Holding out Hope

ScotTi

Esteemed Member
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16/04/08
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This is what I am seeing these days in Crotons.:mad:
 

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...:mad: and more hope..
 

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They look like Charlie Brown Crotons!

You may want to pull back the mulch a few inches off the trunks.

I have many croton that look the same. Some didn't drop all the leaves some held on. It will be interesting to see if they bounce back!
 
Re: How cold did it get for you guys?

Dealing with my own record snowfall blizzards this year, I didn't really follow how cold it got in Florida these past few weeks. What were the lowest temps you folks saw in central and southern Florida?

Also - are crotons OK, foliage-wise, right down to freezing (32'F/0'C)? Or do they get damaged sooner, in the upper 30s or something? Where would you have to live in Florida to have undamaged crotons, at this point? Extreme south coast and keys? My potted ones are always hardier in the Fall than the Spring, as they get used to the cold gradually - but I get them inside once nights go below 40'F.

My friends in Port St Lucie (west of I-95) had some "Mamey" crotons - are they likely dead or "recoverable"?
 
it wasn't one night of cold. that probably would have been ok. the tampa bay area had 11 days where the temps were 11 to 20 degrees below normal. we normally are in the low 70s and the weather man said tonight that we will hit our second one for the month tomorrow. we have been on a roller coaster ride since jan. where it just starts to warm up and we get hit by another cold spell, tho nothing as bad as that prolonged spell. i live on the edge of the banana belt in st pete. the crotons near the downtown area are doing just fine and sunken gardens, which has a major collection, has some leaf drop but most still have leaves. same is true in my yard. the ones at the florida botanical gardens that we just put in in aug. looked like they came through the cold spell just fine only to loose all their leaves a week later. we will have to wait till march to prune and assess the damage. that may not be a bad thing if your plants are old. a really good haircut takes away the leginess.
 
Not all is lost, here are some winners.... these are growing in the same area, and conditions as the dead looking Crotons.
 

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Here in Ft. Myers, alot of my crotons are just sticks. Some have started to bud out. Some were left with a few leaves on top. Under a big oak, my Lin Yu Tang and Cartledge look the best. At our house in the Keys, we also had a little leaf drop and our Tortoise Shell almost completely defoliated. But on the whole everything else looks ok. So we will start making air layers very soon down there.











edlke
 
Mooseknuckle can you believe Judy Glock posted a reply!

She is making great progress with the computer. Don't be surprised if one of these days she even attaches a picture.

Well done Jude:)
 
Mooseknuckle can you believe Judy Glock posted a reply!

She is making great progress with the computer. Don't be surprised if one of these days she even attaches a picture.

Well done Jude:)


Glad to hear that the Glock estate is doing so well down in the Keys.

Will you two be joining many of us "crotonheads" at the Searle Extravaganza Sale in two weeks?:cool:
 
All of my Thai hybrids (5 of them) got beat up just as bad as the rest of the Crotons, but they're still alive and have a few older leaves still intact.
 
Epicure-
The most common Thai variety - the one at the big box stores- came thrugh without any leaf drop. One or two others defoliated completely; one or two had partial defoliation. No ryhme or reason - just as confusing as the larger leaf varieties.
 
Now that the temps are warming I see leaf buds on most of the Croton stems. :) Some are putting out new growth at ground level, but they made it.
 
Fantastic news Scott. :cool: Now we need a meeting to really lift everyone's spirits. Personally I could use a crotonhead fix!!! :rolleyes:

I got a fix with a "Victoria Gold Bell" this weekend. :D I needed a Croton with leaves.
 

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50+ specimen crotons dead and the hits keep coming. Everyday brings a new "surprise". Today it's alive, next week the stick snaps off in your hand. I still have things dying from a freeze 10 weeks ago.
 
50+ specimen crotons dead and the hits keep coming. Everyday brings a new "surprise". Today it's alive, next week the stick snaps off in your hand. I still have things dying from a freeze 10 weeks ago.


Hey buddy,

I totally understand you. I threw out about 20 small 3gallons yesterday, very small plants, I think if they had some more size to them they would fared a little better.

But....spring is just around the corner ( so I keep telling myself as I leave each morning still with a flanel shirt) and I'm going to start putting lots of airlayers on in 2-3 more weeks here at the house. I have a new pair of scissors with a grove cut out in the middle of each blade especially made for doing airlayers. It will cut my time down probably 60-70% on making the cuts, and a hell of alot safer than using a knife or razor blade. I'm going freaking nuts in the yard this summer!:cool:

Jeff
 
I wondered how you've fared Ray. Sorry to hear that :( I got blasted too and lost about 1/2 of my yard. Crotons, palms you name it. :mad:
 
Judy - could you post a photo of your A.B. Cartledge? Yours should be in great shape and colored nicely at this time of the season. I do not recall ever seeing one. I did a search and found no image of one on this forum. Anyone else growing this cultivar that could post a picture? :confused:

Here in Ft. Myers, alot of my crotons are just sticks. Some have started to bud out. Some were left with a few leaves on top. Under a big oak, my Lin Yu Tang and Cartledge look the best. At our house in the Keys, we also had a little leaf drop and our Tortoise Shell almost completely defoliated. But on the whole everything else looks ok. So we will start making air layers very soon down there.











edlke
 
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