#PlantCare #Gardening
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If you’re the one who wants a colorful blossoming garden then coleus is the plant you should have in the garden. Coleus is easy to maintain, beautiful, vibrant, colorful plants. It’s low maintenance and could brighten the place up. It is available in a variety of colors and they’re very tolerant and could be used as both Outdoor or Indoor Plants.
How to take care of Coleus?
Temperature
They’re able to tolerate heat well. They can tolerate 70-100°F but temperature any less than 50°F is not tolerable for them. During summers they can flourish well but in winters it’s better to keep them inside or they’ll die.
Humidity
They tolerate the humidity well. They need moderate to high humidity. During summers it could be very dry so sprinkling with water on and off would be good for plants.
Watering
Coleus should be watered regularly they like the soil moist not wet since they’re liable to root rot especially if the plants are in pots/ containers. Although they might need to be watered once a day or twice in summers and the heat. If the plant is places in the garden then regular watering once a day would be good.
Lighting
The plants love shade or indirect light. They can tolerate harsh sun rays but on long term exposure is not good for plants.
- Bleaching of leaves
- Fading of color
- Burning/ withering of leaves
- Browned edges on leaves
- Transparent patches
The ideal place for the plant is morning sunlight but shaded during afternoon to avoid the harsh rays.
Replotting
Usually it’s not very fast growing plant but at times when root gets bound then you might have to replot. If you want to keep it at same size you can leave the plant in same pot but the root bound plant would stop growing, leaves would become pale and in time the health of the plant would suffer.
Rules of Repotting
- Only repot when plants stops growing or it’s root bound
- Plant it in at least 2 inch bigger pot
- Gently detangle the roots and massage
- Plant in the same soil surrounding the root
- Press the soil to avoid air around the roots
- Water heavily after repotting to settle the soil around it and help the plant recover from the stress.
- The best time to repot is early spring
- Add compost or fertilizer to help the plant
Fertilizer
Liquid fertilizer once in 4-5 weeks in summers and spring but there’s no need to fertilize in winters & fall spring since the plant is in slow growth phase so it doesn’t need that frequent fertilization. Fertilizer should be high nitrogen levels.
Pruning
Pruning should be done regularly. The plant has a tendency to become leggy so regular removal of buds would make it more bushy. If you find the flowers non appealing then they could be removed it since the plants need a lot of energy for flowering.
Propagation
It’s very easy to propagate the plant. Take a stem at least 5 inches in length, cut at the leaf node. Remove the excess leaves, leave the top leaves intact. Put it in water of in plotting soil for 3-4 weeks if you see the roots or for the plant to take up you’ll know by the new shoots erupting from the plant.
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Coleus is present in many colors shapes and varieties. They’re the best ones to brighten the garden.
Happy Gardening to all.
This is the series of Indoor Plant care guide & it’s the second post of the series.
- Post 1: How not to Kill Succulents?
- Post 2: How to Keep Coleus healthy & colorful?
- Post 3: How to Keep Peace Lily Healthy & Blooming?
And now I know the name of the plants that remind me so much of my granny! As soon as I saw your post memories of my granny came rolling in. She had so many of these in her garden while I was growing up and I remember thinking how beautiful they are with their lovely colours. I would love to grow some of these myself one day so thank you for all this fantastic information.
I’m glad that my post would help you in planting coleus.
Such a pleasing plant to have in a garden! I’ve seen huge rows of these at the science institutes I visit. They especially look beautiful in the early morning or evening sun. They simply seem to glow. Thank you for the detailed guide!
you’re welcome Vidya