How to grow coleus? Master these cultivation and management tips
Coleus is a foliage plant, and its most notable feature is its brightly colored, multicolored leaves. It can be used for flower basket decoration and as a cut flower in bouquets, with very wide uses and very high cultivation value. It is suitable for planting in courtyards, parks, and along roadsides. It can also be grown as a potted plant. Below is a detailed guide to coleus cultivation, which those interested can take a look at.
Environment
Coleus likes warmth and humidity, so the growing environment needs to maintain plenty of sunlight and fresh air. It is not drought-tolerant and fears waterlogging, so it is suitable for cultivation in the south. In the north, it needs to be moved indoors in winter.
Temperature
Coleus likes warmth, with an optimum growing temperature of 15 to 25 degrees. In winter, room temperature must not be lower than 10°C. If the temperature is too low, the leaves turn yellow and drop, and below 5 degrees the plant withers.
Soil
Coleus is highly adaptable. For potted cultivation, a loose, fertile, airy, well-draining humus sandy loam can be used. When fertilizing, apply a dilute nitrogen water-soluble fertilizer once every half month, and water to keep the potting soil moist.
Sunlight
During the growing period, coleus can receive full sun, because ample light makes the leaf color vivid and beautiful. However, during the high temperatures of summer it needs shading. In shady environments and under exposure to scorching sun, the leaves lose their luster.
Pruning
Coleus should be pinched starting at the seedling stage to encourage side branches and make the plant shape full. After the flowers fade, keep 2-3 nodes on some branches and cut off the rest to regrow new shoots.
Propagation: In spring, select young branches for cuttings. From sowing to reaching marketable size takes 5 months, so if it is to be marketed during the National Day period, it can be sown in May.
Coleus resembles amaranth, which people often eat, and has a unique leaf shape and high ornamental value. The above are the coleus cultivation and management tips compiled by the editor, hoping they are helpful to those who like coleus.
Coleus picture collection: Can coleus be eaten?
Many people like flowers very much, mainly because the flowers after blooming are beautiful in color and shape. In fact, it is not only flowering plants that are beautiful. Take coleus, for example: its main feature is not its flowers, but its leaves. The leaves are colorful and no worse than any flower.
Coleus introduction
Coleus is an erect or ascending herb in the Lamiaceae family, genus Coleus. The stems are usually purple, and the leaves are membranous. They vary greatly, usually ovate, with the apex obtuse to shortly acuminate, the base broadly cuneate to rounded, and the margin rounded-toothed or crenate. The colors are diverse, including yellow, dark red, purple, and green. The verticillasters are many-flowered, and the flowers are mostly densely arranged. The pedicels and inflorescence axis are puberulent; the bracts are broadly ovate, the calyx is campanulate, and the calyx limb is two-lipped, with the middle lobe broadly ovate and the lateral lobes short and small, ovate. The corolla is light purple to purple or blue, the corolla tube bends abruptly downward, and the corolla limb is two-lipped. The filaments are united into a sheath below the middle. The style extends beyond the stamens, and the disc is swollen at the front. The nutlets are brown and glossy. It flowers in July.
It is commonly cultivated in gardens and nurseries throughout China for ornamental use. It is also cultivated in various places from India through Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines to Polynesia.
Coleus is an important group in gardening and urban landscaping and beautification and in the creation of plant landscapes. With its attractive plant form, diverse colors, easy propagation, and ease of landscape use, it is a plant with ornamental value.
Can coleus be eaten?
Coleus can be eaten. It can clear heat, reduce inflammation, resolve food stagnation, promote diuresis, detoxify, and resolve phlegm and relieve cough; it is used for hepatitis, indigestion, eye diseases, sore and swollen throat, neurasthenia, lung abscess, snake bites, sores and swellings, cough, pulmonary tuberculosis, lung cancer, pulmonary edema, influenza with fever, cirrhosis, and other conditions. Daily dosage: fresh product 35-182 g, dried product halved, decocted in water.
Growth habits of coleus
Coleus is a flower with very strong adaptability. It can be seen in many places in China, especially commonly in the south. It is often cultivated in gardens throughout China, with main cultivation bases in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and other places. It is a warmth-loving plant with strong adaptability. In winter, the temperature should not be lower than 10°C. In summer high temperatures, give slight shading. It likes ample sunlight, and sufficient light can make the leaf color vivid.
How to grow potted coleus
1. Soil: Potted coleus requires a sandy culture soil rich in humus, loose and fertile, with good drainage and aeration.
2. Watering: Coleus's water requirement lies in keeping the potting soil and environment moderately moist at all times. Avoid drought and prevent waterlogging, so as to prevent leaf dehydration and loss of color and root infection with soft rot.
3. Sunlight: When the light is soft and sufficient, coleus has notably vivid leaf color, but avoid direct strong sunlight under clear summer skies, which makes the leaf surface rough and causes it to lose gloss. In shady environmental conditions, the leaf color is also not vivid.
4. Temperature: Coleus likes a warm, humid climate and fresh air environmental conditions. In winter, the suitable indoor temperature is 20°C to 25°C, and the minimum overwintering temperature must not be lower than 10°C. If the temperature is too low, the leaves turn yellow and drop, and below 5°C the plant dies.
5. Fertilizing: Coleus has low fertilizer requirements. During the growing season, apply a dilute fertilizer mainly based on nitrogen fertilizer 1-2 times per month.
6. Pruning: During the seedling stage, coleus should be pinched several times to encourage side branches and make the plant shape full. After flowering, keep 2-3 nodes on some branches and cut off the rest to regrow new shoots.
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; spray with a 500-fold dilution of 50% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder. When cultivated indoors, it is prone to damage by scale insects, red spiders, and whiteflies, which can be controlled by spraying a 1000-fold dilution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate.
Through the above content, I believe everyone has gained some understanding of coleus. Although coleus is called a grass, it is also a plant that blooms! Around August each year, coleus produces small purple flowers, very cute and petite.
Nepenthes and its cultivation and management
Nepenthes, also known as piglet cage, insectivorous grass, Leigong pot, monkey trough, monkey cage, water-carrying bucket, doll bottle, bringing in wealth and treasure, and peace for every bag, is a plant in the family Nepenthaceae, genus Nepenthes. Nepenthes is native to Southeast Asia and the northern region of Australia, and wild distribution exists in Guangdong Province and other places in China. There are about 67 species worldwide. China has 1 species, distributed in Hainan and the Zhanjiang, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, and other areas of Guangdong. Its beautiful leaf pitchers are alluring in form and it is currently the most favored type of insectivorous plant, representing tropical insectivorous plants today. 1 Morphological characteristics and varietiesNepenthes is a perennial evergreen herb or semi-woody vine. It is epiphytic, with stems prostrate or climbing. The plant height is 0.5-2.0 m. The basal leaves are dense, nearly sessile, with the base half-clasping the stem, about 10 cm long; the cauline leaves are alternate, long elliptical, 10-25 cm long and 4-8 cm wide, with the base decurrent, entire or with eyelash-like teeth. The midrib extends into a tendril, at the end of which is a small, nearly cylindrical pitcher-like leaf cage. The rim of the pitcher mouth is relatively thick and has a small lid on top; when mature, the lid opens and can no longer close. The pitcher color is mainly green, with brown or red spots and stripes. It is dioecious, with a raceme 20-40 cm long, opposite the leaves or terminal, without petals. The flowering period is April to November, and the flowers are red or purplish red. The capsule has many seeds.
Common ornamental species in the same genus include: Nepenthes hirsuta, Nepenthes khasiana, Nepenthes lowii, Nepenthes sanguinea, Nepenthes coccinea, Nepenthes superba, Nepenthes ampullaria, Nepenthes bicalcarata, Nepenthes gracilis, Nepenthes intermedia, Nepenthes mirabilis, Nepenthes maxima, and 22 varieties in total.
2 Growth habits
It likes a warm, humid, semi-shady environment with strong diffused light. It is not cold-tolerant and fears dryness and strong direct sunlight.
2.1 Light It often grows in environments such as under large trees in semi-shade under natural conditions or on the north side of rocks. In summer, shading is necessary to avoid direct strong light; otherwise the leaves are easily scorched, directly affecting the development of the leaf pitchers. However, long-term growth under dark conditions causes the leaf pitchers to form slowly and small, and the pitcher surface color to be dull. Therefore, after indoor cultivation for a period, it should be placed in front of a window to strengthen light.
2.2 Temperature The optimum growing temperature is 25-30°C, from March to September it is 21-30°C, and from September to March of the following year it is 18-24°C. In winter, the minimum temperature should not be lower than 18°C. Below 15°C the plant stops growing, and below 10°C the leaf margins suffer frost damage.
2.3 Humidity It is relatively sensitive to water. It can grow and develop normally only under high humidity conditions. When air humidity is 80%-90%, growth is best. Therefore, water frequently (the water should not contain lime) to keep the soil moist but not wet. Generally 4-5 times a day, keeping the leaf surface moist, and keep the water level in the pitcher at 1/3, so the pitcher is not easy to wither.
2.4 Soil Nepenthes prefers a more acidic medium and likes loose, fertile, airy, well-drained leaf mold or peat soil. For cultivation, peat soil, perlite, and vermiculite can be mixed in a ratio of 1.5:1:1, adding charcoal crumbs and dried cow dung fragments as the cultivation substrate. When mixing, attention should be paid to adding water and stirring evenly so that the medium fully absorbs water. Alternatively, use peat, sphagnum moss, and tree leaves mixed with crushed cow dung, charcoal crumbs, and yellow sand as the substrate. However, when using sphagnum moss and the like as the substrate, because sphagnum moss will sour and spoil, it usually needs to be replaced after half a year to a year. Therefore, sphagnum moss is more suitable for the cultivation of cuttings or small seedlings.
3 Propagation
It can be propagated by sowing, cuttings, and layering, but cuttings and layering are the main methods.
3.1 Propagation by sowing This method is often used for breeding. Nepenthes is a dioecious plant, and the seed-setting rate is relatively low. In its place of origin, artificial pollination can increase the seed-setting rate of Nepenthes. From August to December, after the capsules mature, collect the seeds and sow them immediately. The sowing substrate is sphagnum moss. Sow the seeds on the sphagnum moss in the pot, cover the pot mouth with plastic film, and make some small holes in the plastic for ventilation. Water frequently to maintain relatively high air humidity. At a temperature of 27-30°C, germination can occur 30-40 days after sowing. During the seedling stage, pay attention to the prevention and control of damping-off or seedling blight. When it grows to 3-4 cm tall, it can be potted.
3.2 Propagation by cuttings This can be done during the peak growth period in May-June. Select healthy branches free of pests and diseases, cut a section with one leaf and a stem node or the terminal bud as the cutting. Cut off 2/3 of the leaf, cut the base into a 45° slant, wrap the base of the cutting with moss, and insert it into a flowerpot filled with sphagnum moss. Place a layer of small pebbles at the bottom of the pot, and wrap the pot and cutting together in a large plastic bag. Make some small holes in the plastic for ventilation. Maintain a temperature of 20-25°C and relative humidity of 80%-90%. Roots form about 22 days after insertion. After rooting, pot and plant.
3.3 Propagation by layering During the peak growth period, without destroying the overall plant shape, select an appropriate part, cut and wound the lower part of the leaf axil, wrap the wound with an appropriate amount of moss, then bind the outside tightly with plastic film, keep the moss moist, and after rooting, cut it away from the mother plant and plant it in a pot.
4 Cultivation and management
Potted Nepenthes commonly uses 12-15 cm hanging pots. Because it can grow and develop normally only under high temperature and high humidity conditions, it needs frequent spraying during the growing period. In midsummer, shading is necessary to prevent strong direct light from scorching the leaves. In autumn and winter, it should be placed in a sunny place, which is beneficial to the growth and development of the leaf pitchers. Repot every year in February when new roots have not yet grown. Seedlings generally need 3-4 years of cultivation before they produce leaf pitchers.
4.1 Fertilizing When Nepenthes is cultivated outdoors, it can catch insects by itself and digest them for nutrient supply. However, when cultivated indoors, because there are fewer insects, and feeding insects is very troublesome, digesting insects takes a long time, and the odor from rotting insects is unpleasant. In particular, the insectivorous function of some cultivated Nepenthes has degenerated or even been lost. Therefore, in artificial cultivation, growth is mainly promoted by fertilizing. But Nepenthes usually grows well without special fertilizing, and excessive fertilizing can cause fertilizer burn, leaf burn, and even the failure to form pitchers. Usually, only during the growing season, apply some compound fertilizer or organic fertilizer at the base of the plant 1-2 times a month, such as cow dung, soybean cake, peanut bran, and so on as topdressing, and apply some compound fertilizer or organic fertilizer such as Huabao to promote the formation of leaf pitchers. When fertilizing the leaves, use dilute fertilizer several times, for example, every 2-3 weeks use a 4000-fold dilution of Huabao No. 5 for foliar spraying. In addition, some long-acting slow-release fertilizer such as “Huaduoduo” can be applied in the cultivation substrate.
4.2 Pest and disease control It is often harmed by leaf spot disease and scale insects. For leaf spot disease, spray once about every 15 days with a 1000-fold dilution of 50% zineb wettable powder for control. For scale insects, spray with a 2000-fold dilution of 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate or a pesticide containing EC ingredients.
5 Garden uses
The beautiful leaf pitchers of Nepenthes are especially alluring. Their sizes, shapes, and colors vary; some look like small wine cups, some like jars, and some like bamboo tubes, and the colors are also colorful. They have extremely high ornamental value and are suitable for indoor potted display or hanging basket viewing. The color of the hanging pot is best in white. Because its leaf pitchers can kill mosquitoes and flies and the like, it can adorn rooms, balconies, and windowsills or flower racks, and be hung under trees in small courtyards and beside corridors. Its shape is very elegant and unique, full of interest, and deeply loved by people. It can also be used medicinally; its nature and flavor are sweet and cool, and it can clear heat and relieve cough and promote urination. It mainly treats acute and chronic hepatitis, and its leaves can be made into herbal tea.