Desert rose flower or adenium - what it is and what it looks like
Adenium is a deciduous plant that belongs to the Kutrovaceae family. Initially, this rose was found only in Egypt, Thailand, Malaysia and North Africa. However, now flower growers from almost all countries are engaged in growing the flower.
Desert rose - a beautiful and unusual flower
The main feature of the desert rose can be considered its height. The tree can grow up to three meters. However, when grown at home, the desert rose is not so tall and reaches only 60-70 centimeters. Also among the features of the plant one can highlight its trunk, which is thicker at the bottom and because of this stands out noticeably.
The side stems of adenium are covered with perfectly smooth gray bark. Sometimes its shade changes, causing the surface of the stems to become lighter, with a greenish tint. The plant has a well-developed root system. The root grows widely underground if the flower is properly cared for.
The side shoots of the plant are covered with flowers and leaves. The foliage grows on small petioles. It has an oval shape and is painted in a bright greenish color. The sides of the leaves are smooth, and the edges are more pointed. The average length of each leaf is 10-15 centimeters.
A planted plant can bloom only at the age of two. First, a small number of rare and single flowers are formed on the crown. However, gradually there are more of them and the tree is completely covered with flower buds. The petals are painted bright pink. At the same time, the middle of the flower is brighter.
Additional Information! The plant blooms for 3-4 months. However, with proper care, it can please the owner twice as long.
Adenium obese
The most popular plant on our window sills is Adenium obesum. It is one of the most unpretentious and early flowering. The leaves are green, oblong, round or slightly pointed at the ends, but there are also variegated, yellow, white and even red! They can be shiny and glossy, or they can be dull or slightly pubescent.
The coloring of flowers through the efforts of breeders is simply amazing - from pure white to dark red and even burgundy with blue. The size of flowers of adenium obese is 6-7 cm in diameter. Flowering usually begins at the age of 1.5-2 years, and its duration ranges from 2-3 months to a year. Of course, a lot depends not only on the variety, but also on the conditions of detention. Adeniums with variegated and colored leaves require maximum sun, grow more slowly and bloom reluctantly.
The main thing you should not forget is that adenium belongs to the Kutrov family, which means that all parts of the plant are poisonous. I myself do not use gloves when working with adenium, but after work I wash my hands thoroughly. If there is a wound on the hand, gloves are necessary.
Attention! Adenium obese is one of the most poisonous indoor plants. The Aborigines impregnate arrowheads with it. Therefore, it is excluded for growing where there are small children and pets.
Popular types and varieties
Adenium care at home: rules for pruning and replanting the plant
Despite the fact that there are about fifty varieties of plants in the genus, only a few of them are popular among gardeners. The most famous types of adenium include the following:
- Fat. This plant differs from other varieties in its beautiful and rather thick trunk base, which looks like a stone. The stems of the fat desert rose have a smooth surface, colored bluish. In its natural environment, the tree grows up to one and a half meters. At home, the height of the rose can reach 70-75 centimeters. Obese adenium blooms in the first half of summer, when pink flowers begin to form on the shoots.
- Multi-flowered. In appearance, this plant looks more like a shrub than a tree. Multi-flowered adenium is characterized by early flowering. It begins to bloom in early December. During this period, flowers with a diameter of 7-8 centimeters are formed on the stems. The petals are painted white with a pinkish border.
- Crispum. A distinctive feature of this plant is its elongated and narrow leaves with a wavy surface. Crispum flowering begins at the end of May and lasts until the first half of September. The petals are white with a slight yellowish tint.
Fat rose is one of the most famous plant species
Additional Information! In the central part of some petals you can see several longitudinal stripes.
Adenium transplant
The root system of adenium develops very quickly and loves a fairly large space. If the plant is young, I replant it more often, sometimes even twice a year. The material of the pot does not matter, the shape is much more important.
To plant adenium, I use shallow, wide round pots with plenty of drainage holes. For small plants, you can take a deeper pot.
The color of the container also matters. Since your adenium will be constantly in the sun, do not choose dark pots - they get very hot, which is not at all good for the roots.
At the beginning of the growing season, and it falls in the spring, I carry out a planned transplant of adenium so that by autumn the substrate is completely absorbed by the roots. To avoid rotting after transplanting, I do not water for at least 2-3 days.
Growing Desert Rose at Home
Adenium flower - home care
Many people want to achieve fast growth of flowers grown at home. To achieve this, you need to familiarize yourself with the main features of caring for the desert rose flower.
Soaking seeds is a mandatory procedure before planting them.
How to plant and care
To plant a desert rose, you must follow these steps:
- Prepare the soil. First you need to prepare the soil in which the seed will be planted. To do this, peat mixed with agrovermiculite and agroperlite is added to it. You can also use ready-made compositions for growing cacti. They contain a sufficient amount of minerals that adenium needs.
- Seed preparation. Before planting, all seeds must be placed in a moistened cloth and treated with a special growth stimulator.
- Landing. The prepared seeds should be placed on the ground and deepened by 1-2 centimeters.
Containers with planted seeds should be covered with plastic wrap and transferred to a warm room in which the temperature does not drop below 30 degrees Celsius.
Important! Before transplanting into open ground, the plant must be regularly watered and fed so that the foliage does not begin to fall.
Care errors
If adenium stops growing and blooming well, it means serious mistakes were made during cultivation. Among the common ones are the following:
- Growing in the wrong place. The rose may stop blooming if grown in poorly lit areas. It should be planted in areas with sufficient sunlight.
- Incorrect watering. Some owners irrigate the flower too often, which leads to rotting of the root system. Flowers should be watered no more than once every three days.
- Late application of fertilizers. Due to a lack of nutritional components, plant foliage begins to turn yellow and dry out. To prevent this from happening, you need to add mineral fertilizers and organic matter to the soil every two months.
Desert rose should be grown in well-lit areas
Reproduction methods
Propagating adeniums is not an easy task. But if you like to tinker with flowers, then you will definitely succeed. When planting seeds, be prepared for the fact that the new sprouts will not inherit the generic differences of their species. To get exactly the same variety, it is better to plant cuttings. And for a pronounced caudex, aerial budding is suitable.
How to plant adenium seeds correctly
To get positive results, choose only fresh seeds. The germination rate of stale ones is quite low. Sow them in late February or early March. Before sowing, soak for half an hour in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then place for 3-4 hours in a warm Zircon solution.
The substrate should consist of charcoal, sand and vermiculite. Scatter the seeds in a thin layer over the moistened surface, and sprinkle the same soil mixture on top. Cover the box with the crops with film, which must be removed daily for ventilation. It should be in a very warm place with a temperature of 33-35 degrees, but direct sunlight should not fall on it. Then the seeds can sprout in a week.
If it is cooler, this period may increase to 2-3 weeks. If you don’t notice any sprouts after a month, you don’t have to wait any longer - they won’t sprout.
Add light to the seedlings using a fluorescent lamp. The room temperature can be reduced to 20-25 degrees (but not lower than 18°C). Ventilate the seedlings from time to time.
After four leaf blades appear, pick the plants into separate containers. In the first year of life, adenium needs watering more than adult plants.
Cuttings
If you want to preserve all varietal characteristics, use cuttings for propagation. Just keep in mind that this method does not guarantee the formation of a caudex. Cuttings are dangerous because the root may rot during engraftment. But if you do everything right, you will get new plants.
Cuttings can be taken both in spring and summer. The main thing is that they are not less than 10 cm and no more than 15 cm. They can be placed in glasses of water while waiting for roots to form, or they can be planted in the soil mixture. But first, dry the trimmings by smearing the cut lines with charcoal or rootstock. In a day you can plant:
- in perlite;
- in vermiculite;
- into a mixture of sand and charcoal;
- into a mixture of sand and perlite;
- into crushed expanded clay.
Place fine sand around the rooting site to prevent the future root from rotting. Provide the seedlings with access to sunlight and heat of at least 25 degrees. Water without fanaticism - the soil should not be too wet. After 4-5 weeks, the cuttings should take root.
How to propagate by air layering
This method can be used in May-June. Using a sharp knife, make a cut around the stem without cutting it completely. Wait until it dries and lubricate it with a root growth stimulator. Cover the cut with sphagnum moss, wrapping it in opaque plastic and securing it with tape. Moisten the moss regularly.
In about a month, roots will appear. Separate the air layer from the mother shoot and plant it in a separate pot filled with cactus soil.
This is the easiest way to grow adenium. The procedure can be carried out on young and adult plants. The main thing is that the shoot is at least 2 cm in diameter. After just a year, air layering can throw out flowers. True, they are usually not as bright as those of the mother bush.
Reproduction by grafting
This method is suitable for caudex lovers. Using a sharp, clean knife, make cuts on the scion and rootstock and connect them to each other. To keep them together, glue them with a special spray. For a positive result, the grafted adenium should be kept at temperatures above 30 degrees with high humidity. There should be a lot of lighting, but the light should be diffused. Be sure to cut off any sprouts that appear on the rootstock.
What kind of pot is needed for adenium
The pot for adenium must be light. This color will help protect the roots of the bush from overheating. Transplant adult succulents into containers that are not very deep, but wide enough. After all, the root system of a plant grows in breadth, not depth.
Optimal conditions of detention
Every person who is going to grow adenium should become familiar with the conditions in which it should grow.
Why Adenium does not bloom - reasons
Particular attention should be paid to the air temperature in the room where the flower grows. Desert rose is a heat-loving plant that does not bloom well at low temperatures. Therefore, the air in the room should warm up to 25-30 degrees Celsius. The ideal place to grow a flower is a sunlit windowsill.
Important! There is no need to specifically raise the temperature in the room, since the plant feels comfortable at 15-20 degrees Celsius.
You also need to monitor the air humidity in the room. It should not exceed 50-60%.
To create optimal conditions, adenium is often grown in greenhouses
Precautionary measures
To protect the plant from diseases and pests, certain precautions must be taken:
- for prevention, the flower must be treated with insecticides and fungicides once a month;
- when incurable viral diseases appear, the plant must be destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease;
- In order for a planted flower to get sick less often, it must be regularly fed with fertilizers.
Aphids are a dangerous pest that often appears on roses.
Important! When treating plants with chemicals, you must use protective gloves and goggles.
Desert rose is a beautiful and unusual flower that attracts many gardeners with its appearance. Before planting it, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of caring for the desert rose adenium at home.
