Coleus Cuttings.

[TransplantShock]

Ok, I got my butt out there today (and boy it is warm!) and took cuttings of my Black Coleus and Pinapple coleus :P This time I am rooting them ahead of time in peat/perlite mix instead of waiting till the last minute and rooting them in water.

Not the best pic...but next year I'm growing these guys next to each other! I'ts like ying and yang!

[HarleyGal]

What great contrast!! :D Those will look great next to each other! :D

[terese]

Ooo pretty! TPS did you grow them from seed or did you buy them as plants? Love the colors. :wub:

[TransplantShock]

I grew the black one from seed :)

[terese]

soo....where might someone find seeds for such a lovely coleus? :wub:

[decompost]

-_- yeah, do tell, inquiring minds want to know. . .??????

do you (or does anyone else) collect coleus seed from your plants??
and if so, can you tell me how and when to collect them, i've had a surprising number of "volunteers" this year,
so i know that some of them are setting good seed, but do i let the older flower stalks dry on the plant . . . or what???

[TransplantShock]

I got the seeds from Pinetree Garden seeds :)

[boo]

but do i let the older flower stalks dry on the plant . . . or what???

Yep :D The seeds are very small. :unsure: Kind of like the coral bells.

Those are beautiful contrasting colors TPS :wub:

[terese]

thanks TPS i'm gonna have to go take a looksee. :D

[grindle]

:mellow: :mellow:

[DandyLioness]

VERY VERY lovely! :wub:

[bluedog]

I'v not done cuttings before. Are you propagating? Overwintering? What is your purpose with these cuttings if you don't mind my asking?

[Audwoman]

They really do compliment each other TP. I am going to do some cuttings this week also. I want to get some pics before I start chopping on them. I have about 10 this year.

We should have a Coleus cutting secret trade.

[TransplantShock]

I'v not done cuttings before. Are you propagating? Overwintering? What is your purpose with these cuttings if you don't mind my asking?
Bluedog, coleus are easy to start by cuttings or seed, but will not survive winter. This year I am starting cuttings cause I REALLY like these ones and don't want to pay for seeds :P. They will grow in the house during the winter.

[erdine]

love those colors together, I'm going to have to find more different coleus seeds this year. they're so easy to grow.

[digiflower]

OH WOW THEY look great together. :mellow: :mellow: :blink:

[gardenlady]

most of the coleus you can take cuttings and throw them in water till they root...and keep as house plants all winter---and keep taking more cuttings --by spring you will have quite a crop :D

[MrSeedy]

I have to confess I brought my very big coleus pot and all indoors several weeks ago and it's let me know it hates the much lower light by now being almost completely bare and it's also lost nearly all it's color. Finally , least it get anyi weaker for taking cuttings I finally took some and placed those in water, That big plant is much too big to keep all winter , even should I try to keep the entire plant all winter, which can also be done providing you have the space and good light, and humidity and warmth all winter. They can get very spindly without bright light in the winter, and will tend to shed lots of leaves then.

[Audwoman]

MrS. you are right mine was only in for one week and I have leaves everywhere. I was trying to save them before the cold. Becuase if they get chilled they will die quick.

I will get my cuttings this week and put the pots outside.

[TransplantShock]

My little rooted cuttings are doing great. they have been inside about 4 weeks now....no leafe dropping and the colors got more intense. Of course I have a very good window for them, the same window my lemon tree and geraniums are in.

[MrSeedy]

I'm almost afraid I waited longer than I should have to take the cuttings since they've never looked so faded in color, and it's always best to take the "best" cuttings for healthy plants, for the best results. Most likely they'll survive and root, but they sure look sad!! I have them up under the gro-lites now for better light.

[Marimum]

At what point should they be transferred from water environment to soil? I took cuttings...it'll be three weeks ago Thursday...and they're doing 'ok'...roots starting on many (the ones that survived), but not sure when to pot them up.

On another note: these aren't poisonous are they? I have a cat that would rather eat houseplants than her food, so want to make sure that if she decided to eat them she won't get sick.

Thanks.

[decompost]

hi marimum,
if i root coleus in water, then i usually do go ahead and pot them as soon as they have a nice show of roots.
and with some varieties that have a tendency to rot in water,
i just pot those into soil immediately after cutting, and they seem root better that way.

as far as toxicity, <_< i don't think that coleus are considered a danger.

[Marimum]

<span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='color:blue'><span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>
Just an update: It's been 2 months exactly since I took the cuttings. Wanted to report on results for those that are interested:

Cuttings: Took about 32 +/- cuttings that, because it was my first time, many were too small/short. I don't think many were over 2" in length.

Placed in yogurt cups (water), and set in a cardboard boxtop. Put a giant plastic bag over the whole thing, and changed water about every 5 days or so. Placed in a sunny north-facing window (not the best choice)

After about 3 weeks, I took the bag off. Many had died. Several were ready to be put in soil; roots were 1/2 to 1" in length. Left the rest in water cups. Moved the lot to a southern area of the house.

Kept this up (transferring to soil as they were ready, had sink-funerals for those that didn't make it) until just the other day (weekend of Dec 17th) when I noticed a significant improvement in those that were transplanted to soil-cups.

Of the original 30+ cuttings, only about 8 have survived, and 2 are still "water-babies" hanging on for dear life. Those 2 will likely be ready to transplant in a week or so, as roots are forming.

Side notes on process:
>Lost all but 1 of the maroon and near-black varieties.
>The survivors are mostly of the green w/red specs type.
>It didn't seem to matter that they were sometimes completely submerged in water (leaves included).
>Will start some from seed (do they come true from seed?) in March/April indoors, as have a 'variety seed packet' from a trade.

Will keep you updated on this newbie's progress!</span></span></span>

[TransplantShock]

I actually have better luck putting cuttings in a mix of peat and perlite standing in water....

they get nice healthy roots and once rooted just water them like normal.I didnt loose one cutting this year (so far)

[MrSeedy]

I still think after al these years of rooting various cuttings, since most plants are going into a regular potting mix eventually, if not started there, but in water, they have fewer problems with the readjustment they have to endure , when going from water to soil, when they're just grown in the potting mix from the very beginning. I feel there is abosolutely no advantage to starting any plant in water , that will root as easily in a potting mix, and in the long run it works better. There may be many plants that do root more quickly in water than in a potting mix , but any time saved in starting them in water , is later lost when the plants have to readjust to the potting mix. It sets them back!!

[Rich]

I prefer to start them in water as it removes the problem of damping off which is caused by too much water in the potting compost.

I know that doesn't make sense, but I didn't invent plant life.

[MrSeedy]

You're right about the "damping off thing" Rich and I'd not considered that nor the fact that I have in the past had a few plants that tended to rot in "unsterilized" mixes, and I'd guess without disinfecting even the cuttings, you still might have some rot problems , even starting with a sterilized mix possibly, since any bacteria , molds spores, etc. on the plant cutting could still get to the roots evne in a sterilized mix.

[Audwoman]

Coleus seem to be the one plant that seems to do better for me if I root them in soil. Everytime I root them in water then pot them up they die. So far the only one died. The others have lost their color but they are alive.

[boo]

I only have luck rooting them in soil too.

[Marimum]

<span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:blue'>Update: 'nuther 30 days gone by...

gained 2 additional cuttings in the last week or so, and another 2 will be ready soon. Size of cuttings (originally the 2-3" shorties) is now about 6-7" not including beneath the soil-line. I'm happy with these first-time results.

Regarding water v. soil starts, I've found that water is working fine for me. Once the roots actually start forming (a week or so), they shoot out. I did have one cutting that actually was ready to be put in a soil-cup, but didn't do at ALL well. I took it back out of the cup, and into a water cup again for about a week, and it seems to be doing better now</span>.</span></span>

<span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='color:red'><span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>Question: one of my cuttings (the one that is almost ready to have 2 cuttings taken from it) has this 'thing' in the crutch: It looks like a spike of baby leaves, but I suppose it could be a flower bud. I don't want it to flower, so is this something I need to remove, or is it another branch developing?</span></span></span>

[buster]

I just take cuttings from the plant and stick them in the pot with the big plant and they grow. Maybe that will work for you. Connie

[Audwoman]

TP, how are your cuttings doing?

This is the first year most of mine are still alive. They are ugly but alive. Now if it would just hurry up and get warm.

[MrSeedy]

Mine, as I had feared, grew much too quickly and after moving them to other areas that weren't so well lit, they quickly went down hill and I lost about half of them. I'd guess, if I don't want them to outgrow the space I have in my house , I need to take successive cuttings through the winter to start newer smaller ones. Otherwise I'd have to repot them at least several times and they'd be huge overgrown plants I don't have the space for. Time for me to take cuttings of the remaining two plants as they've outgrown their 3in. pots, and perhaps since we are getting closer to "moving out" time, I may give the ones in the pots at least one repotting. The original plant grew from a four in. pot and six inches tall to almost two feet tall and wide in just three months outdoors, and there's no way I have room for coleus that size indoors in my crowded house unfortunately. I do like the bigger plants (outdoors that is).

[Audwoman]

I like a old fashion one that looks similar to the one my Mother grew when I was a kid. I buy it every year because I have never been able to keep it alive all winter.

This year I have it in a room that I never turn the light out and it has come through great. Most of the color is gone but it is not dying.

[galu]

I picked up a max . I am trying to figure out if I can root a leaf. Looking forward to seein how big it acutally grows!

[Marimum]

<span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='color:blue'><span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>Hey, kids! Welcome to spring! I've been so busy doing 'garden stuf' that I haven't been back here much.

Update on the Coleus:

I'd say of the original 30+ cuttings, I have very nearly that in full plants now. They very much need another set of cuttings taken from them. After January, I moved them to a Southern facing spare room where they just exploded.
I'm very pleased with the results; thank you for all the help!

All I've been doing is keeping them watered (they sulk if I neglect them), putting them in bigger and bigger tubs, and taking cuttings as necessary. Another thing I had been doing was lightly brushing the tops of the plants for movement, which I dunno if it did any good or not, but they seem to be doing well.

I turn them 180 degrees when they started heading toward the window, and that's it.

Happy Spring, everyone!</span></span></span>