moister than a succulent for sure .. I tend to keep mine on the wetter side but I always have a fan on.. others say if they keep them too wet they can rot.. depends on the room temps too.. warmer can be wetter.. colder I would stick to the drier side

I have coleus coming up from one I had in a planter last year. I have never had volunteers before. Is that common? I think probably just Wizard mix, but not sure

not normal for my climate.. that is great!!!

I know, after all that babying I did for my puny seedlings this year and here they show up just like that!

would love that!!

If the plants were able to escape damp freezing weather, by being under the eave of the house, I can see it could happen, but no, it's not the norm in my zone. They have to be wintered over inside if I hope to ever see them again,. Nice surprise.

Pics would be fun!! Congrats.

Hey guys, I need help!

I'm new to the Coleus world as of a year ago. And i love my beautiful babies. I even grew some starts from my lovely mama plant. Which was so awesome for me because I've never been able to keep a plant alive before.
I kept them alive all winter. And as soon as I put them out with the first good warm day, the mother plant got super limp and sad on me and she isn't coming back. I've also noticed that the stalks on all the plants look brown and have white lines running up them. I dont know what this means!
I really want them to make it. I'm so so sad about this. Should I just cut my losses and make some more starts from what's left of her somewhat healthy tissue? Or what can i do to save her? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any and all of your time and help.
Haley.

Haley, what was the temperature? Coleus are tropical plants and will not tolerate temperatures below 50. Even less if taken from a warm indoor environment.
to the site.

I had it inside all winter. And the first day it was nice and sunny and warm. Like 65-70 in the sun, I put them out for some fresh air. I brought them in as soon as the sun started moving on, but before they were out of the sun rays.

I also saw someone mention cloves of garlic for pests, so I tossed some garlic in. They seem to be doing a bit better. But not their strong selves.

Plants from inside going out really should be hardened off for a time .. put out slowly each day .. giving them a bit more sun each day .. hope your baby makes it

And beginning with some dappled sun helps, too. Very short periods at first.

Karen

Thanks guys

Good luck.. let us know how it goes

Hello to all you coleus lovers. A long-time fan of coleus' marvelous color assortments I must admit that I have not grown them for quite some time, but as I read over the Coleus forum postings, I have decided to give it another try. I've noticed that not many recent postings since the beginning of fall. Hope to see much more as spring approaches in a few months.

A friend from church, aware of my affinity for plants, recently gave me two coleus plants. One I did not care too much for - it was far too large for my liking - so I cut it back quite severely, but now looks much better. It is green and purple and very, very frilly - hardly any leaf - mostly frills. Doesn't really appeal to me at all, but since it was a gift I thought I had better give it a fighting chance - maybe it will grow on me after awhile.

The second plant was fairly large also and a brilliant red- really beautiful and really like it a lot. New growth is showing a lot of green along with pale red instead of the bright red of the mother plant. I assume this to be a result of my less than desirable indoor lighting. I have already taken two cuttings and in process of trying to root them in water. If this is successful I will be taking several more cuttings in anticipation of bright red in the spring when I am able to acclimate them to outdoor patio growing.

Am also rooting cuttings from Wandering Jew and another house plant whose name escapes me at the moment. Have read postings relative to rooting in potting soil vs water, but have not yet tried the potting soil method. I seem to have good luck with the water method.

Have been looking at various seed company offerings and will probably order a few packets for spring. Local plant offerings at Home Depot and Walmart are pretty much the usual "run of the mill" varieties - same thing year after year, but I will look at them more closely and check some of the local nurseries to see what's available next spring. Have been looking at on-line nurseries that offer plants for sale, but most of them are pretty pricey - not to mention additional shipping/handling charges - a little too expensive for the meager gardening budget of this aging gardener - recently turned 89 years old and have been fascinated with indoor and outdoor gardening since my early teens.

Would like to hear from any NGA member who might be willing to send me a few cuttings next spring. Will be more than happy to pay postage and any other reimbursement desired.
Looking forward to seeing some names and preferably pics of any cuttings you might have available this spring.

Since I live in NW Penna, winter weather does not lend itself to any mailing during the winter months, but after mid-or-end of March the weather begins to warm up a bit for possible mailings.

Looking forward to hearing from you and your wintering-over methods and plans and inspirations for spring planting.

Thanks for listening!

Don

Sorry I didn't over winter any of mine.. it is a bit of a quiet forum compared to others .. but hello and welcome.. nice to meet you and we can help if you have any questions

Thanks, Allison, for your kind response. This is the worst time of the year for this old gardener - very little, if anything, to look at, gardening-wise, in local Home Depot or Walmart. Been browsing various seed and plant companies on the internet and see lots of varieties that I would like to add to my patio garden.

Although I don't usually have spectacular luck with seeds, I do try them every year and will again this coming spring. Last year I had excellent germination from several zinnia, marigold, calendula and four o'clock sowings, but unfortunately the excessive rainy spring weather ruined most of them.

One of the main reasons I like coleus is that one can bring them into the house for enjoying during the winter months while the snow is covering the ground. And the fact that they are so easy to root from cuttings. I really enjoy multiplying the ones I like the most and sharing them with my gardening friends.

Thanks again for your friendly response. Will keep watching this forum in hopes that more interest will develop as spring approaches.

Yes, Don, it does tend to get busier in spring and summer.

Karen

Playing with seeds keeps me saner in winter as well .. now that I setup some racks with lights.. will keep the gardener happy until we can get outside again .. my sunroom gets a bit too chilly for the coleus plants .. but can fix that down the road maybe

Hi everyone

I've decided to pop in because I've started growing coleus now.... well, just two of them for now. They are grown from cuttings.