Leaning Tower of Croton

Leaning toward the light

I'm working 13 hour days at this time of year, and so, understandably,  my plants are suffering a bit. I throw water on them when I can and hope they survive until the spring rush is over. This croton is in dire need of rotation, as it is definitely leaning toward the light. Every time you water, you should rotate your plant a quarter turn, so it will have symmetrical growth.
Why do plants lean toward the light? It involves a chemical called auxin in the cells of plants. It causes the plant to have elongated cells on the side away from the light. Growth toward the light is called positive phototropism and growth away from it is called negative phototropism. Usually roots have negative phototropism. I have discovered, when looking on line, that philodendron and monstera seedlings also exhibit negative phototrophism as they are looking for a tree to climb. By finding the shadow of a tree, they will eventually be lead  to the tree which they need for support. How interesting!  (You learn something new everyday!)
 I'm going to pay attention, and notice how long it takes my croton to turn back toward the light. Will it take a day, a week, or longer?

Turned away from the light.