It is rare to find a plant that is so unusually colored like the leaves of coleus, or fire nettles. Indeed, Coleus looks like nettles, only its leaves are painted. Coleus is of the most amazing color: red, bright green, yellow, purple, pink, dark purple. Moreover, the leaves of some varieties of Coleus can be multi-colored, have spots and blotches of various colors. This plant is well known to most flower growers and is considered unremarkable. However, this does not make Coleus less beloved.
Secrets of Successfully Growing Coleus
All coleus are light-requiring enough. Well-designed lighting produces amazing results. The plant will develop very amicably, the foliage will be lush, and the color will be bright and saturated. In insufficient light, the bush will grow uneven, and the leaves will just turn green without "decorations".
The plant is moisture-loving, so you need to water it often, but little by little. For irrigation, it is better to use settled warm water. It is necessary to ensure that the soil in the pot is constantly moist. You can put the plant pot on wet gravel.
For a comfortable life, Coleus needs a constant warm atmosphere (from 16˚ to 25˚). In winter, do not put flower pots on cold windowsills, and drafts are also unacceptable.
A good help in growing Coleus can be played by top dressing. At the beginning of winter, the plant must be fertilized to revive the color of the leaves. Regular feeding is needed during the summer. For this, liquid mineral fertilizers are used.
From time to time, the nettle must be trimmed, otherwise a long shoot with a bunch of leaves at the top may grow. To prevent this from happening, you need regular pruning. The apical shoots can not only be cut off, but also simply pinched. In this case, the plant begins to luxuriantly bush and branch, many young shoots with bright leaves are formed.
Reproduction of Coleus
To grow unusual coleus, it is best to use seeds, especially since now in every flower shop you can find any planting material. Coleus seeds are sown in early March. Usually, seedlings appear quite quickly and amicably, they can easily be transplanted. You can propagate this plant by cuttings. To do this, you need to cut off the top of the shoot and put it in water for rooting. The roots appear quickly, after which the cutting can be planted in a pot.
Some growers grow coleus not only in the house in pots, but also decorate their plots with this plant in the summer. So, nettle can serve as a decoration of flower beds as an annual plant.
