Did you know that you can easily save your favorite coleus plants by bringing them inside in the fall to grow as houseplants over the cold winter months or take cuttings and create smaller plants?

Saving Potted Coleus Plants in The Fall

If you have plenty of space and want to save entire plants, you can simply bring your potted coleus plants indoors in the fall. The biggest key to having success is to bring plants inside early. It’s extremely important to get them in before the first light frost.

To bring indoors, start by washing off the plant to remove any pests or bugs that may living on the leaves. Be sure to inspect the soil as well since insects tend to hide deep within a plant’s foliage and soil. For best results, place coleus in a room that has a south facing window. This will give it the best chance of catching sunlight in the winter. To stay vibrant, coleus needs at least 4 to 6 hours of daily sunlight.

Giving Coleus the Light It Needs

If you don’t have enough window sunlight, you can supplement with inexpensive grow lights to help simulate daylight. Even bright LED or fluorescent lights provide enough light to keep coleus healthy and strong. Depending on your indoor temperature and humidity level, they usually only require watering a few times each week. The key is to keep an eye on the soil and water lightly as it begins to dry out.

As for fertilizing, giving your coleus a light dose of all-purpose, slow-release fertilizer every other month is all the power it needs. Apply it at about one-quarter of the recommended rate while indoors. If blooms happen to form on your plants while they are indoors, simply cut them off. The blooms of coleus are not showy, but they do take nutrients away from the plant – so it’s best to pinch or cut any blooms off as soon as you see them.

How To Save Coleus from Cuttings in the Fall

Another alternative to bringing the entire coleus plant indoors in the fall is to take cuttings. This is a great option if you are short on extra space to devote to a full coleus plant. All you need to do is cut off a stem that contains a few leaves and place it in either soil or water. Before long, it will start to sprout new roots, eventually turning into a full plant that is identical to your original one.

How To Root Cuttings – How to Save Coleus in The Fall

When selecting your cutting, choose a piece of stem that is healthy and has a good set of leaves. Look for stems that have a couple of small buds above the last set of leaves. These buds are proof that the stem is capable of producing roots.

Use a pair of sharp pruners and cut the stem back to the base of the plant. Remove the first set of leaves that are closest to the cut side since this is the part that will get buried in soil or submerged under water. The leaves at the top can stay on the cutting.  Place the cutting in a container so that several inches of the stem is buried in either damp soil or under the water.

Soil Versus Water Rooting – How to Save Coleus in The Fall

Rooting coleus in water or soil are both great options. However, plants tend to root a bit faster when in water. Keep the water level high and before you know it, new roots will start to form along the stem.

When using the water method, it’s important to use untreated water as opposed to tap water. Most municipal water or water that goes through softener systems is treated with chemicals and salts. These can all inhibit the growth of new roots.

Roots should start to appear on the stem after just a couple of weeks. At this time, you can remove the cutting from the water and plant it directly into soil. Use a container with drainage holes and good potting soil.

If planting the cuttings directly into the soil, it usually takes a bit longer for new roots to form. In the meantime, keep the soil moist.

After about a month in soil you can lift a plant out to make sure it has roots, if it does then let the soil dry out between waterings, feel the leaves to see if they are a bit limp, coleus do not like to be overwatered.”

Thanks to Judy V. and Carol W. for sharing these tips adapted from Simple Garden Life.