With skill, the colored nettle can be saved from the field into the following year. The magic formula is to multiply.
With its diverse leaf colours, attractive leaf shapes and different growth heights, the colored nettle (Solenostemon scutellarioides) looks enchanting on perennial beds. The ornamental leaf plant, which originates from the tropics of Asia, has no chance of overwintering outdoors in our latitudes. On the other hand, the colored nettle survives the cold season perfectly in the house in a bright and warm place as a bucket culture. However, the temperature in the winter hostel must be above 12° Celsius.
Some gardeners will regret that the outdoor coleus has no future in beds at the end of the gardening season. But with a little skill, it can be saved for next year. The ornamental leaf plant in the bucket should get a larger planter for the new terrace season in spring. This is how the variegated plant thrives and thanks you with a colorful and bushy growth.
Propagating colored nettle by cuttings
Are you particularly impressed by the Solenostemon hybrids outdoors and would you like an equally attractive foliage display in your garden the following year? No problem: copy the coleus.
- In late summer, cut off strong shoot tips with three pairs of leaves from your favorite ornamental foliage plants, which are about 10 centimeters long. The lower leaves are removed.
- Then place these shoots in a glass of water. Once roots have formed, the cuttings can be planted in pots.
- The substrate in the pots should be permeable, nutritious and moist. Mix the potting soil with plenty of compost before planting.
- After potting, place the cuttings on the windowsill in a warm room.
- Now make sure that the soil in the pots always stays moist. The substrate must not get too wet, the colored nettle tends to rot quickly.
- Once the cuttings are established in their pots, they begin to grow rapidly.
- During growth, occasionally cut off the shoot tips, this will make the young plant bushier.
- Plant these Coleus grown from cuttingsGo outdoors as soon as the outside temperature is at least 15° Celsius.
➔ Tip: You can also continue to cultivate the young plants in a pot for the room or in a tub for the terrace.
Repot indoor and potted plants
The magnificent foliage plant shows a remarkable growth rate, provided it is in a bright place, gets enough nutrients and is kept moist regularly. Sometimes the decorative leaf plant takes up more space in the pot or bucket. Then you should transplant your colored nettles in the spring before the new shoots.
- Choose a planter with a visibly larger volume and a drainage hole at the bottom. Cover the opening with a shard of pottery and fill a small layer of slightly granular gravel in the pot and coarse-grained in the bucket. The layer of gravel is intended as drainage so that the planter does not become waterlogged.
- Mix the plant substrate generously with compost and pour part of the mixture into the pot over the drainage layer.
- Then take the coleus out of its old planter. You can prune the root ball and the shoots of the plant a little.
- Now check whether the plant is high enough in the larger pot. It must never be lower than before, otherwise rot can form on the root collar.
- When the planting height is sufficient, fill the pot with the remaining substrate. Finally, press down the soil in the planter and water the plant moderately.
➔ Tip: Indoor plants can be cultivated for several years if they are repotted regularly.
The space required for the colored nettle in the bucket can be exhausted after two years, because usually two to three plants of different colors are planted in it for the terrace.
Sow new color mixture
You can grow splendid Solenostemon scutellarioides year after year with coleus seeds from the garden center range. It is usually colorful mixtures that hang on the shelf and are easier on the wallet than the young plants that have already been potted.
- You can sow the coleus in a seed tray in March. Use seed soil for this.
- After scattering, the seeds are not covered with soil. Colored nettles germinate in the light and are therefore only gently pressed after sowing.
- Then moisten the seeds in the sowing tray with lime-free water from the spray bottle.
- Turn it over if possiblea transparent foil bag over the seed tray, in which you punched a few holes beforehand.
- Now put the sowing in a light and warm place. The room temperature should be about 22°Celsius.
➔ Tip: The higher the temperature and humidity, the faster the coleus seeds will germinate. As soon as the little plants show 3 leaves, they are pricked out individually in pots.
Summary:
Even if the coleus doesn't survive the winter outdoors, you can still enjoy the colorful splendor in the garden next year. Propagate the ornamental leaf plant with cuttings. The bushy plant thrives perennial in a pot or bucket if it is transplanted regularly.