Hi all, I have bought a coleus plant 1 week ago and recently the holes have started increasing... more and more holes are coming on the leaves.... 

I do not have any pets in my house.
I have kept the plant outside in balcony and temp outside is close to 70 F.
Is it because of insect? I have tried to look each and every leave but cannot find anything. So what you recommend?

Any spray I can use to help them?

Insects or snails or slugs would be my thought.

I had that happen when I brought plants in last year - couldn't see anything that would cause it, but looked just like yours. I ended up spraying a little tempo mix on it and the next day there were 2 dead green inch worms. No more holes!!

That or a systemic.. maybe a leaf miner bug

It is insect damage and it is worth trying to figure out what is causing it.
Don't use systemic, especially if you have pets. That is not leafminer damage or any kind of borer. Leafminer damage looks like brown or white squiggly lines on the leaf. A stem borer would cause wilting. I don't know about Australia but leafminer is not a known pest of coleus around here.

It is probably a caterpillar. Sometimes the caterpillar take on the color of the leaves they are eating and it makes them that much harder to see. Look for fras (caterpillar poop) and then look on the stem above that. That can give you a clue.

If you don't find any caterpillars and since you mention you keep your plant outside, it could also be a beetle that flies on and off the plant. You may never see it. Try looking at the plant at night with a flashlight. Around here we have Asiatic Garden Beetles and June bugs (types of scarab) that fly at night and eat things like coleus. It wasn't until I started examining the plants at night on a regular basis that I found out what has been destroying my plants all these years. Those I just have a small bowl of soapy water, hold it beneath the plant and knock them in. Spray won't work well on that kind of pest because you have to hit the bug.
If you suspect slugs, look under the pot and see if they are there. You are on a balcony so you should be able to tell if you have them or not by looking beneath nearby most locations.

Thought it could be a miner because of this damage .. could be wrong of course

I see. That looks like a dry spot to me but I can see how you interpreted it differently. I do find you can never say never. New pests introduce themselves all the time. I think the OP was concerned with the missing pieces.

Years ago I found this on my coleus. It had been eating holes through the leaves.

Yes, I find the same all the time.

Hi all, Thanks for your time. I did found few caterpillars and removed them. Now no more holes in my plant.

But my plant growth had reduced feom last 2 month's. Don't know why but no more new leaves or stem growth is happening. I even changed the pot and moved it to bigger one. It is winter in Sydney and hence 2 days ago, moved my plant inside near window. So please advice what should I do ?

It maybe just lack of light .. it looks pretty good for being inside .. can always pinch some to promote new growth.. and if up to it .. can plant the cuttings in another container

Slow release fertilizer or compost tea would not hurt .. not sure if you want to bother with adding a light .. but that would not hurt either

Thanks guys...

The plant was wearing outside in balcony from last 2 month's and still not much growth. I will try to add some fertilizer in this weekend and see how it goes.

Any other suggestions ?

Hardened off outside .. after that it should get huge .. think you are good

There are some young leaves so there is growth. Since you brought your plant inside, it may go through a light source change. Some leaves may start dropping off while new leaves grow adapted to the new conditions. You might see less color in the leaves but that will go back once it is outside again.
Some of your stems look very mature so they won't be as lush and full. You want to encourage branching off of that. Did your plant go to flower?
If it were my plant, I would cut the tallest stem back to the new stems growing lower down, put that cutting in water and let it root. I would even pinch back the second longest stem at the tip but you could wait and see how it adjusts first. It will help your plant bush out and put out fresh stems. At some point you will notice a lot of growth, especially as you get into spring.
Window light isn't ideal but coleus can tolerate it. Just make sure it isn't getting direct sunlight through the window. That could burn the leaves. Here that would be a South facing window. Is it the same by you? I have a shear between the window and my plant.
How long has it been in that pot?

This is the first time I've ever had a coleus and I am totally in love with them. I have been fighting these little buggers on my coleus for a couple of weeks now. I'm assuming they are night or early morning feeders since I've been finding them on my plant in the morning. I keep the plant on the deck and we have had a very wet month this year. What is the best method, either natural or store bought, should I use to control these dang things. It's breaking my heart 💔 to wake up and find more and more ate up leaves.

Wish I was better with caterpillars.. not sure if it's a good witch or a bad witch .. maybe find out which it is .. ask for the bug ID first?.. there are lots of knowledgeable bug people on here.. sadly this one I am not sure of
https://garden.org/forums/view...

After some intense googling, it shows this bugger as a webworm. It's mostly a tree pest but it seems to like my coleus quite well. I moved my plant from the back deck to the front porch and pulled off all the ate up leaves (a few trees in the back, none in the front). I'm still worried about my other plants in the back but nothing else seems to have been eaten so far (knock on wood). She's so pretty and I'd like to keep her on the deck so my guests can also enjoy her beauty. Has anybody dealt with these lil buggers and can anything be done to deter them, other than picking them off with my fingers (yuck), from my babies? Any solutions will be greatly appreciated .....

We would cut the branch off a tree with the web worms and burn it .. will not help you any .. sorry I am at a loss

If there are only a few I would just pick them off especially if it isn't the preferred meal but something meant for caterpillars like Bt could work.