Coleus (Coleus scutellarioides) care

Other · easy to keep

Last updated 26 October 2026

Coleus (Coleus scutellarioides) wants bright light; some direct sun for the strongest colour. Water it every 4 days. Keep evenly damp. Coleus wilts dramatically when dry and recovers, but each wilt costs it lower leaves. Pot it in standard compost with perlite. A balanced feed at half strength monthly in spring and summer, and repot once a year. Humidity: room humidity is fine. Toxic to cats and dogs — the essential oils cause vomiting and diarrhoea, and can irritate skin.

Coleus: soft, toothed leaves in almost any combination of lime, red, burgundy, pink and near-black. A fast, short-lived plant grown entirely for its colour — pinch it often, take cuttings in late summer, and start again.

Quick facts

Water: Water every 4 days. Keep evenly damp. Coleus wilts dramatically when dry and recovers, but each wilt costs it lower leaves.
Light: Bright light; some direct sun for the strongest colour.
Humidity: Room humidity is fine.
Soil: Standard compost with perlite.
Feeding: A balanced feed at half strength monthly in spring and summer.
Repotting: Repot once a year.
Toxic to pets: Toxic to cats and dogs — the essential oils cause vomiting and diarrhoea, and can irritate skin. The ASPCA does not list Coleus scutellarioides itself, but lists a relative, Coleus (Coleus ampoinicus), as toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026).
Difficulty: Easy.
Mature size: 30–60 cm.
Native to: Southeast Asia.

Watering a Coleus

Water every 4 days. Keep evenly damp. Coleus wilts dramatically when dry and recovers, but each wilt costs it lower leaves.

That cadence is the one PlantParlour sets for this species when you name it, and it is deliberately on the cautious side — a plant that asks a day early is safer than one that asks a day late. Log each watering and the reminder moves with the plant rather than with the calendar.

Light

Bright light with an hour or two of sun. The colours fade to a muddy green in shade, and scorch in hot midday sun.

Humidity and temperature

Room humidity is fine. Central heating in winter is what turns a comfortable room into a dry one, and it is the usual reason an established plant suddenly browns at the edges or picks up spider mites.

Soil and potting

Ordinary potting compost with some perlite. It is a fast, forgiving plant.

Feeding

A balanced feed at half strength monthly in spring and summer. Stop feeding in autumn and start again when you see new growth in spring — feeding a plant that isn't growing just builds up salts in the pot.

Repotting

Repot once a year. Best treated as short-lived: take cuttings in late summer and start again. Pinch out the flower spikes, which end its season.

Common problems

Long bare stems
Not enough light, and no pinching.

Fix: Pinch the tips regularly to make it branch, and move it brighter.

Leggy, stretched growth: how to read it on any plant
Wilting and dropping leaves
It dried out — or it sits wet.

Fix: Check the compost: water if it is dry, let it drain if it is soggy.

Leaves falling off: how to read it on any plant
White cottony blobs in the leaf joints
Mealybugs.

Fix: Dab them with alcohol on a cotton bud every few days for a month.
Colours fading to green
Not enough light.

Fix: Move it brighter; new leaves will colour up, old ones won't.

Propagation

Stem cuttings root in water within a week or two.

A cutting taken in PlantParlour keeps its link to the plant it came from, so a propagation years later still traces back to the mother plant — which is the point if you ever sell or trade it.

Toxicity and safety

Toxic to cats and dogs — the essential oils cause vomiting and diarrhoea, and can irritate skin.

The ASPCA does not list Coleus scutellarioides itself, but lists a relative, Coleus (Coleus ampoinicus), as toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026).

If your pet has eaten a plant, call your vet, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661. Both are open around the clock and may charge a consultation fee. Take the plant or its label with you.

This is general information, not veterinary advice. We don't test plants: what we say about toxicity follows the ASPCA's published plant list as it stood on 26 October 2026, and that list can change. "Non-toxic" means not poisonous — a pet that eats enough of any plant can still vomit, and fertiliser, pesticide or leaf shine on a plant can harm it. It also only helps if the plant is what you think it is. It covers cats and dogs only; ask your vet about rabbits, birds, reptiles or anything else, and a doctor about children. Read our terms.

Every houseplant in the library the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs

Questions people ask

How often should you water a Coleus?

Water every 4 days as a starting point — that is the cadence PlantParlour sets for Coleus scutellarioides. Keep evenly damp. Coleus wilts dramatically when dry and recovers, but each wilt costs it lower leaves. Light, pot size and the time of year all move that number, so treat it as a reminder to go and check rather than a rule.

How much light does a Coleus need?

Bright light with an hour or two of sun. The colours fade to a muddy green in shade, and scorch in hot midday sun.

Is Coleus toxic to cats and dogs?

Toxic to cats and dogs — the essential oils cause vomiting and diarrhoea, and can irritate skin. The ASPCA does not list Coleus scutellarioides itself, but lists a relative, Coleus (Coleus ampoinicus), as toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026). If a pet has eaten part of a plant, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435 straight away.

How do you propagate a Coleus?