flame nettle is a tropical low - maintenance foliation plant and a practiced option for any gardener . The smart and colourful leaves are sure to make your summertime garden pop ! With all that beauty to offer , why not plant it within , too ? Learn how to farm flame nettle as a houseplant or as a summertime annual in planting bed .
aboriginal to Malaysia , the coleus is a tropic industrial plant only hardy in geographical zone 10 and 11.Coleus , botanically known asPlectranthus scutellarioides , are treated as summertime bedding or annual flora everywhere else . Indoors , you’re able to also acquire them as houseplant .
Coleus flowers look like spikes of tiny low or violet flowers . While they are cunning , most people implant coleus for vibrant foliage . The leave-taking have a wide variety show of folio margins , from plain to ruffled , colours tramp from reds , yellows , and oranges to greens and purples .
Known as fast growers , coleus also comes in many sizes . Some of the industrial plant farm to be large and upright while other varieties shack , good forhanging baskets .
Appreciated by Victorian gardener , coleusthen had a revitalization in the sixties and seventies . Ever since , they have been a garden basic , used to bring some multifariousness to container and bed with their attractive leaves . Today , many container gardener grow large flame nettle collections !
How to Grow Coleus Plants
Grow Coleus in a Container
Coleus works wondrously as a container plant . In fact , they prefer loose pot soil rather than dumb soil found in the garden . When planted in a container , they chop-chop fill the blank space and brighten up the arrangement with their attractive foliage .
If planting in a container , verify the pot is large enough to handle the plant at its full sizing .
Grow Coleus in the Ground
If growing in the garden , flame nettle plants get best in moist , well - draining soil . The plants have stringy origin that like to be damp and nerveless . Top - dress the soil with mulch in a garden establish with coleus .
Space seedling 10 – 12 inches aside . understand the label for specific cultivar data . Gardeners should plant flame nettle , like any annual plant , in soil amended with organic matter .
Does Colelous Like Shade or Sun?
The plantlovesshade . They rise best in full to fond tone . When planted in full sun , they will become leggy and look washed out .
Taking a face at the leaves , you may always tell if the flame nettle is getting too much sun . The leaves lose their colour and can even appear scorched .
If this happens , feel gratis to move the plant , obviate areas with western vulnerability .
Coleus Indoor Plants
An annual outside , coleus can also grow indoors as a houseplant . Whether it ’s year - round or just for the winter while you wait to plant them outside , the industrial plant will happily develop inside the home .
Indoors , coleus plant life like vivid luminosity but not hot verbatim sun . debar western - face windows unless the plant sit far aside from the window or is protected by a mantle . They tolerate minimal indoor temperatures to 60 ° F and humidity levels to 30 percentage .
When planting indoors , make certain to utilize eminent - qualitypotting soilandliquid fertilizer . This check they get enough aeration for their roots and gobs of nutrients to grow to their full potential .
Coleus Care Guide
Water
coleus are thirsty plants . Not at all drought - tolerant , they need frequent lacrimation . As shade lovers , if your industrial plant gets any frequent sunlight , keep an eye on it for any droop leave . They ’re fast to droop but will also perk back up within an hour after getting a practiced lacrimation . sense barren to take a time - lapse and witness it for yourself !
On raging twenty-four hour period , irrigate your coleus every Clarence Day … if not twice ! For indoor plants , water every 2 - 3 days when it is red-hot . Overall , keep the plant hydrated but never leave it in soggy soil .
Fertilization
A quick - growing plant life , a little coleus in the spring can easily sour into a big and full works by the end of the season . If you ’re looking to fill container , hang hoop , or beds , give it some liquid fertilizer will help encourage it to reach its full potential .
Use a diluted liquid fertilizer while watering once a week or every other calendar week . When plant , you could also bestow irksome - going fertilizer .
Pruning
Like any plant in the garden , you’re able to keep flame nettle healthy by removing bloom and utter leaves periodically . Coleus raise quickly and you may require to mold it throughout the season . Otherwise , it can come out leggy . When it gets tall , cut off the top to advance the plant life to bush out .
The coleus can also get leggy indoors , especially during the winter if reaching for sunlight . Indoor gardeners should cut back the stems to encourage a bushier works and repot the plant every 2 years or as the plant outgrows the container .
Pests and Diseases
Outdoors , slugs may get at coleus when they are planted in a very shady area . Indoor nurseryman may see spider tinge , mealybugs , or whitefly . These are plant bugs traditionally found on many houseplants and can be treatedfollowing this guide .
Coleus Propagation
If you care coleus , I have good intelligence for you!Propagatingthe tropical works is first-rate simple and want very minimal effort . The tropical plant prefer weewee propagation , meaning you simply take a cutting , plunk down it in water , and watch the rootage get .
To take your cutting , you ideally desire it to be 4 - 6 inches in length . On top , you will have a solidifying of four leave and a couple of sets of leaves on the stem . Cut just below a node ( where leave attach to stem ) .
Once you have your cut , murder any low-toned leaves so they wo n’t be submerge underwater . Place your press clipping in water and put it in bright , indirect sun .
The flora will settle apace . Once the root are an column inch in length , you may transplant the cutting into the soil .
propagate flame nettle is one of the in force yearly gardening prank . At the end of the gardening season , take a few cuttings of your coleus and propagate them inside . While the outdoor flora die in the cold weather , the plant babies thrive inside .
add up natural spring , they will be big and ready to be planted out of doors once again . ingeminate this every year to have uninterrupted coleus without spending a cent !
To check more about generation , ensure to control out thisdetailed guide to generation !
What is a Scaredy-Cat Plant?
You may have heard rumbling about scaredy - cat plants . An old wives ’ story say that a species of coleus , Coleus canina , stinks SO bad , that anycats , dogs , rabbits , and other small creatures will appease as far aside as they can .
regrettably , I ’m here to expose this myth . While the flora certainly has a skunky smell , cats do n’t seem to mind . However , the pretty , light blue flowers may draw some pollinators to your railway yard such as bees and butterflies .
If you found a scaredy cat industrial plant , always wear gloves when planting or pruning the plant . While cats may not shy forth from the smell , I certainly do ! When touched , rubbed , or reduce , the scent intensifies .
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