How to Care for Coleus as a Houseplant

Coleus, the popular outdoor plant, makes a good indoor plant as well. Its variegated leaves come in almost every color imaginable, and its rapid growth means a tiny specimen will become a large, beautiful plant quickly. With good care, you can grow coleus can indoors, or move it indoors for the winter and back outdoors in the summer.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Give coleus plants as much sunlight as possible. The plants will thrive if given a couple hours of direct sunlight from a south or an east window. In lower light situations, the new growth will be long and weak with few leaves.

2. Keep coleus plants in warm conditions above 60 degrees Fahrenheit and, ideally, above 65 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is above 65 degrees Fahrenheit, place the plant on a tray of pebbles to increase the humidity. In cooler temperatures, it is best not to increase the humidity.

3. Water abundantly as soon as the top of the soil is no longer moist. The leaves of the coleus plant will fall off when the potting mix dries out, so take care to check the potting mix a couple times a week and water immediately when the topsoil is dry. However, it is best not to water the plant if the top of the soil is still moist.

4. Check a coleus plant often to see if it needs repotting. Coleus plants are rapid growers which grow as much as 2 feet in a year. If the roots have wrapped around the bottom of the pot, place the plant in the next size larger pot. Check to see if the plant needs repotting at least every six months.

5. Pinch off the tips of the stems frequently to encourage the plant to branch. Coleus plants will become long and spindly unless you make pruning part of your regular care.

Tips & Warnings

• If bringing coleus in from the outside, move the plant in well before an anticipated frost. Coleus is susceptible to frost.

[gardeningjunkie]

on 11/9/2009 Regarding the previous comment, the author's words are being taken out of context. They're not saying to leave coleus in full sun outdoors (although I've personally had excellent results doing that). They're talking about coleus as a houseplant, and letting houseplants have a sunny window is not the same as them being outside.

Also, my coleus have gotten to two feet tall in only a few months. I think a big reason for that is giving them so much sun. It's important, in my experience, to not pay much mind to what it says on seed packets and labels that come with plants. Plants can grow a lot more and in more conditions than descriptions tend to give them credit for.

[jenniferjuniper]

on 7/11/2009 Um, I don't think that give them as much light as possible thing is right. Everything I have read has been that they are classified as shade/partial shade. I have a seed pack from Ferry Morse that says of coleus, "develops rich colors if shaded from afternoon sun." The listing on the packet also says plant height is only 12". I've grown these indoors for years without too much light and maybe just a little over 12", but never 2 feet tall.