Coleus is a native of Asia and Africa. Due to the unpretentiousness of coleus, grown from seeds at home and the lack of special care, this plant has become really popular and is widely used for outdoor and indoor gardening.
Features
The main feature of the numerous varieties and varieties of herbaceous plants with a height of 30 to 50 cm (12-20 inch) is the decorative pointed-egg-shaped foliage of incredible colors.
Sitting on the lowered juicy stems, the leaves can have such a bright and variegated color that even beautiful-flowering species will envy the abundance of shades. For coleus, revered by lovers of indoor and garden crops, it is not uncommon not only green or yellowish-white tones, but also such exotic colors as lilac, crimson, brown, purple and pink. In many varieties, the leaves are decorated with spots, stripes, wide or narrow edging along the edge.
Growing by Cuttings
Cut from adult plants, apical cuttings with several leaves are used for reproduction. Young shoots, cut in the spring, can be rooted in water or by digging with a light wet mixture of sand and sphagnum. The roots, as a rule, appear after a week, after which the plant is ready for planting in separate pots.
If the florist has several young coleuses of different colors, you can create a decorative composition from them by placing the seedlings at a distance of 10-15 cm (4-6 inch) in one large container. As the plants grow, they are pinched, forcing them to bush and take a beautiful rounded shape.
Such cultivation of coleus will allow you to decorate the house, and the infield, the veranda or the flower garden with a multicolored cap of lush foliage.
Growing by Seeds
We purchased two packs of seeds, 10 pieces each: “Wizard” and a mixture of “Black Dragon”. To prepare a fertile soil, we will need ordinary garden soil, sand and ready-made soil for seedlings. Next, dry the sand on a baking sheet in the oven and pour boiling water on the prepared soil. Picking up a plastic tray about 15x20x5 cm (5.9×7.9×2 inch), with an awl, I made a drain hole in it. At the bottom, pour small pebbles about 1 cm (0.4 inch), then mix the soil in the following proportion: 1 part of the soil for seedlings, 1 part of sand and 1 part of garden soil. I carefully leveled the surface, moistened it with a spray bottle, and put all 20 tiny coleus seeds on the surface. Just a little wet and covered the tray with cellophane and took it to a place where you can keep the temperature +20…+22 °C (68-72 °F). It was February 4 (I just call the date because everything is written down).
Do not forget to open the wrapper for a couple of minutes every day and wrap the crops. To protect the newborn shoots from mold, you can rub the dust with wood ash and carefully sprinkle the plants and soil in the lotus. For 3 weeks, you will need to accustom your seedlings to the open air, removing the tape first for 3, then for 5 minutes, and so on.
After 4 weeks, you will need to start lighting them with a fluorescent lamp: from 7 am to 22 pm. If watering is necessary, a sprayer is used to spray water so as not to wash the seedlings out of the soil. At 6 weeks, the seedlings are transplanted into separate pots.
For convenience, it is best to use several containers, because otherwise the plants will intertwine with the roots and it will be very difficult to separate them. To transplant the plants into the final pots, we prepared cups with a ready-made filling mixture (as for sowing seeds). Take care to moisten the soil well and also wait until the moisture is absorbed. Carefully remove the young plant (mostly its roots are elongated and long), so as to damage the roots as little as possible, and plant it in a cup. The sprout is dug out together with the earthen lump, adheres to the base and is transplanted to a new place in a pre-prepared hole, then slightly pressed down and sprinkled with earth. This method will facilitate the rapid adaptation of the young seedling. Plant the seedlings at a distance of at least 10 cm (4 inch). After picking, it is allowed to make top dressing in the form of dry mineral fertilizers.
By this time, they already have a clearly visible pattern on the leaves and a well-developed root system: the primary root is 1-1. 5 cm (0.4-0.6 inch), hairy.
After two weeks, they slowly begin to feed the already purchased dry food. Before planting in the open ground, young coleuses are gradually hardened, taking them outside, in a place protected from direct sunlight and drafts.
Recommendations for Care
It must be remembered that in order to obtain a lush, richly colored bush, the place for the permanent cultivation of nettle must be perfectly lit, protected from drafts and open winds.
Do not forget about abundant hydration. In case of drought, the leaves of the coleus fade, but within a few minutes after watering, they come to life and restore the turgor. However, it is not necessary to bring the plant to such a state. If possible, it is recommended to organize automatic watering.
When caring for the plant, once a week, the plant should be fed: in early summer – nitrogen fertilizers, and in July-August – complex mineral additives to maintain the brightness of the color.
In the process of growth, dry leaves fall off, to maintain the decorative nature of the clearing, they are carefully raked out with a small garden rake. The soil at the base of the stem with this procedure always remains loose.