How to prune a Coleus

How to prune a Coleus

1. 01

   Choose what to remove

   Pruning acts on the soft growing tips and flower spikes. Pinch young growing stems, and shear or pinch off flower spikes. Coleus blumei is an older name for Coleus scutellarioides.

   Removing the growing tip encourages branching and a fuller foliage plant, while removing flower spikes keeps the focus on foliage and can limit decline associated with going to seed. Newer cultivars may branch and flower later.

2. 02

   Prune at the right time

   Pinch during active vegetative growth and remove flower spikes when they appear. Coleus kept indoors over winter may be pinched as needed while it is growing. Outdoor season and indoor growth do not share one calendar.

3. 03

   Make one clean cut

   Pinch or use clean snips just above a leaf node on a growing stem, and remove flower spikes before seed set. Make cuts evenly through the plant rather than stripping one side.

4. 04

   When pruning will not help

   Coleus cultivars differ in branching, sun tolerance and flowering, and the plant is tender. Pruning cannot turn a frost-sensitive seasonal plant into a guaranteed long-term indoor plant.

5. 05

   Care for the plant after pruning

   After pinching, keep the plant in the appropriate bright, moisture-controlled container setting and watch for new side shoots. After flower removal, continue ordinary seasonal care rather than immediately increasing fertilizer.