Adenium, or desert rose, is the name of this beautiful flower, which relatively recently appeared on the Russian flower market and instantly became popular with most lovers of indoor plants. The flower was imported from Africa and is one of the most unusual and most beautiful flowering plants.
Plant description
Adeniums belong to succulents, have simple leaves that are located on small cuttings. The flower stores nutrients and water at the bottom of the trunk, in a special thickening. The adenium plant has funnel-shaped flowers that are collected in inflorescences. They can be red, white or pink. And you can also meet two-tone, double and tri-color flowers. In the wild, succulents will grow up to ten meters in height. At home, the height of the adenium is 35 cm. The flowering period depends on the variety and species. It can bloom in spring, summer or early fall. Adeniums are common in Africa, on the Arabian Peninsula and on the island of Socotra.
It is no coincidence that the flower is very popular among gardeners. This plant combines exoticism with unpretentiousness. In the warm season, blooming adeniums with juicy green leaves will decorate your room, and in the winter, an original bonsai with thick, strong roots that resemble intertwined snakes will appear.
Plant species
The appearance of adenium depends on its variety:
- Obesum is quite popular in floriculture and is considered the most unpretentious of all adeniums. This species has a large stalk, which is wide at the base and tapers to the apex. Green leaves with a glossy sheen, with a rounded or pointed tip.
- Multiflorum is a shrub, but under suitable conditions it can grow to a small three-meter tree. It grows pretty fast. The stems are brown in color, the flowers are light, on the edge of their dark red edging.
- Arabicum has a wide base of the trunk, and the leaves reach 20 cm in length and 12 cm in width. Pink flowers.
- Socotranum may have a stem base up to 2.5 m in diameter. This is the slowest growing variety of adeniums. Branches grow exclusively on the top of the plant. The leaves are green, in the middle there is a vein of a white hue. Pink flowers can reach 14 cm in diameter.
- Somalence is a small tree five meters high. The leaves are narrow and long, in the middle there is a white vein. Flowers are five centimeters in size with different colors from pink to burgundy.
- Boehmanianum is a shrub up to three meters in height with long and thick stems. Leaflets in the shape of a heart of a grayish-green color. Pink flowers resemble the shape of a circle.
- Oliefolium has green leaves with a bluish tint. Pink flowers with a yellow or snow-white middle.
- Swazikum in height no more than one meter. Light green leaves are often curled along the longitudinal axis. Flowers are up to 7 cm in diameter from pink to purple.
- Variegated adeniums are represented by a large number of different specimens. For example, a plant may have golden or multi-colored variegated leaves; there may be a dark red vein in the center of the leaf.
Propagation of adenium by cuttings
As a rule, the plant is propagated by cuttings or seeds. The process of propagation by cuttings is considered more complicated. First, choose the upper shoots of adenium, a little more than ten centimeters long. Then they are dried using charcoal. Then the cuttings are planted in a mixture of sand and coal. For the formation of roots, it is necessary that the temperature in the room is twenty-five degrees and bright lighting. Mostly roots appear thirty days after planting.
Growing adenium from seeds
Even an aspiring florist can grow adenium. Seeds are purchased at flower shops that sell exotic plants. Germination of fresh seeds reaches one hundred percent, but the more time has passed, the worse they germinate, so it is better to plant immediately after buying seeds. If the seeds did not work, then they are placed in a sealed package and put in the refrigerator for better germination. In appearance, the seeds look like small sticks.
When choosing varieties of adenium, it is necessary to remember that there is a greater or lesser probability of a new plant deviating from the selected variety. The percentage of compliance is dependent on the characteristics of the flower. White and pink varieties are most stable in the manifestation of the properties of parents. An exact repetition of the color and shape of the mother plant is achieved only with vegetative propagation. Growing adenium from seeds is best done in the spring or summer. Before
planting seeds, gardeners are advised to process them for accelerated germination. Seeds can be placed in warm water or a damp cloth and put in a warm place for two to four hours. During soaking, it is possible to use different growth stimulants, as well as fungicides.
In practice, most gardeners do not soak the seeds and at the same time get excellent seedlings. A clear answer to this question does not exist, so everyone decides whether to soak the seeds or not. If you grow adenium for the first time, you can soak some of the seeds, and plant another without soaking. Growing adenium from seeds allows you to get a beautiful thickened root and compact crown.
Seed soil
The soil for sowing should be loose and breathable. The substrate can be made independently, for this you will need sand, peat, vermiculite and perlite. All components must be thoroughly mixed and slightly moistened. A ready-made soil mixture for orchids or succulents is perfect. A drainage is required in the tank. Before planting seeds, the soil is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Landing rules
It is desirable to arrange the seeds horizontally and sprinkle with earth about half a centimeter. The distance between the seeds should be three centimeters. Next, the seeds are watered with warm water and the container with the adenium is closed with a plastic film. A couple of times a day, you need to open the film for thirty minutes to air. Soil during germination should be moist, but not wet.
In order to grow adenium, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime in the range of 24–35 degrees. To heat a container with a plant, you can use a 40 W lamp. When growing adenium from seeds, sprouts appear after ten days, but there are times when and after twenty days. About four days after germination, the sprouts take a bottle shape. Young plants are best placed on the southern windowsill. As soon as four true leaves appeared, the succulent is dive. The grown plant is transplanted into a large container. Adenium grown from seeds blooms in the second year.
Adenium: home care
Caring for a plant at home is quite specific, but not complicated. Adenium belongs to succulents, so it needs warmth and light. In the spring and summer, the succulent needs five hours of sunlight every day, the temperature should be 23–28 degrees. A window sill on the south side is ideal for him, but the flower grows well in bright ambient light. In the autumn and winter, the adenium (photo below) is at rest and is gaining strength for flowering.
In October, it is necessary to rearrange the adenium pot in a bright, cool place with an air temperature of 13-15 degrees. During the dormant period, the shoots of the plant cease to grow; the foliage partially or completely falls. At this time, the flower does not need watering and top dressing. It is necessary to ensure that there are no drafts. Subject to the above conditions, adenium will wake up in March. If the plant is watered and kept warm, then the dormant period will last another couple of weeks.
Soil and plant nutrition
For adenium, land without peat would be preferable, and the presence of coarse sand in the mixture should be negligible. Florists recommend ordinary sheet soil for adenium. For an adult plant, 50% of small expanded clay or brick chips must be added to the soil. During the growing season, the plant should be fed once or twice every thirty days. To do this, you can apply fertilizer for cacti, after diluting it with water. In addition, conventional mineral dressings are suitable, but they should be in a weak concentration. Otherwise, excess minerals can harm the flower.
Plant transplant
The young plant is transplanted in the spring every year. An adult adenium transplant is required as needed when the roots will not fit in the old container, approximately every three years. The container for an adult plant should be shallow, but wide. The transplanted adenium is watered when the damaged roots dry. Plant transplantation rules:
- carefully remove the plant from the container;
- gently clean the root system of the earth;
- prune long roots, and remove the sick;
- dry the slices and treat with fungicide;
- plant the plant in another container with a new substrate.
Succulent Watering
Adenium, care of which during the summer period consists in constant hydration, is watered when the earth dries. Excess water adversely affects the adenium, for this reason it is better to skip watering than to excessively moisten the soil.
During the winter period, when the plant is at rest, watering the adenium is not required. Upon exiting hibernation, minimal moisture is required. The first serious watering of adenium should be done only fourteen days after the appearance of the kidneys. Adenium does not need spraying.
Pruning and plant appearance
It is possible to form a plant for every taste. Florists recommend conducting all operations during active growth. First you need to decide and decide which plant you want, since the depth of pruning depends on this. Cauterization of the growth center makes it possible to obtain branching in the upper part of the trunk. Pruning a plant in the middle of a branch will result in branching around the cut. Deep pruning will make it possible to obtain abundant branching from the caudex (lower wide part of the trunk). It must be remembered that pruning should be done below the cotyledon leaves. In addition, pruning adenium postpones the flowering period. The roots and branches of the plant can not be cut in the winter. There are several cropping methods to obtain a unique adenium:
- Circumcision of any parts of the succulent.
- Splicing of several adeniums.
- Weaving roots and branches.
- Direction of branches with soft wire.
When working with a flower, special care must be taken, since its juice is poisonous, so the use of gloves is mandatory. After trimming, it is advisable to wash your hands with soap. The appearance of adenium (photo above) depends entirely on your desires. You can make a plant with a thin stem or in the form of a ball with a large number of branches, or vice versa. It all depends on imagination and courage. Some species do not require crown formation and branch independently.
Diseases and Pests
Diseases in plants in most cases occur due to improper watering. The root system is mainly affected, as it is very sensitive to wet and cold substrates. To eliminate these troubles, a drained, instantly drying soil mixture is used. Excess fertilizer may be the cause of the disease. A significant part of the varieties of adenium grows well, therefore, fertilizing should be used only to replenish nutrients that are quickly absorbed into the soil.
Worms and spider mites are considered the main pests. Ticks in most cases affect the upper parts of the adenium, such as buds, tops of young shoots and leaflets. If you notice a change in the appearance of a flower or a new leaf, then, most likely, spider mites appeared in them. In order to avoid these troubles, it is necessary to carry out seasonal preventive treatments against pests.
Possible problems when growing a plant
Adenium at home may not bloom. This is most likely due to improperly selected soil, lack of pruning and dormancy in the winter. The leaves turn yellow and fall with drafts, hypothermia, diseases of the root system, with the approach of the dormant period. Being close to adenium with hygrophilous plants leads to fungal infections. With excess moisture, the plant may begin to rot the stem.
Adeniums have won the hearts of most gardeners around the world. Despite the exotic appearance, the flower perfectly adapts to home conditions, not particularly whimsical to care for. Compliance with the rules for keeping succulent during the dormant period will reward beautiful flowers.