Why your coleus plant could also be struggling this winter and what to do subsequent

I introduced in some coleus final fall per your suggestion and am discovering the brand new progress has misplaced lots of the colourful colour it had within the backyard final yr. Is there one thing I have to do in a different way to make sure that I’ve an excellent show this summer season?

— Jennifer Chou, Morton Grove

It’s not uncommon for a coleus to be struggling at this level in winter whereas rising inside in a typical house setting. The sunshine ranges in a house are a lot decrease than what the plant must develop properly, so spindly progress and fewer vibrant colours are to be anticipated and shouldn’t be thought-about an issue. The decrease leaves could have additionally fallen off your crops. If any stems are turning black and rotting, you could lose that plant. That is additionally a sign of overwatering. You may nonetheless rely on having an excellent, colourful show in summer season in case your crops have misplaced some leaf coloration and show some spindly progress. I took a photograph of the crops I’m holding in a south-facing window. It took them a number of weeks to indicate any vital progress after being aggressively in the reduction of earlier than I introduced them inside final fall.

I’ve been working my coleus dry by permitting the medium to dry out between watering. It’s greatest to water earlier than you begin seeing wilting of the leaves, though I’ve allowed this to occur a number of instances already with no obvious in poor health impact. There isn’t a have to fertilize your crops over winter. Go forward and pinch any spindly progress again some to encourage a bushier plant. Rotate the pots each two to a few weeks for extra even publicity to daylight and extra upright progress.

You may also propagate extra coleus in your backyard this winter. As soon as there’s sufficient new progress, use a pointy, clear knife or a pair of pruners to chop the stem just under a leaf node. Make a couple of 4-inch slicing from the tip of a stem — although a shorter one can even work if new progress is proscribed. Attempt to use stems that shouldn’t have flowers, but when no stems can be found with out flowers, prune them off. Place the cuttings in water after stripping off the decrease couple of leaves that will likely be underneath water. Inside a few weeks, you need to see roots forming. Transplant to a pot with rising medium as soon as a small mass of roots has developed to round 2 inches in size. Pot up the cuttings utilizing a high-quality rising medium for containers. I’ve had success utilizing 4- to 5-inch clay pots for the rooted cuttings.

For extra plant recommendation, contact the Plant Info Service on the Chicago Botanic Backyard at [email protected]. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture on the Chicago Botanic Backyard.