Caring for indoor decorative nettles
Nettle is a graceful houseplant with brightly colored mottled leaves. If you take care of it properly, it will not lose its beautiful appearance from spring to late autumn.
What does indoor nettle look like?
The second name of this plant is coleus. The flower does not have a beautiful flowering, the flowers are small blue or white. They form on a long green peduncle.
Nettle leaves can not be wiped with a damp cloth
Coleus fell in love with flower growers for the decorativeness of the leaves. Depending on the variety, they are red, burgundy, purple, bright green and others. All shades are bright and rich. On the sheet plates there are patterns in the form of dots, spots, streaks or stripes. The leaves themselves are jagged. Each flower is unique, not like its congener.
Popular varieties of Coleus:
- “Glory to Luxembourg”. One of the most beautiful varieties. Leaves are yellow with orange splashes.
- Pineapple Beauty. The leaves are brownish green, halved in color.
- Royal Scott. The leaf plate combines cream, green, red and black shades.
- Weasley Teipestri. The leaf plates resemble pelargonium leaves.
There are a huge number of flower varieties. Each grower will be able to choose a plant to his liking.
Even a novice florist can handle the cultivation of Coleus. There is nothing difficult in leaving:
- Keep the air temperature around 22˚C in summer and 16-18˚C in winter. If in the summer period the temperature indicators drop below 15˚С, then the Coleus will slow down its growth.
- Decorative nettle needs bright lighting, it is better to keep it on the southern windowsill. In June-July, shade the flower so that there are no burns on the leaves.
- Flowering takes a lot of energy from the plant, so it is better to remove the peduncles as soon as they appear. If this is not done, then the leaves are crushed and turn pale.
- Coleus needs abundant watering even in winter. Sufficient soil moisture is essential for flower growth. The plant loves spraying and bathing.
- In order for the Coleus to bush, and also to grow lush greenery, the shoots need to be pinched. Shorten the main trunk at a height of 10 cm.
- In spring and summer, feed the flowers with mineral fertilizers every 3 weeks.
Coleus can be propagated by cuttings at least 10 cm long.Transplanting a flower is not worth it, it is better to grow a new one annually.
Nettle not only decorates the windowsill, but freshens the air and kills pathogens. Coleus leaves produce phytoncides.