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Suffolk, VA on Aug 19, 2012

HOW to use the SEED from this plant to grow NEW plants for next year? The Purple Flowers on top of Caladium / Coleous?

I THINK there is a way to get the seed after the flowers start to die, and use that seed to grow NEW plants for next year. How do I do this? (MY guess would have been as the flower starts to die, take teh whole flower and seed and let it dry for approx 2 weeks, then plant inito new soil, kept moist, but not too wet. ????)

9 Comments

Becky H Tampa, FL

Jim, it's Coleous. Wish I could help w/the seed question, but I've never been one to gather seeds for propagation. I'm more the "let Mother Nature do it" and then I transplant the new offspring.

on Aug 20, 2012 · Like 0
Becky J Troy, IL

I would just leave them in the ground and hope they reseed themselves. I do this with a vinca plant that comes up every year now. Your plant looks very nice.

on Aug 20, 2012 · Like 0
Douglas Hunt New Smyrna Beach, FL

You can collect the seed, save it in a cool, dry place for the winter, then plant indoors 10 weeks before your last frost date. But you will not necessarily get coleus that looks like the ones you have. If you want clones of what you have, you need to take cuttings, but you'll have to have somewhere to keep them going during the winter.

on Aug 20, 2012 · Like 1
Jim G Suffolk, VA

Thanks Doug. and assume the seed is on this same stem of purple flowers? I was thinking about cutting them all off now and putting in a vase to look nice (??MAYBE??), then as they brown, putting them in another vase i use for saving seed till they are ready to put in soil. I have NO IDEA, but it is fun learning!

on Aug 20, 2012 · Like 0
Douglas Hunt New Smyrna Beach, FL

I can't see the purple flower well enough to know what it is. You have nothing to lose by trying!

on Aug 20, 2012 · Like 1
Becky Blair, NE

I think I have a close up picture of the purple flowers. Let me check....Yep I sure do. I remember this was the first time I'd ever seen a Coleus bloom.
on Aug 20, 2012 · Like 1
Jennifer rizzo Naperville, IL

I actually pinch back the flowers and in the fall, root the cutting in water and put it in a planter for winter. They do great indoors as long as you don't let them dry out. The in the spring, replant. Coleus is a great annual because it roots easily in water and you can propagate it all summer.This works great in my Zone 5a yard!

on Aug 20, 2012 · Like 0
Jim G Suffolk, VA

@ Jennifer: in water, like water ONLY? so is it taking the flower stem and sitting that in water? (I tried that with flower stems to get the seeds..... BTW Doug: The seeds were obvious once the flowers died and I took them out of the water and let them all dry out for 2-3 weeks. seeds are small/tiny black little things...... ) ?Should the flower stems root? I guess I'm trying to understand what the "cuttings" are. Not any of the leaves, right?

on Sep 03, 2012 · Like 0
Douglas Hunt New Smyrna Beach, FL

Yes, the stems should root.

on Sep 04, 2012 · Like 0