Has anyone had any experience rooting coleus in a hydroponics unit? Dipping to below freezing here by this weekend (nights), dh just did his twice-yearly major unit clean-up and has offered me one of the units if I'd like to try to root & overwinter my coleus cuttings hydroponically. Fluorescent lights above the units will give the cuttings much better light
than they would get otherwise in the house.
Rooting Coleus Hydroponically?
i don't have a real hydroponic set-up per se, but i've overwintered coleus in very tightly packed perlite in seed flats all winter, with humidity domes on and bottom heat from a heat mat. you just need to make sure you have adequate light and good air circulation. fungus gnats were my biggest problem one year, but didn't have any issues last year with them. i used the mosquito dunks to keep them down. check for whitefly and mealybugs before settling them in.
the humidity was high so there was root formation along the stems, and they needed to be pinched much more than i did pinch them- the do get leggy growing in "too good" of an environment without alot of attention. that being said, i was overwintering about 125 cultivars at a time. (thanks to lack of time & neglect this year, not so much now LOL).
coleus root quickly and well in water alone, in oasis, so you should be good.
come to think of it, I have one flat of coleus I literally have not touched all summer in my sunroom- no watering at all, and the coleus in it are alive... gangly and unidentifiable because they're all green, but still alive.
Good luck!
joy
Lack of adequate light indoors (enough for plants, that is) is a big problem for me. The only plant I've
been able to successfully grow indoors is pothos, amaryllis grow beautiful leaves but don't bloom, same with African violets. I've been able to root coleus in water and have them survive until spring, but the leaves lose almost all their color (plus lack of space means fewer cuttings total).
The cuttings would have more than adequate light and very good air circulation in the hydroponics unit.
Haven't had a problem with whiteflies or mealybugs or fungus gnats (but will definitely check for all these, thanks for mentioning this!), but have been fighting aphids on the hydroponic plants. Think the aphids are finally eradicated, though (hope so).
Think I'm going to go for it! Will post an update as to how well (or not!) the cuttings do in the hydroponics unit. With the continual misting from below and the fluorescent lighting from just above,
just might work really well.
Thanks!!
coleus winter coloration tends to be duller- reds go brown, orange & yellow go green, pinks fade, but they liven up once the days get longer and brighter.