This winter I am going to experiment with growing Coleus as a houseplant. I enjoy Coleus in my garden, pots, hanging baskets, etc., every year. It would save me a few dollars if I can over-winter those I’ve purchased for the next garden season. It would also save some time if I do not have to go to the garden center to purchase new Coleus plants in the Spring.
I’ve watched videos and read several places online where others are doing this with success. Coleus are one of my favorite plants to grow. They are so easy to take care of and propagate. Every spring I purchase a variety of different Coleus plants and from these make several that I use to fill up spaces in my borders and to put in pots for the patio or other locations where I do not have a flower bed. I will also be trying to grow Coleus from seed next season. I have always bought small plants and have never tried to grow my own.
To begin my winter Coleus houseplant experiment, I have taken cuttings from the different plants I grew this past summer. I have 9 different varieties. These came from an 8 pack that I bought at Walmart in the Spring for around $10. Some of the plants in the 8 pack were duplicates. One came from a local garden center. It’s the one that is right front in pic of potted Coleus above. I thought it was really unique and I didn’t have anything like it so I splurged and spent around $3-$4 for it. I bought another one this month. It is a dark orange and I wanted it for Fall color.
Propogating Coleus From Cuttings
If you’ve never propagated Coleus from cuttings before, you should do a winter Coleus houseplant experiment with me. First, find a friend, neighbor or family member that is currently growing Coleus. IIf you are not wanting more houseplants, return here for next spring and grow Coleus in your own garden. Watch the video below if you need directions on how to take cuttings. The video is from Jim’s Wholiest of Coleus You Tube channel.
Growing Coleus As Houseplants Experiment Documentation
September 1 – Took Cuttings From Coleus Growing In My Garden
Even though I have rooted cuttings from Coleus many times in the past, I followed the directions given in the video above and collected one of every different Coleus I currently have growing in my garden. These I will root and then plant up to become houseplants over the coming winter and to use as starters for my garden next Spring. I will update this blog from now until Spring to document the success or failure of each plant. I plan on keeping one or two of the original 9 as houseplants so I can provide a long term update in this blog.
September 15 – Rooted Coleus Cuttings
The cuttings shown in the pics above have rooted after two weeks. They were placed in water from the garden hose and placed on my patio in a shady spot out of direct sun. After two weeks they were rooted as shown above. The other cuttings have rooted as well. The only thing I did was check the water level in the container and fill it up when it was low from evaporation. The temperatures in the afternoon during this time were in the 90s. I put water in the containers as needed, usually at least every two days.
Some of the cuttings had very small roots on them so I have placed them back in the water and will come back to plant them in another week or so.
September 25 – Better Rooted Coleus Cuttings
After 10 more days in water, the Coleus cuttings have grown a much larger and stronger root structure. These are ready to plant. In fact, all 9 cuttings are ready to plant.
September 26 – Planting Rooted Coleus Cuttings In Containers
I filled 10 Solo cups with potting soil that I had picked up at Lowe’s. I found a stick in the yard that I used to poke a hole in the middle of the soil in each cup and pushed it down to about 1″ from the bottom. This gave me a hole in which to place an individual cutting into each cup. I gently firmed the soil around the stem of the cutting. Once they were all planted, I watered them thoroughly and placed them in a shaded area on my patio.
I am going to leave the cuttings outside until the nightly temperature drops into the low to mid 40s. That will be 2-3 weeks giving the roots time to establish ini the cups. I am going to keep them in the plastic tub as shown above and put them in my bathroom during the winter. I use one of the bathroom lights as a night light each night. I am hoping it will provide enough light to help them survive until I can plant them outside again in the Spring. If I see they are struggling, I will place them under a grow light in another area of the house. I would plant them under a grow light now, but II have a limited number of grow lights and will need them for starting seeds during the winter.
Update: November 22, 2021. Coleus moved indoors.
I have an old bookcase in my bathroom that I turned into a towel rack. I placed the two large Coleus plants and the rooted cuttings on top of the bookcase. I leave the light on in the bathroom over night so I thought this might be a good location for them. The moisture from the shower should also be beneficial. I will update this blog throughout the winter to document how well or how poorly the Coleus survive.
Update: January 7, 2022 – Losing Plants
As documented above, the Coleus cuttings were rooted, planted and moved indoors before the first frost. They have been in a bathroom inside the house on the top of a shelving unit. Unfortunately, I must report that all of the cuttings have died. I am not sure why they died. I have been careful not to over water them and to make sure they were receiving 6-8 hours of light each day. Of course, they are only receiving lighting from halogen bulbs. This may be a problem.
I will definitely try this again next season. I am going to prepare pots with plants that can grow the entire season. Then next Fall I will bring in larger plants in the pots and see if they will survive indoors for the winter. I am going to make two of each type. One set I will place in the bathroom again. The second set I will place under grow lights and see if this makes a difference.
I will post other updates if anything changes between now and the time I move the surviving Coleus plants back outside in the Spring.
Update: March 2, 2022 – Moved Coleus
One of the large Coleus plants started turning black after I watered it. Although the soil was damp, the plants were not swimming in water. The Coleus were in the bathroom. I have decided that the environment was too humid for them. I reached this conclusion after moving the plants into the room where my seed starting set up is located. The Coleus are on the floor next to it, receiving the wind from the oscillating fan and light from the grow lights. They are starting to perk up and look healthier. I had throught that the humid bathroom environment would be good for them, but I was wrong.