Adenium is a very unusual plant. It is a small tree with a swollen base and a bright green crown. During flowering, it is abundantly covered with flowers, for which it is often called a desert rose, an Imperial lily or a star of Sabinia. At home, adenium looks very exotic, but does not require much care. Therefore, flower growers are proud to buy and cultivate this exotic delight.
Plant description
Adenium is a deciduous succulent plant from the Kutrovy family. His homeland is North Africa, Malaysia and Thailand. In the natural environment, these massive trees reach a height of 3 m, but in a room culture they do not exceed 50-60 cm. The tree has a characteristic caudex (the trunk is very thickened from below). The stems are covered with smooth grayish bark. Sometimes it changes color from light brown to greenish. Caudex continues underground. The roots resemble swollen, intricately interlaced processes.
Above the thickening there are several thinner and branched shoots, on which leaves with flowers grow. Bright green shiny leaves on short petioles have an oval or lanceolate shape. They have smooth sides and a pointed edge. Adenium leaf is slightly bent along the central vein, its length is 8-15 cm.
Adenium begins to bloom at the age of two. At first, his crown is covered with rare single flowers, but every year there are more of them. Five-petalled flowers with a small tube have a brighter middle and bright petals of different shades of pink. Flowering lasts several months, and in favorable conditions lasts all year.
It is important to remember that the juice of the plant is toxic, like the rest of the representatives of the Kutrovy family. It is safer to wear gloves to work with adenium, and after trimming and transplanting, you should rinse your skin well. Although there are animals in nature that eat the leaves of adenium without consequences, it is better to put a pot with it away from children and pets.
Types of Adenium
In the genus of adenium, there are about 50 species of plants. In culture, you can find only a few of them.
Adenium obesum or obese. The plant has a very thickened (up to 1 m) base of the trunk. The bark on the stems is smooth, bluish. Together with thin branches, the tree reaches 1.5 m in height. Crohn consists of rare gray-green leaves. The length of the leathery leaf does not exceed 10 cm. In summer, pink flowers with a diameter of 4-6 cm are formed at the ends of the shoots.
Adenium multiflora or multiflorous. Above the caudex, there are many highly branched, thin shoots. By structure, this species is more inclined to shrubs. Flowering begins at the beginning of winter. At the ends of the branches, several flowers with a diameter of 5-7 cm are formed. Snow-white petals have a clear pink or red border.
Adenium crispum. This species is distinguished by narrower and longer leaves. The edges of the sheet plate have a wavy surface. Most of the caudex is hidden underground like a turnip. In May-September, several tubular flowers bloom in the apical leaf outlet. The petals at the base are painted white and yellow, and towards the edge they acquire a rich raspberry hue. In the center of the petal are 2-3 bright longitudinal stripes.
Breeding methods
Reproduction of adenium is possible by seed and vegetative methods. Seeds are ordered online or purchased at trusted stores. No need to pull with a fit because they quickly deteriorate. The best time to grow adenium by sowing seeds is spring. You can produce crops in another season, but then you need lighting.
2 hours before sowing, the seeds are soaked in water or a weak solution of manganese. The soil is composed of charcoal, sand and perlite. Seeds are deepened by 1-1.5 cm, moisten the soil and cover the pot with a film. The greenhouse is placed in a warm and bright place, but direct sunlight is unacceptable. Every day you need to ventilate the seedlings and remove the condensate. Shoots appear in 10-14 days. After the formation of 2 true leaves, the seedlings are transplanted without dive into separate small pots. For planting, use soil for adult plants.
Vegetative propagation allows you to quickly get a flowering tree and not lose varietal characters. However, the formation of caudex in this case is a big question. When pruning, you can take the apical stalk 10-12 cm long. The cut is sprinkled with crushed charcoal and dried for 1-2 days. Cuttings are planted in a sand-perlite mixture. Seedlings contain at a temperature of + 24 ... + 26 ° C.
A more effective method is the rooting of air layers. Without completely separating the shoot, they cut the bark in a circle. The incision is treated with root and wrapped with sphagnum. A film is fixed on top of the moss. Regularly pour water under the bandage for a month. After this period, you can find small roots. Now the stalk is completely separated and planted in a pot.
Succulent vaccination
Inoculate the apical shoots on an oleander or adenium. This method allows you to get a plant with large caudex and various types of shoots. In stores you can buy adenium with several varieties of scions. Vaccination is carried out in a standard way. During the adaptation period, it is important to protect the flower from direct sunlight and remove the shoots from the stock.
Home Care
Adeniums are unpretentious in care, at home it is important for them to choose a good place. The plant needs intense, continuous lighting and is not afraid of direct sunlight. It is recommended to use the southern or eastern window sills. In winter, you may need backlighting. With a lack of light, the stems are very elongated.
Desert flowers prefer a hot climate. The optimum temperature for them is + 25 ... + 35 ° C. It is not necessary to specially lower the air temperature during the rest period, but if necessary, the adenium can withstand cooling to + 10 ... + 14 ° C.
Humidity of urban apartments is quite suitable for plants. It normally tolerates dry air. Infrequent spraying is allowed, but moisture on the flowers will lead to their soon withering.
On hot summer days, adenium needs abundant watering. Excess fluid should immediately leave the pot, and the earth should dry out by half. By winter, watering is reduced to once a month.
In the spring-summer period, adenium needs top dressing. Cactus complexes should be used. Mineral compositions for flowering plants are used in half dosage.
Transplant Rules
Adenium flower is transplanted every 1-3 years. You need to choose wide but shallow pots. Drainage material must be poured to the bottom. The soil for a desert rose should include the following components:
- turf land;
- sheet earth;
- sand.
The substrate must have neutral acidity. When transplanting, they try to free the roots from most of the earthen coma. Watering the adenium begins in 2-3 days.
Pruning
Pruning adenium allows you to give the plant a very beautiful look resembling a bonsai. The procedure is performed in early spring, before the start of the growing season. The lower the trunk is cut, the more thin branches are formed. They can be twisted and thinned out at will.
To increase the height of the caudex or to achieve its interweaving, when transplanted, the plant is raised slightly higher above the ground. You can also plant it at an angle. The branches gradually straighten, and the caudex looks very unusual.
