Adenium is a corpulent or Desert rose, in spite of the fact that it doesn’t look like a rose at all - it justifies its name. He is one of the most beautiful flowering plants of the desert.
This small tree with a fleshy trunk perfectly stuck in our apartments and invariably pleases flower growers. About what this plant is, how to grow Adenium and form caudex, what diseases and pests can threaten him and we will talk in this article.
Motherland
In nature, it is a tree or shrub originating from the arid regions of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Its characteristic, giving color, is caudex - a thickening of the trunk in the lower part.
At a young age, the outlines of Adenium Obesum resemble a bottle. But over time, the roots thicken, grow over the surface, creating this unusual, leaving no one indifferent look.
In the upper part of the trunk there are branches covered with glossy dense leaves. In the desert, where the area of plant nutrition is not limited by anything, Obesums reach a considerable height and thickness.
But it is not the largest species. Adenium fat at home rarely grows more than a meter.
A photo
Bloom
Early spring Adenium blooms. The flowers are quite large, from 3 to 7 cm, most often in a red-pink-white gamut. Natural specimens have a simple flower. Hybrid sometimes terry. Flowers do not smell.
Therefore, it is better for the winter to place it in a cool room with a temperature not lower than 12 degrees. Watering with the need to stop. And the lighting is bright.
If during wintering, he still threw off the leaves, then it is quite possible that in the spring flowers will appear first on bare branches, and then leaves.
Adeniums are succulents and caudex plants. That is, they have a thickened basal part in which nutrients accumulate. It is caudex that makes such plants very decorative.On our site you will find detailed information about such ones: Nolina and Pachipodium.
Care
Caring for Adenium is not as difficult as it may seem at first. Enough to fulfill a number of conditions and this beautiful plant will delight you with its unique appearance.
Lighting
During the active growing season, the plant must be kept at the most bright place. is he not afraid of direct sunlight even on the south window sill at noon! At this time, watering should be quite abundant. But do not keep the soil wet all the time.
Watering
Water it so that the whole earthen room is moistened. And the next watering only after all the earth in the pot, and not just the surface, dries completely. You can even wait a day or two. Then water it plentifully again.
Priming
Soil for Adeniums need not choose the most nutritious - remember that this is a deserted tree. Land suitable for cacti or any neutral substrateIn which you need to add a fair amount of river sand and small stones.
Pot selection
It is very important to choose the size of the pot. It should be flat and wide, diameter 2-3 times greater than the depth.
If such dishes are not found, then it is necessary to pour claydite or ceramic shards to a deep pot until the middle of the height. And only then add land.
Another important point: the amount of land should not be excessive.
Choose a pot so that a plant of any age looks bonsai. In a large amount of soil, the probability of root rot is very high due to the slow drying of the substrate.
Young plants are transplanted annually in spring. Adults can be transplanted less frequently.
Top dressing
You can feed the plants from early spring to autumn, during the whole growing season. Here, too, the rule applies: do no harm! Fertilizers take a reduced dose. Adenium is better not to feed than to feed. The first month after transplantation is not fed.
The endurance of Adenium fat, his plasticity, ability to adapt to different conditions of existence made him the most popular among breeders and landscape designers.
Born in the African desert, Obesum in recent years has spread around the world. Particularly surprising is his prevalence and well-being on Thai farms, where he, a child of stones, sand and sun, stoically tolerates the period of monsoon rains.
And it was from Thailand that the Adenium formation patterns came to us, causing admiration among all without exception.
Also in Thailand, a lot of work is being done to create new varieties of this wonderful plant. Seeds of hybrids created on adenium farms are distributed throughout the world.
Among the succulents you can find a lot of very interesting and unusual specimens of plants for growing at home.We present to your attention detailed information about such of them, as Lithops and Khoy.
Breeding
Seeds
Seed propagation causes almost no difficulties. Seeds are large, germination with timely sowing is good.
However, in my practice there was a case when the seeds of a three-year-old prescription, deposited in a secluded place and safely forgotten there, were discovered. So, the germination of these seeds was slightly lower, but most germinated.
The sowing technique is very simple: the seeds are simply laid out on the surface of the damp earth, the container is closed with a film and placed under the lamp.
Shoots appear on the fifth day. It is advisable to pre-sanitize the substrate in the microwave so that there is no mold under the film. You can pre-soak the seeds for swelling or for disinfection. But I do not do this.
After germination, the film begins to gradually open. It is necessary to provide heat, moisture and very good lighting for young plants. If you can organize it all, you can sow all year round. The most favorable in my opinion time for sowing - January-February.
In March, the grown seedlings can already be put on natural light, and in the first growing season we can begin to form a crown, caudex, and experiment with forms. Seedlings grow different, even if all are of the same kind. In the summer you can already see what kind of pruning plant needs.
But it pleases no less. Even from the seeds of one variety there are no completely identical plants. Flowering Adenium grown from seeds - always a surprise.
Cuttings
Another method of reproduction is cutting. When forming the crown of an adult plant, sprigs always remain. Here they are used for rooting.
After cutting the branches, it is necessary to dry the day, and then put it into a container with a minimum amount of water so that the end of the cutting about 1 cm is dipped into the water. Or immediately prikopat in the ground without pre-irrigation, cover with a glass and wait for rooting.
Water no earlier than a week, and better in two, a little bit around the perimeter of the pot, and not under the stem!
When breeding in this way, caudex, the most colorful part of Adenium, is formed for a long time, several years. And it may not work out at all. So that the plant does not remain a dumb, you can try during reproduction in this way to grow a few branches in the lower part.
To do this, the skin is cut from the connected sides of the branches, the branches are pressed tightly and firmly tied at the bottom. Dried cuttings are planted in a pot and cover with a jar. Adeniums grow well.
Inoculation
This ability of the Adeniums for the rapid healing of wounds and the accretion of stripped parts is also used for another type of reproduction - vaccinations. In the caudex of an adult plant, a hole is made, a pointed stalk is inserted into it from another plant, it is very tightly joined and the connection is fixed.
After some time, the inoculation starts to grow. In this way, it is possible to achieve the flowering of many different flowers on one plant.
Caudex formation
The formation procedure can be in two ways.:
- The nails of the thumb and index fingers pinch the growth point in the upper part of the stem.
This operation stimulates the beginning of the branching of Adenium, contributes to the thickening of the trunk. Can be carried out repeatedly starting from 3 months throughout life.
- It is possible to carry out and trimming the taproot.
The stem of the Adenium is thickened at the bottom. This is caudex, the most decorative element of the plant.. Below, the caudex passes into taproot, which also thickens, begins to wriggle and gives a very interesting shape to the plant.
Many growers leave the taproot in its natural state, baring it as much as possible, thereby giving originality to the plant.
But often, this taproot is cut off to give lateral fibrous roots to develop, spread them out on the surface, giving the plant symmetry and emphasizing the beauty of the caudex. You can simply pin the rod root at the age of one month.
But if this is not done or a new rod has grown at the place of the removed one, then an operation on the grown-up plant will be ahead.
- It is necessary to remove Adenium from the ground, wash the roots.
- Clean the blade with a clean blade exactly across.
- Sprinkle the wound with charcoal or ground cinnamon.
- While the cut dries out, it is necessary to disinfect the new earth <in the microwave oven, pour claydite onto the bottom of the pot, and then the cooled down earth. Under the cut point put something rotten, for example, a piece of plastic, a coin or the same expanded clay.
- Put the plant in the pot. Spread small roots on the surface, sprinkle them on the ground, without deepening. Around the caudex, too, pour a little bit of earth, compact it so that the plant does not lean and fall.
So laid a new kind of caudex. After such pruning, it thickens much more actively, and overgrown side roots give additional texture to the whole plant.
On one plant you can perform both operations, and can be one thing.
In the video below you can see how the caudens are formed in Adenium:
Diseases
The plants are very hardy. Diseases Adenium is rarely affected, do not suffer from insect parasites. Apparently, the reason for this is poisonousness of Adenium itself.
The most serious disease is root decay. This happens when excessive watering and hypothermia occurs..
For a long time, Adenium looks healthy. But if you do not take action, then it will be difficult to save him.
Therefore, from time to time we check the caudex and surface roots for softening.
If you find a very soft area - it is urgent to cut it and treat the wound with cinnamon or activated charcoal.
The plant will have to be removed from the ground, inspected and put to dry for at least a day, or better for a week.
If the softening does not spread further - we land in a new, disinfected in the microwave earth. The first time we do not water. For Adenium, it's not scary.
Adenium Obesum, home care for which is not particularly difficult, should be at each grower. This ascetic will make the life of its owner interesting and fulfilling. Good luck!
