Hi all! I posted in the Indoor Plant ID section and you helped me identify a plant I used to have that I am looking to buy again - Fittonia verschaffeltii. In my search today, I went to a nursery that didn't end up having it. I did see some close contenders... the blood leaf plant is beautiful, and the polka dot plant was cute too. They both looked similar but not quite the same as my old fittonia, but maybe since the fittonia requires so much humidity (and since I'm not a fan of terrariums), I'll get one of the others. In the meantime, I ended up really liking (and buying) a Coleus 'Pink Chaos.' The information about this plant online is a bit scattered, but the coleusfinder.org seems pretty good. Does anyone have a plant like this or is anyone able to offer information on it? As you can see, it is still in its original nursery pot. I would like to go out in the next day or two and find a nice pot for it. I plan for it to be an indoor plant if that is reasonable. This particular one should grow to a max of a foot. I would like to know what kind of pot to get - I am a novice, so please speak in 'plants for dummies' terms. From what I can understand, the plant needs very good drainage, so I will get a pot with a hole and a dish to catch the excess. Do I need to do a tray of pebbles/gravel? Is ceramic ok for the pot? Also, the actual transfer of the plant... the lady at the nursery told me that it doesn't need to be repotted 'this season.' I assume that means that I can gently transfer over all of the soil and the plant as is from this nursery pot to the one I buy. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Also... is triple mix ok for if I get a slightly bigger pot? Do I need fertilizer? And then just general care. I understand it should be watered every few days and kept in partial shade. If anyone can add anything, would be appreciated. Sorry for all of the questions and thank you all in advance! :)
Hi pinkster414, Sorry I do not have my own Coleus, but my parents do. I was just talking to my dad about it last weekend. He currently has his sitting outside in a plastic pot and when I asked him if he would ever bring it in, he said probably not because it wouldn't get enough light (although keep in mind that he lives in Wisconsin, Zone 5). That said, here's what my houseplant book has to say about Coleus blumei hybrids: -All year give it as much light as possible with no noon sun...warm in summer, cool (50-54F) in winter. -Spring to fall, water freely and fertilize monthly. Keep fairly dry in winter. In spring, prune back vigorously and repot. Generally, Coleus is raised as an annual. Hope this helps...maybe you could try keeping it outside this summer and then bring it in over winter and see what happens?
