Sixwing

Hey all,
I have a croton (Codiaeum variegatum "Victoria Gold Bell") that has five stems. It's rapidly outgrowing its pot, and I'd like to pot it up and split the smaller plants off before the larger ones completely shade them out.
I hear crotons like to pout when separated, and this thing has a seriously tangled rootball. Do I just cut through it to separate them out? Do I take the hose to it, get all the dirt off, and play the root-untangling game?
Any thoughts on how to do it without causing the little ones to defoliate and/or die?

p.s. my first banana is doing great, growing a leaf every couple weeks - but not much to tell. Thanks for all your help!

saltydad

I have the same problem Looking forward to the answers; thanks for asking!

__________________
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"If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal."
John F. Kennedy, September, 1960


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john_ny

I would just make cuttings out of the extra stems. They're not difficult to root. Then you don't have to worry about cutting, or untangleing, the root ball, and puting the mother plant in a funk.

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John

Sixwing

That would work. ^^
I have a coworker who's wanting one of them. Hopefully at least one of the three small stems makes it; she'd like that.

Thanks!

john_ny

Do you have a good system for rooting cuttings?

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John

Sixwing

Not really; what I do have is an aquarium. I've water-rooted past cuttings in a bit of used fish water. The extra nutrients seem to help keep the plant alive as it roots.
Googling around, it seems like crotons are kind of picky about rooting. I may have to actually pick up some hormone. =/

Edit: Those past cuttings were mostly tough stuff, like Pothos, Wandering Jew, and a single half-successful attempt at some Soleirolia soleirolii. This would be my first shot at rooting a croton.

john_ny

I don't think they're picky, at all. However, with almost all cuttings, you would be better off rooting them in a mix of half peat moss, and half perlite. It would help if you dipped them in hormone first. The biggest trick is to keep them moist, but not soggy. You mentioned something about an old fish tank. This would be ideal. Place the mix in pots or a tray, put something in the bottom of the aquarium, so the pots, or tray are slightly raised. Water the pots, after you stick the cuttings, and place in the aquarium. Add a little water to the tank, to maintain moisture. (make sure that the bottoms of the pots are not sitting in the water.) Put a glass, or plastic, cover on the tank, and place in good light (not direct sun). Open the cover, for an hour or so, every few days, to give it some air, and to check moisture levels. Should take about 6 weeks.

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John

Sixwing

Wow, not bad at all. Here I'd been reading that crotons are really difficult.

I may have been unclear about the aquarium - it's occupied.

I think I can rig something similar, though. Peat and perlite's not hard to come by, and neither are old (clear) 2L soda bottles. I could set up little individual... whatevers, that way. Terrarium? Incubator?

john_ny

Sorry, Didn't realize the aquarium was in use. The idea is to keep 'em moist - not soggy, so whatever way you do that is OK. I've heard of people putting the cuttings in a pot, and then just putting the whole thing in a big clear plastic bag, tied off with a rubber band.

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John

Sixwing

I finally got brave and did this yesterday. I carefully didn't water the croton for a few days, so it was really dry before being repotted - and lo and behold, all five rootballs separated with minimal fuss, and I didn't have to cut anyone off!
I kept the biggest two together, the middle two together, and the smallest one got its very own pot.
It has lost all its leaves (big ones were shading it out) so I'm hoping it makes it. The four big ones are looking very happy, though - and the biggest ones no longer fit on my desk, so I'm going to have to get a stand or something for them.

saltydad

Love to see a pic of the results!

__________________
Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men"

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon





"If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal."
John F. Kennedy, September, 1960


http://flickr.com/photos/saltydad/ and
http://community.webshots.com/user/saltydad
http://s751.photobucket.com/albums/xx151/saltydad/