Coleus
Coleus scutellarioides (syn. Plectranthus scutellarioides)
Through the year 🗓️
🍂 Fall now
Take cuttings as insurance, ease off feeding, and bring it well away from cold windows.
❄️ Winter
Keep it warm and bright; growth slows and it may get leggy, so pinch and lean on your cuttings if the parent fades.
🌱 Spring
Pinch back hard to reshape, repot or start fresh cuttings, and resume feeding.
☀️ Summer
Peak color season. Steady water in the heat, and keep pinching off flower spikes.
The details
Light & placement
- Light
- Bright indirect to a few hours of direct sun; light powers the wild leaf color, and too little makes the shades go dull and the plant stretch (many modern types take full sun)
- Ideal PPFD
- 150–350 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹
- Grow-light distance
- 10–16 in below LED
Water & feed
- Watering method
- Keep evenly moist, watering when the top half-inch dries. It wilts flat when thirsty and springs back after a drink, but repeated droughts trigger leaf drop.
- Fertilizer
- Balanced feed at ½ strength every 2–4 wks in spring–summer to fuel the fast growth.
Home & habit
- Soil
- Rich, well-draining potting mix; pH 6.0–7.0
- Humidity
- Average to high (40–60%)
- Temperature
- 60–80 °F; hates cold, keep above 50 °F
- Mature size
- 1–3 ft tall & wide, depending on variety
- Repotting
- Yearly if kept as a houseplant; often grown fresh from cuttings each year
- Propagation
- Ridiculously easy: a stem cutting roots in a glass of water within a week; take some each fall as backups.
When something looks wrong
- Overwatering signs
- Yellowing lower leaves, mushy stems, wilt in soggy soil
- Underwatering signs
- Dramatic full-plant flop that recovers after watering; crispy edges if chronic
- Common pests
- Mealybugs, whitefly, aphids, spider mites
Common problems 🩺
The usual suspects when Coleus looks unhappy. Most houseplant trouble is watering or light, not disease — see all plant problems if you are not sure which plant is the culprit.
Tall, bare, floppy stems
Likely cause
It bolts naturally, and low light makes it worse.
What to do
Pinch the tips out regularly — including any flower spikes — and give it bright light.
Colours washing out
Likely cause
Too little light dulls it; harsh midday sun bleaches it. Both directions cost you color.
What to do
Bright indirect light with gentle morning sun gives the strongest tones.
Wilting quickly between waterings
Likely cause
Thirst. Coleus is a heavy drinker with soft leaves.
What to do
Keep the soil lightly moist and water as soon as the surface dries.
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