How to take easy coleus cuttings
It’s one of the quickest rooting plants and good for beginners to try
The common name for coleus (now known as solenostemon) is flame nettle and this aptly describes the appearance of the plant’s leaves. They’re a jaunty combination of streaks, splashes, veining and stripes in a wide range of bold colours. You need to grow plants in a sunny position to get the strongest colour effects and they look great combined with different varieties together to increase the impact.
Some varieties, such as ‘Lord Falmouth’, are semi-prostrate and look good growing in a large hanging basket, while others, like ‘Muriel Pedley’ have strong stems and can grow to 1m (40in) in height. All coleus produce flowers which are best pinched off to prolong the life and colour intensity of the leaves of your plants.
Taking cuttings
Coleus are very easy to propagate, just make sure the parent plant is strong and in full growth before you start. Take a cutting from a stem so you have two pairs of young leaves and a length of stem long enough to be inserted into the compost. If necessary, remove the lower leaves so none are buried under the surface of the compost. Fill small pots with houseplant compost and water moderately. Be careful to only dampen the compost and not saturate it, which could lead to the cuttings damping off. Dip the cut end of the cutting into hormone rooting powder and tap off any excess. This will help speed up the development of strong roots. Insert the cutting into the watered compost deep enough to support the cutting, but not so deep that the lowest leaves are in contact with the damp compost.
Keep cuttings within a temperature range of between 18-22C (64-72F) and they’ll root in 10 to 14 days. You need to keep the humidity high, so seal the pots in a clear polythene bag or place in a heated propagator. After two weeks give the cuttings a gentle tug to see if they’re rooted into the compost. If all is well, start reducing the humidity by opening the bag or propagator and allow your new plants to become gradually acclimatised, over about 10 days, to normal room conditions. If the cuttings haven’t rooted yet, give them another week within the high humidity conditions.
Once the new plants are well rooted they’ll
be happy in a warm (minimum 15C/59F) and bright position.
Jobs to do indoors
Jasminum polyanthum (jasmine) will be coming to the end of its flowering season soon and this is the ideal time to tidy up plants and wind in young shoots which are making a bid for freedom. Take plants outside and give them a good shake to remove dead flowers.
Tidy the crown of plants on a regular basis by removing any dead material such as the sticks left from old inflorescences (flowering stems) and stipules (small leaves or outgrowths which are produced to protect a young leaf). Insects such as aphids or mealy bugs often hide in the crown of plants and it’s best to find them before they become an infestation.
Sow seeds of Mina lobata (Spanish flag), a lovely climbing plant with a profusion of crimson, fading to white, blossoms. Ideally, grow the plant up a wigwam of canes and it’s suitable for a sunny conservatory.