How do I make my coleus more colorful? If this is a question that you have been asking yourself recently, you are in luck. There are ways through basic gardening practices to achieve vibrant colored blooms on a coleus.
Why is my coleus not colorful?
Coleus plants are a fantastic set of plants and they grow with striking colors as they grow. They usually grow in vibrant colors and attractive patterns. It is very easy to take care of these plants and that characteristic makes them even more popular among gardening lovers.
However, one of the most commonly spotted issues when growing these plants is that those plants tend to lose their vibrant colors or change their colors. So, if you were ever wondering why it takes place that way and the reasons behind them, this article would be useful for you.
Generally speaking, Coleus would form in bright pink, Neon green, Lemon green and in deep purple as well. Literally Coleus plants form in almost all colors. So, anybody would not hesitate to grow these plants either indoors or outdoors.
These are the most forgiving houseplants you would ever come across. Coleus plants usually depend on plenty of water and they may wilt if they lack water.
However they will revive after one or two watering sessions. When there are optimal conditions, they will grow to their best and display amazing colors. Last but not least Coleus plants are rapid growing plants. So, when there are lapses in their growing conditions, they may tend to change their colors and become less colorful.
If you have Coleus plants and if they tend to change their colors, it would be mainly due to issues with sun and light. Literally the number of hours which you expose them to sunlight would determine the color of the Coleus plants.
Can I change the color of coleus?
To answer the question whether you can change the color of the Coleus plants, yes you could change that by adjusting the number of hours they are exposed to sunlight.
If you have placed Coleus plants in two different locations where there is ample sunlight and where there is partial shade, you could see two different colors of the plants. Literally if you expose the plants for more light, they will get intense in dark red colors.
On the other hand, if there is less sunlight, the Coleus plants would tend to take a less red, white, or green color. Having said that, Coleus plants would generally contain a darker color if you grow them exposed to less sunlight.
On the other hand if you grow them while making them deprived of sufficient sunlight, they would come up with less red and more white green in color.
How do I make my coleus more colorful?
As aforesaid, indoor grown Coleus plants would grow with vibrant colors if there is enough light available. On the other hand , outdoor grown Coleus plants can perform well in partial shade in general.
However if you have placed them indoors and if you think the plants are lacking sufficient sunlight, you could consider using artificial lights for about 12 hours of the day. Coleus plants need to have a soil mix which is rich and loose. Additionally it should be a well draining soil mix too.
Thus, if the conditions indoors are too dark, you need to provide artificial light for about 12 hours. If you grow them in low light, your plants may tend to adjust to those conditions by changing the color of the plants. You can be tactful in pinching the plants to overcome this situation.
It would further encourage the new growth as well. ensure that you are keeping the soil. Never make it too soggy. Eventually place the plants near a bright sunny windowsill. Alternatively you can place the plants 6 inches below the artificial lights.
Once you adhere to these conditions, they would help the plants to revive. That said, you may also consider propagating them and making new plants too.
How do you make blue coleus?
There are no blue Coleus plants in real life. In fact, blue Coleus plants or blue Coleus plant seeds do not exist. Many Coleus plants which you could spot in blue are Photoshop. Literally the blue pigment does not exist in this plants, hence you cannot spot them in blue.
Blue pigments are what determine the blue color of the plants. So what people usually do is that they modify or adjust the red pigments in the colors to make them look blue.
What are plant pigments?
Pigments don’t usually absorb light. Instead, they would reflect light. The most commonly spotted plant pigment is green chlorophyll. Hence, you could spot many of the plants in green.
Generally speaking, the plants which opt to have blue light have more energy when compared to other lights in the visible spectrum. There are genuinely blue colored plants such as blue spruce, hostas grass and agaves. That said, blue Coleus plants don’t actually exist in reality.
Why are my coleus leaves pale?
Coleus plants may tend to turn their leaves pale and yellow colored when you supply them too much water. On the other hand, If the Coleus plants are running short of ample sunlight, that would also make them turn their leaves pale in color. Furthermore, excess sunlight may also result in this condition.
As such you need to make sure that you are providing the right growing conditions for the plants unless you may have to deal with these unwanted issues. Coleus plants are adapted to grow in tropical conditions, and you need to mimic the same conditions.
The lapses in watering also make the Coleus plants’ leaves turn yellow and pale. When I say lapses in watering it could be both under watering and over watering. Lastly , if your precious Coleus plants have become root bound, their leaves may still tend to convert their leaves into yellow or in pale colors.
If I further elaborate on those, if you over-supply water for the Coleus plants, they would tend to turn their leaves into yellow and that would be the initial symptom which you could spot in over watering. Ultimately they would become brown in color and make their roots rot too. As you may already be aware root rot could be fatal on the plants too.
Waterlogged soil could be another culprit for creating these issues for the Coleus plants. if you keep supplying water for the plants and if they keep trapped in soil, it would also pave the way for unnecessary problems in the overall growth of the Coleus plants. further it may also factor in the yellowing of the Coleus plants leaves. Always supply water only if their soil is dry only.
Underwatering the Coleus plants may also contribute to the yellowing of the Coleus plants. If you are unsure whether under watering or over watering has made the plants leaves turn pale and yellow, you could see Coleus plants’ leaves are dry if the plants are lacking water.
On the other hand, if you have over supplied water, you could see how their leaves yellow and pale , but at the same time they would be droopy as well.
In addition to that, lack of nutrients also make the Coleus plants suffer from the yellowed leaves. So, if you suspect your Coleus plants are lacking nutrients and wondering whether it has made them turn yellow and pale in color , you could get the soil mix tested to ascertain that. You could consider adding fertilizers to overcome this problem.
Lastly root bound plants may also be a culprit in turning the Coleus plants leaves pale. When they become root bound, you could see how the roots of the plants completely fill the pot and how they come out from the pots vertically.
As a result of this condition, Coleus plants’ leaves would turn yellow and ultimately they would stop growing as well. To remedy this, you need to repot them into a slightly bigger pot.
Is there a purple coleus plant?
Yes, there is a purple coleus plant. In addition to purple, Coleus plants would form in red, pink, orange yellow green, burgundy colors too. The color formation of the Coleus plants leaves would depend on the sunlight exposure they get.
However Coleus plants would form in purple if they get too much sunlight in general. Some of the purple colors of large Coleus plants are as follows.
‘Big Enchilada’ – These plants usually comprise the Puckered golden-green leaves .Furthermore they may also contain neon rose midribs too. The purple blush would be prominent underneath the plant’s leaves. In terms of the sizes they would be about ; 24 to 30 in height Further their width would be about 14 to 18 inches.
Old giant is another Coleus plant which is prominent in purple color. You could spot them carrying golden green colored leaves. Besides, they would come up with purple veins and stems too. They would get as tall as 18 to 30 inches in height. Further they would be about 16 to 20 inches in width too.
‘Japanese Giant’ is yet another Large Coleus plant which would form red and purple colored leaves . Moreover they may also comprise green centers and splashes of yellow and pink; too. They would attain a maximum height of 24 to 30 and a maximum width of 16 to 20 inches when they grow to the fullest potential.
SuperSun ‘Plum Parfait’ develops Ruffled purple leaves. In addition to that they may also carry plum and chartreuse borders too. They would grow up to 18 to 36 inches in height and 18 to 24 inches in width.
Following are some of the creeping Coleus plants which you could spot in purple.
‘Garnet Robe’ Coleus plants usually come up with Deep purple to burgundy-colored leaves . Furthermore they may also come up with green edges too. in terms of the sizes, they would get as tall as 12 to 18 in height. Furthermore, they would be about 24 to 30 in. width.
‘Inky Fingers’ are creeping type Coleus plants which you could spot with Deep purple duck foot shaped leaves with green edges and green stems. Their sizes would be about 12 to 18 in. height 10 to 14 in width.
How do you change the color of a plant?
Change pigment and change colors
As per the discoveries of the guests, you could change the colors of the plants by changing the pigments in the plants. Ultimately it would become a new variety. For example, you could use color producing pigments such as flavonoids and they would produce red or blue hue in the plants.
Further carotenoids would add a touch of yellow or orange. Finally, if you want to add a green touch to the plants, you could make use of chlorophyll. Taking these into consideration you could change the colors of the plants.
Change pH level of the soil
Once you change the pH level of the soil, it would also alter the color of the plants as well as in the flowers. pH level literally refers to the acidity of the soil mix and once you change it , you could get the desired color of the Coleus plants .
Changing the genes of the Coleus plants
Scientists also tend to alter the genes of the plants and make different colors of the Coleus plants .
Change color with light
Light is a crucial factor which determines the color of the Coleus plants. So, accordingly if you change the exposure of sunlight it would alter the color of the Coleus plants.
Why is my coleus yellow?
Coleus plants may tend to turn yellow due to lapses in watering mainly. To be more precise, if you supply too much water for the Coleus plants , it would pave the way for the yellowing of the Coleus plants.
How many colors of coleus are there?
You could spot Coleus plants in a wide array of colors. For example they may come up in purple, red, pink, orange yellow green, burgundy colors.
Related questions
Does coleus like Miracle Grow?
Coleus plants opt to have 10-10-0 formula Miracle grow fertilizers. However, ensure that you are adhering to the labeled instructions of them.
Do coleus like to be misted?
I suggest misting the Coleus plants on a frequent basis as it would enhance the humidity level around the Coleus plants. Furthermore it would help the plant’s leaves to keep clean as well.
Does coleus like sun or shade?
Certain varieties of Coleus plants would prefer full sunlight where there could be some Coleus plants which would opt to grow in shade.
Final thoughts on How Do I Make My Coleus More Colorful
To wind up, Coleus plants are such glamorous plants which would flourish with a wide array of colors given that they get the optimal growing conditions. So, I hope you are now well equipped with all the required information on how to make Coleus plants more colorful, the reasons for the color fade aways and on how to mitigate them.
Read Next : How To Make Croton Bushy? Facts You Missed
