Coleus is an ornamental plant, popularly called nettle. Its leaves are shaped like nettles. But the colors are much more varied. The leaves are so variegated and bright that they can overshadow even flowering plants. Raspberry, purple, pink with edging, stripes, spots, they look very picturesque.
This plant has been living on my windowsill for a long time. I love him for his unpretentiousness and elegant appearance. Growing coleus is so easy that even beginners can do it. It propagates by cuttings and seeds.
Growing from seed
Seeds for planting this plant can be collected from an adult or bought.
What factors should be considered:
- Sowing is carried out in the spring in conditions of long daylight hours to avoid stretching the seedlings.
- The substrate must contain a significant amount of nutrients.
- Drainage holes must be made in containers.
How to sow:
- I distribute the seeds over the surface of the soil, without covering them, as they are very small.
- I spend moisturizing with a spray gun so that the seeds do not wash off with a jet of water in one heap.
- I cover the container with plantings with polyethylene and put it in the light.
- I air the landings daily.
- I moisturize as needed.
Seedlings appear in about two weeks.
Growing coleus in peat tablets
Coleus can also be grown in peat tablets. This is very convenient, they certainly will not be lost. How do I do it:
- I water the tablets so that they swell and increase in size.
- I drain the excess water.
- I spread the seeds on the surface.
- I place the tablets in a tray and transport them to the light in a warm place.
- I make sure that the tablets do not dry out, moisturizing them if necessary.
coleus seedling care
The first leaves of the coleus are green, but as they grow older they acquire the color of an adult plant.
Coleus loves good lighting, but it must be accustomed to the sun gradually so as not to burn the leaves.
When closing the crowns of plants, they must be dived so that they do not interfere with each other in growth. I dive at a distance of 2-3 cm.
2 months have passed, the coleus has grown to 15 cm, its leaves are completely colored in accordance with the variety. The plant is ready for transplanting to a permanent place, that is, in a pot.
Further care consists in regular watering with water at room temperature, good lighting and a temperature not lower than +15 degrees. In the cold period of time, watering is reduced.
In the summer I spend top dressing, and in the winter I stop them. I apply fertilizer once a week in the form of a solution. I buy for this special formulations for ornamental and indoor plants.
pinching coleus
A mandatory procedure for coleus is pinching and trimming. It is needed to form a rich crown and give the plant the shape of a bush. I pinch only with young plants, as the old ones endure this operation very painfully.
After the formation of three pairs of leaves, I cut the top. I cut off the extra stems directed inside the bush, which eventually grow. This will help the development of new shoots. Seedlings begin to branch, shoots grow from axillary buds, and I also pinch these branches.
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