How to Grow Coleus

Solenostemon Germination Information

Solenostemon is the botanical name for Coleus
Solenostemon Seed Germination How to Sow Solenostemon:
  • Best sown indoors 6-8 weeks before planting out or at any season for indoor use
  • Sow at temperature of 70-75° with NO cover as light aids in germination
  • Expect germination in 10-15 days
  • It is not recommended to sow the seeds outdoors

How to Grow Solenostemon:
Transplanting: Transplant when there are at least two sets of true leaves

Spacing: Space 10-18 inches apart in full sun or light shade

Soil: Site in any good moist garden soil

Temperature: Site in bright light, provide warmth at 65° nights and up to 80° days Additional Care: Grown for its attractive foliage; the flowers detract from the good looks and should be removed. Keep well watered

Appearance and Use:

Grown as house and conservatory plants, used in containers and hanging baskets, and planted out in beds and borders. These upright, rounded plants grow from 6-36 inches tall, have square stems, and produce non-showy blue or lavender flowers in late summer. Grown for the showy foliage that comes in an imaginative array of variegated colors: chartreuse, green, white, bronze, gold, copper, yellow, pink, red, and purple. The leaf margins are smooth, fringed, toothed, wrinkled, ruffled, or deeply lobed


About Solenostemon:
Pronunciation:  sol-e-no-stem’on sku-te-la’re-oy-dez
Lifecycle:  Annual*
Origination: Iridaceae, native from British Columbia to California
Common Name: Coleus

*Grown as an annual, but plants will overwinter in Zones 10 and 11