How to Root Coleus Cuttings in Water

Coleus are one of the easiest plants to propagate from cuttings. I prefer to root mine in water, but they can also be rooted in soil. For this article I will be focusing on rooting them in water. Coleus can be rooted any time of year.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• coleus plant
• scissors
• glass
• water

1. Cuttings can be rooted at any time of year. I do it in the Spring to get more plants for the garden and I do it in the Fall to overwinter the plants indoors. A rooted cutting will adjust much better to an indoor environment when it has been started fresh from a cutting.

2. 

   Cut 4"-5" long pieces of coleus off each plant you want to propagate. Choose the healthiest looking plants that don't have a disease or a pest problem. Remove any flower stalks that may be on the plants.

3. 

   Remove the leaves from the stem leaving 2-3 small leaves at the top of the stem. If the leaves are very large, cut the leaves in half. Since the coleus does not have any roots, it cannot sustain a large amount of leaves, but it needs a few small leaves for photosynthesis which creates energy to grow it's roots.

4. 

   Make a fresh cut just under a leaf node and put the stem immediately in a small glass of room temperature water. Make sure about 2" of the stem remains in water. Roots will usually grow from the leaf node areas. A leaf node is just the term used for the area where a leaf grows from the stem.

5. Change the water every couple of days to keep it clean and fresh. You should begin to see roots growing in 1-2 weeks.

6. 

   Once you have several roots that are about 3" long, it's safe to pot up your coleus cuttings. To do that, simply add moistened potting soil mix to a small pot, make a hole with a pencil in the soil, and put the cutting inside the hole. Make sure all the roots are underneath the soil and then gently pack the soil around the stem.

7. Water the pot lightly and cover with a clear plastic bag to help retain moisture. Sit the pot in a sunny window.

8. After 1-2 weeks, your coleus plant should be showing signs of growth by sprouting new leaves. At this time, it is OK to remove the plastic bag. Check the soil once a week and water if the top inch of soil feels dry. Do not allow the pot to sit in water as the roots may rot.