Coleus is an amazing plant that belongs to the mint family. It is popular because of its vibrant color leaves rather than flowers. Some of the leaves contain stunning combinations of colors such as pink, green, red, yellow, maroon, etc.
These are great introductory plants for novice gardeners because coleus care needs minimum effort. If you don’t have enough time to take care of your plants, you can go with this incredible plant. However, a little bit of care keeps the plants healthy and fresh. Below are some important factors for coleus care:
Coleus Care Instructions: How to Care for Coleus Plants
Coleus is a fast-growing plant that can be planted indoors and outdoors as well. You need to plant them in suitable soil and provide the required environment for their better nourishment.
Ideal Soil for Coleus Care
Coleus plants prefer the loose texture of soil instead of dense ground soil. Therefore, you should try to grow the plants in pots. You should use a high-quality mix with good drainage to keep your plants healthy. Because soggy soil can be a cause of root rot.
Further, these plants thrive best in neutral to acidic soil. The ideal pH level for coleus is between 6 and 7. In simple words, grow the plant in a pot and use neutral to acidic soil with proper drainage.
Watering The Plants
Like many other houseplants, coleus plants are not drought tolerant. Therefore, you should develop a good watering cadence to keep your plants well-hydrated but not soggy.
In summer and hot days, your outdoor coleus plants need watering once or twice a day. And, watering every 2 or 3 days is sufficient for indoor plants. However, if the air is dry, you should water the plants once a day.
Light
Light is another important factor for coleus care. It is basically a full shade plant that grows well out of the sun. However, recent gardeners have made it sunlight tolerant. It still doesn’t like direct sunlight so you have to grow it under the shade or partial shade.
If the color of the coleus plant looks dull and washed-out, it indicates that plants are getting too much sunlight. Similarly, if plants start losing their leaves, it means that they are in a spot that is either too cold or too dark.
When you grow your plants in containers and place them indoors, a lack of light is not a problem. However, you need to place them in an area where they can get enough light during winter. Still, you should place them under direct sunlight. Place them near windows where they can get indirect sunlight.
Temperature For Coleus Care
Being a tropical plant, it likes warm weather. Therefore, it doesn’t tolerate cold weather. Keep your plants indoors if the temperature is too cold and don’t bring them outdoors until temperatures reach 70o F.
If you notice that the leaves of the plants are turning black, it means that the temperature is too low. Therefore, keep your plants in a warm room with ambient sunlight. And, keep the plants away from harsh breezes.
Fertilizer
Like other houseplants, this plant also needs regular feeding. So you should mix a slow-release fertilizer into the soil. Before using the fertilizer, dilute the strength up to half and use it once or twice a week.