How to Propagate Coleus? It’s So Easy! Examine the 4 Ways of Growing It

Coleus, famous for its rich foliage in unique green, orange and red pattern and easy-to-care-for nature, is a loved plant among gardeners, as well as indoor plant enthusiasts. Maybe you’re looking to expand your coleus collection or to please other people with these so wonderfully looking and cheerful plants? You are lucky with your choice, because propagating them is cost-effective, and after not a long time you’re going to achieve a positive result. Stay on this page as we are going to guide you through different techniques of how to propagate coleus, whether you prefer growing them from cuttings, leaves or seeds.

Are Coleus Easy to Grow from Cuttings?

Coleus thrive quite well indoors, making them an excellent possession for houseplant lovers. Follow these steps of how to propagate coleus from cuttings to achieve successful results at your home:

• Take stem cuttings from healthy parent plant: Use a mature coleus plant with lush foliage and robust growth. Choose non-flowering stems with multiple nodes. This ensures that the cuttings will have the best chance of successful propagation. With the help of clean and sharp pruning shears, cut a 4-6 in (10-15 cm) stems just below leaf nodes. Remove the lower leaves, leaving only a few at the top, to prevent them from rotting in the growing medium.

• Prepare the soil and plant the cuttings: Fill small pots or a tray with a well-draining rooting medium, the best would be a mixture of peat moss and perlite. Make holes in the soil for inserting the cuttings. Dip the cut end of each coleus cutting in a rooting hormone powder to promote root development. Then insert it into the prepared hole, gently firming the surrounding soil. Ensure the leaves don’t touch its surface to avoid rotting.

• Provide with some care: Place the pot or tray in a warm and brightly lit area, but away from direct sunlight. Maintain a consistently moist soil by misting the cuttings regularly or using a humidity environment. Within a few weeks, roots will develop, and you can transplant the young coleus plants into big pots.

Can You Root Coleus Cuttings in Water?

Considering how to propagate coleus effectively, you can also successfully root cuttings in water, following some simple steps for their development in adult plants. Choose and cut the selected stems from a healthy adult plant into 4-6 in (10-15 cm) cuttings, just below leaf nodes. Insert them into a glass or jar filled with room temperature water, ensuring that at least one node from every plant is submerged there.

Place the cuttings in a bright location with indirect light and change the water every few days. Over the course of a few weeks, you should start to see some roots forming from the nodes. Once they are a few inches long and appear healthy, you can transfer the cuttings to containers with well-draining potting soil. Gently remove the cuttings from the water and carefully plant them in containers filled with a potting mix. Ensure the soil is kept consistently moist and provide the plants with indirect light. As the coleus plants acclimate to their new growing environment, continue to provide them with proper care.

Read also: Plants that can grow in water: 6 indoor plants you can successfully grow in water!

How to Propagate Coleus from Seed or Leaf

There are an amazingly diverse ways to grow this plant, and it’s good to learn also how to propagate coleus from leaf cuttings or seeds. Here are the proper approaches:

Growing From Leaf Cuttings

Choose a healthy and mature leaf from a parent coleus plant. Cut it into sections, ensuring each of the parts has a prominent vein running through it. Dip the cut end of each part in rooting hormone and plant them in a pot filled with moist rooting soil. Cover the container with a clear plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect and maintain high humidity. Then place it in a warm, well-lit area, but away from direct sunlight. Within a few weeks, roots will grow, and new plantlets will emerge from the bases of the leaf sections. Once they have reached a suitable size, it’s time to transplant them into individual pots.

Reproduce Them From Seeds

Start by collecting seeds from mature coleus plants, or you can purchase some from the market. Sow them in a tray or pot filled with a seed-starting mix. Cover the seeds lightly with the mixture, mist the soil, and maintain a warm environment. Germination should occur within 1–2 weeks. Once the seedlings have developed a few sets of true leaves, transplant them into large pots.

Propagating coleus is a straightforward process. Experiment with all the mentioned approaches, and enjoy the beautiful foliage of these plants in your garden or as indoor coleus, which give you a lot of delight. Happy propagating!