How to Grow Potted Coleus? Latest Care Tips Shared

Coleus is also known as five-color sage, laolaisao, five-color grass, etc. It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Coleus in the Lamiaceae family. Indoor displays are mostly small to medium-sized potted plants. To make the plant shape beautiful, unopened flower spikes are often cut off and placed on low tables and windowsills for appreciation. Courtyard cultivation can be used for flower beds or plant edging, and several pots can also be arranged into patterns to decorate venues and theater front halls. Now let us take a look at how to grow potted coleus!

Growth Habits of Coleus

Coleus is a flower with very strong adaptability and can be seen in many places in our country, especially in the south where it is more common. It is often cultivated in gardens in various places, and the main cultivation bases are in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and other places. It is a warmth-loving plant with strong adaptability. The winter temperature should not be lower than 10°C. In summer high temperatures, slightly shade it. It likes sufficient sunlight, and ample light can make the leaf color vivid.

Propagation Methods of Coleus

1. Sowing: Mostly used for varieties whose plant quality does not change after sowing. The suitable temperature is 18°C, and it can be done in both spring and autumn. Sufficient light is needed during germination. Keep the propagation sand bed moist. About 2 weeks after sowing, it will germinate. When it grows to have 4 robust seedlings, it can be transplanted into small pots with a diameter of about 10 cm. When the seedling leaves cover the pot, it can be planted into a large pot with a diameter of 20-23 cm. The germination rate is high, and the seedlings emerge neatly.

2. Cuttings: Used for propagation of varieties with a high cutting survival rate and whose sexual propagation quality is prone to variation. As long as the temperature is suitable, it can be done in all four seasons, generally preferably in May to June. Select excellent plants with brilliant colors and use softwood cuttings. The cuttings are 8-10 cm long, and the propagation soil is best with loose, fertile coarse sand. Remove the two lower leaves of the cutting, and insert the cutting into the soil to a depth of about 1/3 of its length. After insertion, pay attention to shading, and it can be maintained in a cool place. Keep the pot soil moist. At a temperature of about 20°C, roots can appear in about 10 days, and after another 2 weeks it can be transplanted into a pot.

Water Propagation of Coleus

1. Container: The cutting container for coleus can be a wide-mouth bottle, or a mineral water bottle with the upper part cut off and the lower part filled with clean water for use. The container must be clean, and the water must also be clean. It is best to also take a large cola bottle to store water for more than one day for use in cutting and subsequent management.

2. Cuttings: When the main branch of coleus or a side branch after pinching has 4 nodes or is about 10 cm long, choose one with a thick stem, keep only 1 to 2 nodes of opposite leaves at the base, cut off the upper part, and make the cut smooth without crushed or torn wounds. Then cut off the lowest pair of leaves of the cutting, and gather every 3 to 5 cuttings neatly at the base, loosely tying them together with white thread, ready for water propagation.

3. Management: Generally, it is best for the cutting to enter the water 3 cm to 4 cm from the bottle mouth. After that, place it in a place with scattered light, pay attention to changing the clean water once every 2 to 3 days (using stored water), and make sure to top up the water level in the bottle daily due to evaporation. Generally, under conditions of 18°C to 25°C, white roots can be seen in 7 to 10 days.

4. Potting: In addition to being easily produced at stem nodes, the adventitious roots of coleus will also sprout from the straight and thick stem, which provides conditions for the cutting to take shape as early as possible. When multiple adventitious roots of 1 cm to 2 cm are seen at the base of the cutting, it can be potted or planted in time. Note that the operation should be careful and do not damage the root system. Generally, after maintaining it in a shaded place for about another 10 days, it can enter normal management.

How to Grow Potted Coleus?

1. Soil: Potted coleus requires sandy culture soil rich in humus, loose and fertile, and with good drainage and air permeability.

2. Watering: The water requirement of coleus lies in keeping the pot soil and environment moderately moist often. Avoid drought and prevent waterlogging, so as to prevent leaves from dehydrating and losing color and roots from being infected with soft rot.

3. Sunlight: When the light is soft and sufficient, the leaf color of coleus is strikingly brilliant, but avoid direct strong sunlight from a clear summer sky, which makes the leaf surface rough and lose gloss. In shaded environmental conditions, the leaf color is also not vivid.

4. Temperature: Coleus likes a warm and humid climate and fresh air environmental conditions. The suitable indoor temperature in winter is 20°C to 25°C. The minimum overwintering temperature cannot be lower than 10°C. If the temperature is too low, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, and below 5°C the plant dies.

5. Fertilizing: Coleus does not have high fertilizer requirements. During the growing season, apply 1-2 times a month a thin fertilizer mainly based on nitrogen fertilizer.

6. Pruning: During the seedling stage of coleus, pinch the tips multiple times to promote side branches and make the plant shape full. After flowering, keep 2-3 nodes on the lower part of the branches and cut off the rest to regenerate new branches.

7. Pests and Diseases: During the seedling stage, coleus is prone to damping-off, so attention should be paid to disinfecting the sowing soil. During the growing period, it is harmed by leaf spot disease, which can be sprayed with 500 times dilution of 50% thiophanate wettable powder. When cultivated indoors, it is prone to damage by scale insects, red spiders and whiteflies, which can be controlled by spraying 1000 times dilution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate.