The desert rose flower is native to Africa. This plant attracts the attention of gardeners with its unusual appearance and original inflorescence, which is compared to a rose or lily. For all its exoticism, caring for the desert rose is not at all difficult, and even beginners can cope with growing this unusual crop.
In today's article we will look at the features of this African plant, as well as the nuances that should be taken into account when growing it at home.
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.
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.
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
Detailed description of propagation methods of Adenium obesum
Experienced gardeners use two propagation methods: cuttings and seeds. Let's look at both methods in more detail.
Cuttings
If your plant has long shoots, pruning is recommended to shape the crown and control the plant's growth. You can use pruned branches to create interesting new plant shapes.
The benefit of cuttings is that you can do a lot of cool things, like grafting cuttings from succulents that bloom one color onto plants that bloom a different color. You can also staple several different cuttings together to create a unique flower.
In Europe you can often find Adenium obesum grafted onto an Oleander plant. This grafting method allows the Desert Rose to grow faster and produce more flowers.
Branches at least 15 cm long make ideal cuttings for rooting. After pruning the plant, select the best cuttings. Lay them out on newspaper or paper towels in a warm, dry place out of direct sunlight and let them dry for 48 hours.
- Prepare a pot or container with a well-draining, sandy-based potting mix. You can use a potting mix for cacti and succulents, or form your own using equal amounts of all-purpose potting soil, coir or peat moss, sand and very fine gravel. Be sure to place a layer of coarse gravel or expanded clay at the bottom of the container for good drainage. Some gardeners root in water.
- Treat the cut end with Kornevin and stick it into the soil. Use a spray bottle to thoroughly saturate the planting mixture. Moisten every couple of days to keep the soil moist, but don't let it become soggy. Adenium does not like waterlogging, and the roots quickly rot.
- Place the potted seedling in a warm, lighted area indoors or outdoors and keep a close eye on it. If you are using an indoor environment, be sure to turn the young plant every day or two to ensure it receives even sunlight. Otherwise it will tilt towards the sun.
When the cutting starts to produce new leaves, it means it has taken root well enough. Adenium can be moved to a sunnier place. Mature, well-rooted Desert Rose plants will thrive in full sun. A young seedling grown from a cutting will not initially have a thick, interesting root structure above the ground. The caudex will develop below the soil level and can later be exposed when replanted without harming the plant.
Propagation of Adenium by seeds
The advantage of propagating a flower from seed is that you can be sure of growing a plant with a thick base of aerial caudex - this is what makes these plants so interesting and attractive. The Caudex will take several years to form, so you need to be patient.
Many hybrids are propagated mainly by grafting onto rootstocks obtained from seedlings.
You can buy Adenium obesum seeds online or from specialist nurseries, but the seeds must be fresh. The fresher the seed, the better the germination results. If you have several plants to cross-pollinate, you can collect Desert Rose seeds from your flowers late in the growing season and plant them in the spring.
Note the sprouting legume-like seed pods. They usually appear in pairs. As the pods mature, they will begin to become swollen. At this point, you can place a small pouch over the capsules and secure it with thread or a rubber band. This will prevent the seeds from scattering when the pod bursts. When the pod bursts, collect the seeds and remove the dandelion-like fuzz from the ends. For best results, plant fresh seeds immediately.
How to sow Adenium seeds
- Before planting seeds, first prepare a nutritious soil mixture consisting of 50% peat moss or coconut fiber and 50% sand or perlite. Use a shallow container or tray. The seeds can be pre-soaked.
- Scatter the seeds evenly over the surface of the soil and lightly cover them with a thin layer of sand. Use a spray bottle to evenly saturate the growing medium with water. This process must be repeated every other day until the seeds germinate.
- Place the seed container in an area with bright, indirect light. For sprouts to germinate, it is necessary to maintain a constant temperature of the nutrient medium from 26 to 29 °C.
- Expect sprouts to appear within three to seven days. Continue to mist them every couple of days. The seedlings should be large enough to be transplanted into separate containers (after about a month).
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
Care during this time
After buds appear on the adenium, it is important that the flower does not drop them. To do this, you need to provide favorable conditions for growth and flowering.
- Lots of light. Adenium is a light-loving plant, so if it is not possible to move it to an eastern or southern window, then artificial lighting should be provided.
- Do not allow the soil to dry out. If the plant does not have enough moisture, it may drop its buds or be unable to open them.
- Low air humidity. At high humidity levels, the buds begin to rot from the inside. It is for this reason that it is not recommended to spray adenium during the flowering period.
It is necessary to carefully remove faded flowers so that the blooming adenium does not waste energy on growing fruits.
Read more about caring for adenium here.
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.
Morphology
On adult specimens, the stem, or caudex, becomes swollen, thick, and often oddly shaped. This gives adenium an unusual and amazing appearance. The leaves are usually bright green. During the dry season, the desert rose is filled with colorful flowers. The size of adenium can reach 5 meters, but there are also varieties that require a small bowl in an apartment. Currently, a large number of desert rose hybrids have been bred. They are characterized by a wide variety of flower colors - from traditional red to striped and orange. It is worth noting that adenium is poisonous and children and pets should not come into contact with it. After handling the plant, wash your hands thoroughly with soap.
