Same plant after a little Epsom salts.

Whoa! didn't know you could do that - does it work w/ all Coleus, I wonder?

Hi
find this a common event with coleus particularly reds /browns and /blacks. You can even change the color and patterns by altering the light Also notice that patterns and intensity change with age Wonderful plant HUH?? gary

You might be able to change them up some by changing the pH of the soil as well. I know that with Hydrangea's you can change the color of the blooms by changing the PH. When I worked at a Subway a loooong time ago, my father would ask that I bring home the pickle juice rather than dumping it down the drains. He would pour it around the hydrangeas. I don't remember actually which way it went, but I think the blooms went from blue to a nice purple color, but it could have very well gone the other way. It's about the only thing I've ever learned from my dad in regards to gardening.

Yeah Gary, coleus is a wonderful plant. What amazed me with this change is how little Epsom salts was needed to make the change. Only about a tablespoon in a 12 gallon container. Now I plan to add ashes. I prefer the intense red color we had. When I was a little tyke, my father and uncles used to put aspirin on the coleus to change their colors and patterns.

Leekle,

As I gather, the color of hydrangea is partly dependent on aluminum uptake, which is partly dependent on PH. As pickle juice can contain both vinegar and alum (potassium aluminum sulfate), I can see where it could be used to manipulate hydrangea color.