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Coleus is a popular ornamental crop from the Lamiaceae (Libaceae) family. The culture is not picky and does not require special care. Therefore, even a novice gardener can grow coleus from seeds at home.
Rules for growing coleus from seeds at home
Even an amateur can grow coleus from seeds. To do this, you need to follow simple rules and recommendations.
What do coleus seeds look like?
Coleus seeds (pictured) are very small (about 1 thousand pieces in 3,5 gram). They have a faceted shape.
Coleus seeds look like poppy seeds
When to sow coleus for seedlings
Early spring is considered the optimal period for growing coleus from seeds for seedlings. Thanks to spring sowing, the florist can optimize labor costs and save time, since the seedlings no longer need greenhouse conditions and additional lighting.
How to plant coleus seeds
Planting coleus seeds for seedlings does not require special skills and knowledge. After sowing the seeds and the emergence of seedlings, they are swooped down and then planted in pots. Sowing of seeds is carried out from February to April. The first shoots are observed on the 15-19th day. Planting material must be pre-treated in a weak solution of manganese. Soaking is necessary for disinfection. After that, the coleus seeds are sown in the ground.
Preparation of containers and soil
For planting coleus with seeds at home, not too deep containers are used, in which drainage holes are first made. Loose substrates saturated with nutrients are considered optimal for the plant. An example of a suitable soil mixture: crushed sphagnum, peat, sand and humus. Backfilling is carried out without soil compaction, no more than 2 cm should remain from the soil to the edges of the container.
As a landing container, you can use both an ordinary plastic container and a special box. The container must have special drainage holes. Otherwise, moisture stagnation will begin and the supply of oxygen to the root system will be disrupted. When using old pots, they require thorough cleaning and pre-treatment with a manganese solution.
The best soil for sowing coleus seeds is a mixture of river sand, humus, peat and garden soil
Sowing coleus seeds for seedlings
Sowing coleus with seeds is performed according to the following algorithm:
- Since coleus seeds are very small, it is recommended to evenly distribute them over the surface of the soil.
- A spray bottle is used to moisten the soil. This manipulation must be performed with the utmost care, since as a result of jet irrigation, the seeds may become crowded or go to depth.
- The container is placed in a window greenhouse or covered with plastic wrap to provide a greenhouse effect. The film is slightly opened every day for a few minutes in order to ventilate.
After the seeds are in a nutritious moist substrate, they need light and warmth. It is recommended to place the container on a light windowsill or provide seedlings with a source of additional illumination. When the second pair of leaves appears on the coleus, it can be transplanted into a pot.
How to plant coleus seeds in peat tablets
Sowing coleus for seedlings in peat tablets is one of the easiest ways to grow a crop from seeds. The procedure is as follows:
- Before sowing, peat tablets need to be watered abundantly so that they swell and increase in size.
- Excess fluid must be disposed of.
- Then the seeds are laid out at a short distance, gently pressing them into the surface of the elastic substrate.
- Peat tablets with seeds are placed in pallets and covered with plastic wrap. Pallets should be placed in a place with good lighting and room temperature.
In the case of sowing seeds in peat tablets, both excessive wetting of the substrate and its drying out are considered unacceptable.
If the seeds were planted in peat tablets, before planting in the ground, it is recommended to trim the surface layer for the full development of the coleus root system
How to grow coleus from seeds
Purchased seeds have a high germination rate. However, subject to proper self-collection, the germination percentage will be almost identical.
Microclimate
The optimal temperature for coleus in the summer is 22-24 ° C. It is recommended to take seedlings to fresh air in summer. In winter, you can not keep the culture in a room with a temperature below 12 ° C. In summer and spring, leaves may burn out due to direct sunlight. The midday sun is a danger to the plant, so it needs to be shaded.
In room conditions, coleus requires high humidity. The plant must be sprayed using settled soft water. During the winter period, coleus practically do not grow, being at rest.
The soil will warm up with spring rays, which will most favorably affect the development of young seedlings.
After night frosts cease to pose a threat to plants, pots with seedlings can be taken out to the loggia or transplanted into open ground
Watering and top dressing
Coleus requires abundant watering, especially on hot days. It is preferable to use settled water at room temperature. After watering, the soil must be loosened and weeds removed.
Growing coleus seedlings from seeds involves periodic feeding: at the beginning of the summer period, seedlings require nitrogen fertilizers, and complex mineral additives begin to be applied from the second half of summer. Plants obtained from seeds require potassium supplements (potassium concentration should not exceed 1 g per 2 liters of water), as well as nitrogen complexes. During the winter period, fertilizing is recommended no more than once a month.
Dive
Dive starts after the appearance of two leaves. It is necessary to perform all manipulations with extreme caution, since young seedlings are quite fragile. In order not to harm the root system, picking is carried out with a plastic or wooden spatula.
Hardening
Hardening of seedlings obtained from seeds is started 7-8 days before planting. The seedlings are taken out into the street and left for some time, gradually increasing the period of being in the open air from several hours to a whole day. After hardening, coleus adapt better to external conditions and show high growth rates. Without this procedure, seedlings planted in open ground can get sick or even die.
Transplant into the ground
The sprout is dug up together with a clod of earth and transplanted to another place, carefully holding the base. Landing is carried out at a distance of at least 10 cm. When the procedure is completed, you can fertilize the soil in the form of dry mineral fertilizer.
In the case of growing coleus as an annual, it does not require a transplant. If the plant is needed as a perennial, it needs a transplant once every few years. It is necessary to prepare a substrate with weak or neutral acidity in advance. A mixture of peat, sand, humus, deciduous and soddy soil in a ratio of 1: 1: 2: 4: 4 will be optimal. It is necessary to plant seedlings obtained from seeds in a well-lit place, reliably protected from the wind.
Possible problems
Danger to the culture are: whitefly, spider mites and aphids.
Soap solution is used to control aphids.
The aerial part of the plant is treated, repeating the procedure in a week if the pests survive. Before starting manipulations, the soil in the pot is covered with plastic wrap to prevent soap from entering the soil. Ticks are not afraid of soapy water, so to combat them, you should use special preparations Agravertin or Oberon.
In the absence of timely pinching and pruning, the seedlings will become very elongated
Excessive lighting leads to the fact that the foliage becomes faded and discolored.
How to collect coleus seeds
To sow coleus with seeds, you can use both store-bought and self-collected seeds. The culture blooms in the first year after planting. Seeds are obtained from inconspicuous-looking inflorescences. Before planting in peat tablets or soil, they need to be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Conclusion
To grow coleus from seeds at home, you need to manually select or purchase high-quality seeds from a garden store, prepare containers and soil, and also provide an appropriate microclimate, timely watering and top dressing. For full development, seedlings require diving and hardening.
