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coleus cuttings - how to root in soil; and overwinter

7 years ago

I have a lot of coleus that I am rooting in water. But they are ready to be planted in some kind of soil. What is the best planting medium for these. I need to overwinter them inside my house somewhere. I put them in my greenhouse last winter but they all died; I think it was a little too cold for them in there. I have mostly geramiums in my greenhouse and they aren't as cold sensitive. I am in Zone 4, wisconsin. Thank you.

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Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
when a root JUSTshows in water ... pot them in damp media ... whatever you use in the house ... i would sterilize it first.. see link ...

http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4DMG/Soil/sterile.htm

... cover with baggie for a few days/week .. until the roots can support the green above ...

the smaller the cutting.. the easier it is.. for roots to grow to support such ...if you have large cuttings ... cut a 3 inch piece with the roots.. and reroot the top ...

when i did this.. by late winter.. they were horribly weak.. overgrown.. ugly .. etc ... so i just rerooted some new pieces.. and got rid of the ugly ones ... in other words.. dont try to get the same piece all thru winter.. maybe you can.. maybe you cant ... [in my z5.. in all reality.. they cant go outside until june.. so you have upwards of 8 months for this project ... watch what warmer zone peeps might suggest ...]

however it all works out.. have fun ...

ken
sue
Original Author
7 years ago
I have never sterilized soil. Oven????
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Hi EllaRose: Bluegirl in Texas posted a great tip on how heat at the bottom encourages root growth, see link below. Roses die in my zone 5a mainly due to: 1) fluctuations in temp., thaw-and-freeze, and a sun-room will do just that: hot sun during the day, and freezing temp. at night. My house has 22 windows, most face southern exposure. It gets above 70 degrees during the day with sunshine, then dips to low 50's at night. That's hard on plants. 2) Roses also die due to dryness in my zone 5a. The root balls, if buried in deep in wet soil outside, won't dry out. The root balls, if covered in a dark garage, and watered once a month, won't dry out. 3) Indoor plants: You have a HOT basement ? If there's a window, roses can keep growing, but there are many drawbacks: too dry, and you'll get spidermites. Too wet, or misting with sprayers, and you'll get black spots. I'm not sure if it's worth it. I kept herbs in a basement (with a window) and I'll never do that again. White flies, black canker from over-watering, not worth it. I agree with Seil that keeping them dormant (dark & cool) at a stable temp. is best. Freezing and thawing is hard on the roots. See link below for Bluegirl's excellent tip on digging a pit to shelter rootings in Texas fall weather. Here is a link that might be useful: Hot beds for fall rooting by Bluegirl This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Fri, Oct 25, 13 at 13:31
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sue
Original Author
7 years ago
Oh, thanks, I just opened the site you listed which mentions sterilizing soil.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
only once in your life ... the time you end up with bugs in the house in mid winter ... after that.. you sterilize all your media .. lol ...

its easier to avoid a problem.. than fix it ...

i got a turkey pan from the dollar store.. filled with damp media .. and covered with aluminum foil .. it looked like a giant jiffy pop .. then heated it until i saw some steam come out .;... and then used that gob all winter ...

i dont trust what the bag claims. especially if its a previously opened bag.. left in the garage .... etc ...

an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure .. lol.. i actually ended up taking new cuttings .. and tossed everything out into a snow bank ... as i had fungus gnats in the media ... couldnt see the tv thru the swarms.. lol ...

ken

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