are you using a humidity tent ...

put your pots.. in a plastic baggie ... you can leave the top open mostly ..... this will allow higher humidity around the rootless plant ...

you might also benefit from a rooting hormone product... the includes a fungicide .... more for the fungicide ...

if your source is just going to let it die in the yard ... i dont know why they would not care if you took more ...

i might nuke my media to insure its sterile ....

bright window.. but no sun.. as it has no roots ....

you are correct.. this really should be so easy ...

ken

Quite strange that coleus is giving you trouble but it could be the variety. You can increase your chances by :

• provide bottom heat using a seedling heat mat
• provide humidity by keeping the plant covered
• provide bright light but not direct sunlight
• appropriate use of root hormone, use lightly only.

Good luck. Any chance you can post a picture of the mother plant. May be someone will have more specific answers based on the variety.

I second using a heating mat. It greatly increased my success when taking geranium cuttings. In order for rot to set in it has to be cool and wet. Since you must have the moisture(but not too much) keeping it warm makes sense. I wouldn't try to root in water. Instead I'd opt for a soil-less mix moistened and rooting hormone

seems like a heat mat would be overkill for coleus.. but it sure wouldnt hurt ...

but.. if youre going to use one you have laying around the house ... make sure it is rated for use with water ... or just make sure you dont get it wet ...

the reason i came back.. was your title.. you said: BIG coleus ... i hope you are trying to root small cuttings ... not large ones ...

ken

I've now done everything but the heat mat. I have one I use to start my caladiums but have to dig it out.

Ken, I meant that this coleus GROWS large. Like over 20". My cuttings are small tip cuttings.

So far I never had any problems propagating coleus. In fact, in June or so I just take a lot of soft tip cuttings and stick them directly in yard soil in various spots and most root just like that. May be you have a harder to root variety.

Latest batch rotted. Used rooting powder lightly, sterilized the soil, and bagged the pots; slightly open at the tops. Did not get to where the heat mats are stored.

Sigh. Time to give up on this one.

Maybe try larger cuttings this time?

It was not my plant, so I did not want to spoil it.

There is just something weird about this one. Any of my other ones, I just shove a stem into the pot and I have a new plant. Though if it's winter they might not take.

Will it be possible to post a picture of the plant? May be someone can identify the variety since it sounds like special.

I bought a coleus late in the season because I got a new planter that needed a plant. Once I transplanted it, it got huge! It's aptly named "Kong" coleus on the tag.

Definitely planning on trying to root some cuttings. My question is, what do you do after they root with it being this time of year? I do have a lot of houseplants they could hang out with or do they need to be under grow lights? I'd love to have some freebies from this guy for next summer.

Thanks

share ... root some.. grow as houseplant in bright window... dont need a light ... but might grow better under one ...

in my experience ... they get leggy in the window ... and pretty ugly later in winter .. and then i learned to just root some more... whenever it got ugly.. and throw the ugly ones out into the snow pile .. lol ...

time it out.. so when they can go outside.... you have some fresh cuttings newly rooted.. and then harden them off to temps and light when you take them outside ....

ken

ps: they are a high humidity plant.. and that is why they get ugly in late winter in a forced air furnace heated house ...

Odd thing happened. When I was preparing that last batch of cuttings (which died) , I removed the lower leaves at the main stem. Since they were so pretty, I put them in a small vase with a flower. When I went to throw away the mini arrangement 2 weeks later after the flower died, I discovered the leaves had formed roots at the base! With no nodes being present. I did not think that was possible.

Thus far I have always tossed the lower leaves on cuttings I am going to root, so I have no idea if this is normal or not. I know that African violets can produce plantlets from a leaf, but don’t know how common that is.

I went ahead and planted the rooted leaves. Since then I am seeing lots of roots coming up to the top of the soil. No sign of any shoots emerging. Though I don’t know how possible that even is, with no nodes.

More than half the leaves have since wilted and died. I doubt anything much will happen but it’s been an interesting experiment.