Coleus is a plant of the clear-clad family; in the people it is also called "nettle" because of external similarity. The leaves have a heart shape and a different color, can combine several shades at the same time: green, burgundy, yellow, red. There are a large number of its varieties (more than 1000), the most common - Blume, Black Dragon, Hybrid, Wizard. When buying a plant in a store, you need to pay attention to the presence of shoots, there must be more than one, as well as the absence of a flower, otherwise there may be problems in their content.
Features of growing Coleus
Coleus is considered an excellent ornamental plant; keeping it at home is not difficult. Well suited for beginners. Due to the simple method of propagation, as well as the similarity of the motley color of the leaves, it is also called the “croton of the poor”.
House Coleus Growing Conditions
The table shows the basic requirements necessary for flower growth.
| Indicators | Description |
| Lighting | Avoid direct sunlight, in the summer it is better to take outside (balcony). |
| Optimum temperature | In summer, +18 ° C, in winter +12 ° C. |
| Watering | Spring-autumn - plentiful, lukewarm water, while it is necessary to control the dryness of the upper layer in the pot. In winter - moderate, do not allow the soil to dry out. |
| Humidity | High, constant spraying of the leaves is necessary. In winter, the ideal place for the plant is the kitchen, where during this period the conditions are the best. |
| Priming | Unpretentious, any soil mixture is suitable, minerals are added if necessary. |
With a lack of light, the plant begins to grow rapidly upwards and lose foliage, and its excess leads to stunting and loss of saturation in the color. Therefore, it is very important to monitor the correct supply of light. Also important is the temperature regime - the flower reacts very sharply to its differences. The nitrogen content in the soil increases the saturation in the color.
Humidity can be increased by setting a tank filled with wet expanded clay next to the pot.
Top dressing
During strong growth, flowering (spring-summer), you need to add fertilizer to the soil, the best option is potassium, once a week is enough. Thanks to this, the color of the foliage will become noticeably brighter and more attractive. In winter, the introduction of minerals is reduced to once a month and contribute 2 times less.
Coleus transplant
This process occurs in the spring after pinching. The acidity of the prepared soil should be in the range of 6-7 pH. However, he does not need to be moved repeatedly, because his root system is poorly developed.
The plant is considered annual, but subject to certain conditions, it can grow for more than one year, only it will be necessary to periodically change the soil, and if the pot becomes small, then replant. At the same time, it is necessary to carefully look at the roots for bad (decayed or dead), as much as possible to remove the old earth.
Coleus pruning
The flower should be exposed to this procedure systematically. We can distinguish the following reasons for its accomplishment:
- the best formation of branches, which subsequently leads to the creation of a large bush (produced half a month after a dive);
- planting by cuttings (cut older shoots);
- decrease in growth (cut off the top, thereby causing it to grow in width, and not in height, giving the plant splendor);
- the planned haircut (they make the flowers older than a year, cut off all the shoots, leaving only 2-3 shoots);
- shaping, decoration (cut off from the formed bush).
Coleus breeding
This process is very easy, their germination rate is 100%. In order to avoid loss of leaf refinement, it is propagated by seeds (dive) and cuttings (vegetative method).
Sowing seeds, small in size, occurs in spring in small clay cups (plates), laying on the bottom prepared in advance substrate from peat and pouring a little sand on top. The first shoots will appear only after two weeks, after which they are transplanted into small boxes with an interval of 2 × 2 cm, while the soil must be combined: leaf, peat, turf, sand.
It is advisable to include a drainage layer (you can use small expanded clay or small pieces of broken brick) to avoid stagnation of water.
After the formation of 1-2 leaves, the plant is transplanted one by one in pots with a height of 7 cm, and the composition of the earth does not change. Then, after a month, it is moved to larger pots (9-11 cm). In order to increase the number of branches on the coleus, pinching is performed, that is, trimming of apical shoots. Six months later, grown shoots can be used to decorate a room or a flower bed.
Cuttings begin at the end of winter (February) and end in May. A specially separated part, approximately 10 cm long, is planted in distribution boxes. The appearance of roots is observed already on the 8-12th day. After that, it is moved to a pot 9 cm high. This method is the easiest and most reliable, however, when planting with seeds, the number of seedlings will be greater.
The content of the plant provides for timely watering, high-quality lighting.
Coleus flowers
It blooms in early spring and until autumn. Its flowers are small in size white, can shade blue. Partial inflorescences are located on the main axis of the stem, due to which they are compared with complex ears. Due to the fact that flowering takes all the plant sap, its flowers are usually cut so as not to spoil the foliage.
Problems When Growing Coleus
When maintaining the plant, minor difficulties may arise, which are listed in the table.
| Problems | Causes |
| Slow growth. | Lack of useful fertilizers. |
| Loss of foliage. | Low temperature, draft. |
| Faded leaves. | Lack of light. |
| Rotting of the stem from below. | Lack of a drainage layer in the soil. |
| The tips of the foliage turn brown. | Insufficient humidity, poor watering. |
| There are spots. | Being in direct sunlight. |
| Twisting the leaves. | Infection with parasites. |
The plant is not considered poisonous, safe even if swallowed. Insects can cause harm: aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, scutes. They appear in very dry indoor air. If pests are found, the affected areas are cut off, and the flower itself is treated with an insecticide.
Mr. Summer resident advises: useful actions for growing coleus
Following a series of simple recommendations, the plant will not cause difficulties in care:
- The best place for it is the windowsill on the east or west side.
- It is necessary to hide the plant from direct exposure to the sun. This pattern is observed: the more light it receives, the more leaves it gains.
- Ideal water for irrigation - settled and room temperature.
- In winter, it is better to put the flower away from the batteries, a good solution would be to transfer it to the kitchen. If the room has a high temperature, then the number of waterings should be increased.
- In the case of a long absence of water in the pot, the coleus will dry out, but it can be quickly brought back to life by abundant watering and spraying.
- It will look great in a circle of monochrome plants.
- When planting it is necessary to be guided by the time of its ripening - it takes about 5 months to get a flower of bright saturated color.
- It is very sensitive to transfusion, therefore it is necessary to be especially careful in watering it.
Coleus is an unpretentious indoor flower, which makes its care at home as convenient as possible and does not cause any special difficulties.
