Coleus is a bright, showy, but very unpretentious plant. It is successfully grown both in the room and in the garden. In open ground, coleus is often used for landscaping balconies and loggias, to create borders and picturesque flower beds. It feels great in containers, flowerpots, pots and flowerpots. Coleus from seeds is a perennial plant, but after a year and a half, its stems are greatly stretched and exposed, especially with a lack of light, and the bush loses its decorativeness. Therefore, coleus is often grown as an annual. New healthy plants are obtained from cuttings, and not just from seeds.
Seedling cultivation
For sowing take low boxes. Fill them with a light nutrient substrate, which is prepared from turf and leafy soil. To improve physical properties, sand and peat are added to the mixture. In early March, small seeds are carefully laid out on the surface of the soil, pressed and lightly sprinkled with sand. Water the crops very carefully. With waterlogging, fungal diseases may appear that will ruin your newly sown coleus. Growing from seeds should be done quite accurately. The boxes are then covered with glass. The air temperature in the room is maintained within 20-25 ° C. After one and a half to two weeks, friendly shoots appear. After that, the boxes are transferred to a cooler, well-lit room. This must be done, because with a lack of light, the plants are very stretched and sick. As mentioned earlier, the coleus is a whimsical flower, growing from seeds can be a lot of trouble, but it's worth it.
Transfer
Coleus easily tolerates it. Seedlings dive after these leaves appear with a clearly visible pattern. In addition, each plant is planted in a separate pot. When the coleus, the cultivation of which was produced from seeds, is sufficiently strong, its formation begins. To do this, pinch the tops of the shoots at a height of 10 cm. This operation causes the growth of side branches. They also pinch. Thus, by the beginning of summer compact bushes with bright leaves form. In order for the seedlings to be strong and healthy, you need to provide it with good lighting. The light should be bright, but diffused. With the onset of warm weather, plants harden. To do this, they are brought to the balcony or terrace, gradually accustomed to fresh air and sunlight.
Coleus. Growing from seeds on the site
But in the summer, under the hot midday sun, its leaves become faded. Sometimes plants are badly burned. Therefore, on the garden plot, the coleus is placed in partial shade, planting according to the scheme of 20 × 30 cm. And when growing in the room, pots with plants are kept on the eastern or western windows. Coleus is demanding on soil moisture. Especially in the summer, watering should be regular. With a lack of moisture, the leaves droop and fall. Plants are fed up to three times a month. Until mid-June, they use nitrogen, and then complex fertilizers with trace elements. This unpretentious plant with colorful leaves, even with minimal care, will decorate the garden from the beginning of summer to frost.
Here's how you can breed a Coleus at home or in the country. Growing it initially, although problematic, but worthwhile. See for yourself!