbs per gallon), some seaweed fertilizer, or sometimes nothing at all. Pour round your plant. The left over sludge can be used for a new batch or you can side dress your plant with it, scratched lightly in. The darn stuff is cheap, even here where everything is mega expensive! In our garden the plants seem to love it and so do the earthworms, I believe it's a good scource of nitrogen plus it helps build the soil.
Warning - if you leave it brewing too long it starts to smell like vomit, and Lord help you if you spill it on yourself! You might wonder how I know that.....

Hey....Shari! So glad you have found another of your friends....I suspect that wherever you go and whatever you do you have instant, lifelong friends. Would be that Chrissy can claim the same. Been really busy with the great-granddaughter these last 3 days. She is still here now.....just got a short break.

Love you guys,

LouC

Chris - soooo cute! Enjoy every minute you can with her, I can't believe how fast they grow! Much faster than any weed, that's for sure!

Jenny - this is a coral island - no real soil to speak of. Some trees grow right in the ground, but mostly those with shallow, wide spread root systems. Practically every thing else is grown in containers of some sort....There is even a gal here who managed to get ahold of the missle containers from test launches - long narrow white boxes that line her garden - look great! Our "grass" is mostly weeds - I keep meaning to look up some of the ground covers out here - but have just been too busy with my potted beauties. hey, did you get the big winds yesterday? We sure did!

Shari, what kind of a coach were you? Did you get a barrell? So glad that you were able to find old friend's family member...that is so neat!

Hi Chrissy, BHM, never used alfafa tea! Interesting. Always interested in things that are natural or organic.

LouC, that is one adorable great granddaughter! Enjoy each moment! I spent last night with my DD. She had a garage sale this am and wanted company, so got to see my two oldest grandchildren. Had a great time!

Yep, its easy to see why Loooocy wanted a braggin forum!

I was softball/baseball coach for years....

I too would love to try alfalfa tea, but have to order some alfalfa first! ha Ha.

My grandchildren played for awhile. They really enjoyed it. The oldest one even played tournement ball for awhile. About wore her and her Mom out. They had a good time! What ages did you coach?

Coached teen age girls for years, took my San Diego team to the California finals!! Coached the junior varsity team out here. And I coached 12-15 yr old boys in baseball for a few seasons. Then, when we were in Saudi Arabia I had the unbelievable task of teaching teen-age Saudi girls how to play volleyball. Now THAT was a trip! Girls in full black abayas playing on a cement court....incredible. BUT, I did have the honor of establishing the first ever intra mural game in the history of SA! That was kinda cool. But, I'll tell ya, it is a full time commitment. "Coach" is another name for father confessor, surrogate mom, psychiatrist, ...you name it. But I did love it, and to this day, I have kids dropping by (well, young adults actually) to say "howdy" to the coach.

Lordy mercy. This girl is a world citizen for sure. You should write a book. I would be the first to read it. Many people have benefited from your happy personality.

LouC, what an adorable baby! You must have had a lot of fun with her during their visit.
Shari - no, we didn't have any wind here, but we are keeping an eye on "Flossie"..hoping it's not a hurricane just some much needed rain.
Didn't realise you barely had any soil on your island and it is a coral island unlike our volcanic island. Our soil seems to be quite good for growing things . I wonder if it is full of trace minerals that have been thrown up from the bowels of the earth?...mmmm... better check for gold! When we try to dig a hole for planting we usually dig up large chunks of Haleakala and have been putting them around the beds in order to get rid of them. We have to have half our garden dug up (any day now!) to put in a new septic system, so I expect to have a mound of rock and blue stone on my hands. My next project is to learn how to make small walls that are cemented together so the dogs don't knock them over...working on that!
Aloha!

Chris - well, at least I've left my mark in a few places..ha ha.

Jenny - Treasure that lava rock! We scour the beaches daily to find even the smallest pieces washed up on shore...they are the BEST for growing orcids! Keeping my fingers crossed for Flossie to send you rain only.

That is wonderful, Coach Scott! The grandchildren have been blessed with great coaches here! And you're right about all of the duties / roles that coaches take on with the kids! From seeing your outgoing personality I'm sure that you were a very good one! I'm sure that you were a great example for the SA girls learning volley ball! I'm sure that you taught them how to have fun while competing. That is so important no matter what country you are in! You go girl !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Smile!

Why thankya ma'am. :-) I agree completely. Number one rule on every team I have ever coached or played on, DH's teams, and all 3 daughters various teams: Have fun! If it's not fun - get on another team. Now, I always felt that you had more fun if you played well, and knew what to do when....so I was no pushover coach. But we always managed to end up laughing. That was the hardest part in SA....they don't know how to have fun....so I had to coach THAT as well! Sheesh!!!!

Yes, that is what I was thinking. That must have been a challenge!

My thought, belief, is do what you do, do well! If you are going to attempt anything give it your best shot! Didn't believe in doing anything half way; well at least in my younger days.......

I have since learned some patience with myself. I've had to learn to pace things.
Totally new learning experience.

Did you get your barrel?

Not yet....still hoping, but today was the first day of the week, and everyone is busy, so maybe in another day or too. I was out watering today, and it just looks so sad....sigh....I sure hope I can save it.

If you have been having strong salt winds lately, that could be what is burning off the leaves of your croton. They cannot stand them. If still getting plenty of water the leaves will come back though. Aloha

Stella - you might be right, but I have this one pretty well protected from the winds - at least I thought I did. But thanks for the suggestion - I'll keep a watch on it and see if that could be it. Yokwe!

Sheesh, I am such a dork! Stellamarina, welcome, welcome, welcome to our little tropical party! This is the best forum on the site - but the whole site is wonderful. Great people, great info, great fun. I sure hope you enjoy it here, and I do apologize for not welcoming you before!

Aloha Stella and welcome to Tropical Gardening!

Hi Shari, how's you day been? Have you tried praying for the croton? I think this requires desperate measures. It needs healing soon. I pray that God will give you wisdom to help it heal. Seriously! God cares for us and the desires of our hearts! Definately works for animals! Why not plants! They are HIS creations also!

This message was edited Aug 15, 2007 4:54 PM

Thanks for the welcome....just found this site. I am sure I will be checking into this tropical gardening forum on a regular basis. Wonderful to be getting tropical ideas from all around the world. Aloha

77** - Day's okay so far...got through a long telecon with my Mom and nobody got mad about anything! That's always a plus! Ha Ha. Raining here off and on, but its still early - the off could stop. Found a new bloom on my Crinim....that's always fun. How are things in Baytown?

Fixin to Rain here also! Tropical disturbance became Tropical Storm Erin, and we will be on the wet side, should start this evening. Should only have max 25 mph winds so moved some small pots into the house, and some off of the corner shelves of the canopy onto a table, just incase it decides to get rougher out there. Otherwise OK!!!!!

Mom's neck of the subdivision lost power so she called about 9 am It was already getting hot in there. It was supposed to be up near 99 again today. Went and got her so she could be "cool". Dusty and Rusty behaved. She is not fond of animals so I was concerned. I have baby plants in the playroom, so couldn't put the cats in there, but we all survived!

Tropical Storm / Hurricane DEAN is expected to get in the gulf, so we will be watching for it. Just another day in Tropical paradise!!!!!!!!

yep, I've been watching Dean....my folks live down in Brownsville, so I track the Gulf storms....hope Erin treats you nice!

Good of you to keep your Mom cool....those temps with no a/c can get brutal!

Stay frosty!

Hopefully your folks will be on the dry side of Erin. It is reported to hit near Corpus. Sure hope it doesn't hang around long, altho it is bringing a drop in temps! Thank goodness! Heat Index yesterday was 107-110! Thermometer on front porch is in the sun and yesterday afternoon it was already at 107!

Your folks are even further south, so sure it gets really hot there also!

Yep, there are days when they don't leave the house at all! Too hot for me! I'm spoiled.

lurking

Hey LouC! Whatcha up to?