This is the lump-all section where information not covered under their respective headings will be addressed here. One basic assumption that should be cleared now is that adeniums are NOT house plants. A flowering plant may be brought indoors so you can enjoy its beauty, but cannot be maintained indoors without high light intensities and heat. Even this change in environment will cause some leaf yellowing, and drop to occur. Adeniums are happiest when they have sufficient warmth, sunlight and ventilation.
Something about pruning should be mentioned here. Some plants naturally branch from the base lending an attractive look to the overall aesthetics. Some do not. I usually make a tip prune or a stem cut when plants are young. This way, the scar will not be evident on mature specimens later. A tip cut may be the removal of the smallest two leaves, to a stem cut of an inch or more of the tip. If your plants are actively growing, side branches will appear soon. These side branches will now take over in growing out evenly over the plant's base. I have seen a flush of growth emerge from trunks that were just a pencil thick long stem earlier. And transform from a toothpick looking plant into a marvelous specimen sporting ten or more side branches. The results over time will give you a specimen plant with many heads of blooms at once. These are the types of adeniums we tend to remember when seeing other collections. So if you start them off at an early age, they will all become beautiful specimens in time.
Another type of pruning involves fine feeder roots emerging from the caudex. On plants that have grown into their pots, sometimes one finds small roots emerging from the caudex region and growing in the soil below. I tend to prune these off as close to the caudex to make the scar invisible. This way, these fine feeder roots will not distort the caudex later by forming swollen roots hiding or covering the main caudex. Do not remove fine feeder roots below the caudex, as the plant needs these to survive and absorb nutrients. The caudex is basically a reservoir for the nutrients stored and not a tool for absorption.
Caudex formation is variable from species to species and plant to plant. Usually good cultivation practices leads to a good caudex development. These cultivation practices are not just fertilizer alone. But a porous well aerated soil and good drainage to list a few. High light intensities are required for the plants to produce excess carbohydrates which are stored in the caudex. Varying moist and dry periods also encourage good caudex development. Caudex formation is also encouraged by the origin of a plant. Seed-grown plants tend to produce a nice rounded base. But it is not to say that cutting grown plants do not. Some specimens from cutting grown plants also develops a caudex, but this caudex varies from a swollen stem to the roots resembling tubers of a sweet potato all merged into a pseudo-caudex base. Some stem thickening occurs in cutting-grown plants, but not usually as distinct as seed-grown starts. Most of the named selections are all cutting-propagated material, and have developed good caudexes over time.
Winter protection for some areas must be practiced as adeniums are more subtropical plants than true desert plants. In areas of cooler to freezing winters, plants must be grown and maintained indoors. If that must take place, I recommend a warm area with ventilation and high light intensities. Keep plants actively growing the year around. Some growers cut their plants back to just stems and tips and winter their plants as a semi-dormant leafless trunk. Wintering plants requires that a plant be kept minimally moist, and watered just to keep the soil from completely drying out. Disregard literature which state that plants be kept absolutely dry during winter. Adeniums must be kept evenly moist (not wet) and allowed high light intensities and warmth throughout the winter months. A circulating fan will help keep humidity and ventilation, and allow your plants to dry out between watering. When adjusting your plants to warmer, natural light and outside conditions, be sure to prune tips of etiolated growths and allow new growths to replace old growths. These will also reward you with more blooms and buds.
Standard growing techniques will also apply here. Like turning pots daily to keep growth evenly/upright. Watering and discarding excess water and not allow plants to sit in a saucer of water. Misting can also help in dry households, providing the plants can dry off before night.
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TEN MOST STUPID QUESTIONS
(These are not stupid, but answered here to save from asking out loud.)
1. How often do I water my plants?
This is a difficult question to answer. This is the same question when asking a human, how much water does he or she drink a day. That varies and also does the time, the quantity and so on. I use basic common sense when watering my plants. Variations in water absorption is inevitable. A potted plant grown in a windy sunny area will need a different watering regime then a plant growing in a a cool, humid and nightly raining environment. The watering question can also be tied in with the soil question coming up next. In most well drained potting mixtures, one can say that you want to water to allow the excess to drain freely from the bottom drain holes. But the duration and intervals vary from plant to plant and from household to household. What I usually recommend to my customers is to know the weight of your plant. Also know what the color of your soil is when it is dry. Combine these two characteristics for your judgement in watering. A heavy plant is often times too wet to be rewatered. A lightweight plant is usually near dryness. A soil coloration that is dark usually means that it is still wet, while a light-colored soil color suggests drier soil. Remember these are succulents, and when in doubt, don't water!
2. When do I transplant them?
I usually tell my eager customers who want giant size plants, never to overpot them. Overpotting only creates problems and makes knowing when your plant is thirsty difficult. never overpot your plant. Keep them in a soil mixture and pot size that accomodates most of their roots. Transplant them into larger size pots only as they've outgrown their previous pot size. I usually recommend that you transplant them only as they crack open their previous pots, split down the sides. Use a potting compost composed of equal amounts of potting soil ( I like Supersoil Potting Mix) with an addition of some medium to coarse cinders. Pumice on smaller sized plants. This mixture will vary depending on your area and watering schedule. Always remember to water your plants as early in the morning as possible. NEVER WATER YOUR PLANTS AFTER THE SUN HAS GONE DOWN!!!!! Please do not e-mail me for any questions on problems if you water your plants at night/dusk. I will just refuse to answer this STUPID QUESTION. When watering your plants, water in a circular motion to saturate the entire soil area and to prevent water to go through only a specific portion of your pot. To keep your root ball active and healthy, watering evenly is vital. Always water them so that excess water drains freely from the drain holes. This will wash out excess salts from adhering to the soil and pot bases. Most importantly, is that you water your plants if they are young and growing. The idea that these plants don't need any water like a cactus qualifies you and this question in the STUPID HALL OF FAME. Even though these plants are drought tolerant, as a young growing and developing starter, they need the nutrition and water needed to develop into healthy well developed plants. Any neglect or lack of intelligence of trying to save money on water and proper nutrition is why so many plants (and children) are retarded today! As developing starters, they require good sources of food and water to develop properly. this initial start is so vital that this alone will make a fantastic plant or a weak poor blooming specimen. IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION THAT YOUR FIFTEEN YEAR OLD PLANT IS STILL IN A SIX INCH POT AND LOOKS LIKE THE DAY YOU BOUGHT IT PLEASE DO NOT E-MAIL ME WITH THIS QUESTION. YOUR ANSWER TO WHY YOUR PLANTS AND CHILDREN ARE RETARDED HAVE BEEN ANSWERED IN THIS PARAGRAPH ALONE! Only after years of care of good nutrition and adequate water/watering will your plant develop a sizable caudex (swollen trunk/stem) and may be left alone with neglect for part of their growing cycle with no ill effects on flowering and growth patterns. But you must get it to this point in its early stages.
3. How often do I fertilize my plants?
This question has many answers. As seedlings, you must fertilize them regularly and often to keep them actively growing. Use small pots to grow these and transplant them a pot size at a time using a media composed of Supersoil potting mix and pumice. Use a timed-release fertilizer such as Osmocote or Nutricote with even range numbers. Supplement this with a weekly very dilute such as quarter strength of Peter’s Soluble Fertilizer. Again use an even balanced fertilizer for this drench. Be sure to water with plain water in between these nutrient feeding. Be sure to water with water at least five times in between these nutrient feeds. This will insure that the salts will be washed out and not collect at the bottom of the pots where the tender root tips are developing. When transplanting from one pot size to another, tip your plants to remove the excess spent fertilizer balls of the Nutricote and Osmocote so they do not flood the pots with excess water fillers. Use a fresh start of timed-release fertilizers when transplanting to a new pot. Once you have attained a five or six inch pot size, use a more coarse media consisting of cinders and Supersoil potting mix. This media will be better draining and will hold less water than the seedling grade mixes. Now instead of using an even balanced number ratio fertilizer, use one with a higher middle number (phosphorus). Also use a Peter’s Soluble fertilizer solution with also a higher middle number such as Peter’s Variegated Violet Special (5-50-17). On even larger potted specimens or plants for the ground, add Mag-Amp (7-40-6) and even bonemeal for added phosphorus for the future growth of these plants. Other fertilizers that are fine for these plants include Gaviota Orchid Organic Fertilizer, Seaweed Fertilizer (for seedlings), Sea Kelp (for seedlings), and mix with Super Thrive, LCF Solution and EM Solutions. The last three are supplements that will aid in your plant’s ability to absorb nutrients more efficiently and effectively!
Never fertilize your plants when they are bone dry. Be sure they are somewhat watered before and after you apply fertilizers so as not to burn the roots and stem bases. The best time to fertilize and water your plants is early in the morning. Watering with plain water later in the morning will help place the fertilizers to the roots at the bottom of the pot.
4. Can I grow these plants near a window that gets direct sunlight?
NO WAY! If you want to grow these indoors, you will need special lighting to provide a full spectrum lighting as well as provide a lamp that will give off heat. Special UV light bulbs will also be needed to supplement that special light that most desert plants require. The easiest way that’s practically FREE is to just grow them outdoors in natural unobstructed sunlight. Doesn’t get any easier does it???
You may take these plants indoor for that special party or event to show them off, but they should go back outside just after the party. Leaf drop is irreversible and once they start, you may end up with a plant with few leaves leaving stems with just buds.
5. My plant is always dead looking with few leaves, what am I doing wrong? Go back to the beginning. Is it in FULL SUNLIGHT, does it get WATER somewhat regularly, has it ever been FED/FERTILIZED, is it in a pot that the root ball can match its POT SIZE. If all these questions are answered and correctly done, then chances are you have a pest problem. Possibly mites. ONLY A MITICIDE WILL EFFECTIVELY KILL MITES. Most miticides are very costly. Share the cost of them with a fellow grower. You will usually just need a fraction of a teaspoon at a time to do the job. But you should have at least two types of miticides for alternating to prevent immunity by the mites to your spray solution. There are ways to discourage mites from spreading or getting established. Tip pruning helps. Destroy these tips in Clorox and water in a bucket, also swab the stems with rubbing alcohol to kill any mites that may have escaped. Water the new leaves and buds with a fine mist of water regularly, early in the morning to prevent fungal problems. But if you have a lot of plants, it will be worth your investment to get the miticides. Maverik and Avid are two good ones for use. Kelthan WP, and Orthene WP can also be used to supplement this alternating scheme.
6. My plants are always in flower but I have never gotten a seed pod.
You need two unrelated plants in bloom at about the same time for seeds to develop if a moth is present. The desert rose is pollinated by the Oleander Hawk Moth which appears usually at dusk just after the sun goes down. They hover and resemble hummingbirds buzzing from flower to flower for nectar. The process also pollinates these blooms and a seed pod is developed. You may also hand pollinate your plants to get a more accurate seed set.
7. My neighbor told me of a miracle fertilizer that makes plants bloom better.
If you followed these basic guidelines, you don’t need to spend another dime on any miracle fertilizers. The desert rose will bloom like crazy no matter what fertilizer you used. The plants must become thick and healthy at the juvenile stages for proper flowering and development to occur. Large specimens have bloomed much more than fertilized plants when given no water or fertilizers when grown well initially.
8. I’ve seen desert rose plants grow in Feng Shui water fountains, in a bathroom, in a bedroom, even in an small fish bowl with fighting fish in it.
IF YOU SAW THESE GROWING THAT WAY, YOU SHOULD HAVE ASKED THE PERSON THAT GREW THEM LIKE THAT HOW THEY MANAGED TO DO IT AND HOW OLD THEY HAVE BEEN GROWING IN THAT SITUATION. These plants originate from hot, sunny deserts that are usually next to a skeleton of a gazelle. These plants thrive in the heat and cancer-causing sunlight that we don’t appreciate. They have been growing in this situation for centuries. They cannot adapt to a new environment, overnight, just because you need a pink flower for the kitchen! These plants are called DESERT ROSE. WATERLILIES grow in water, AIR PLANTS need air to grow properly, and DESERT ROSE plants need a situation like a desert. Go figure why someone wants to grow these in an office with lighting five days a week and two days in total darkness. Seems like someone didn’t get proper nutrition as a child while growing up. I’m just baffled about some people!
9. Is the desert rose poisonous?
YES! But I haven’t read anywhere that a specific number of deaths occur each year from desert rose poisoning. The sap contains an alkaloid that deters animals from eating these plants. Once an animal eats a leaf or even a flower, it will learn to never eat it again. These plants that have been growing in areas devastated by goats are usually the only untouched/unchewed plants around. One can find small seedlings with a few leaves to mature flowering plants among gnarled stems of other plant species. This mechanism for poisonous sap has given the desert rose its status in the wild. The same moth that pollinates this flower is also the same caterpillar that feeds on this plant. If you find a hornworm caterpillar on your plant, it’s the juvenile of the moth that pollinates your flowers. This caterpillar is vividly marked to discourage any predators from attacking them. Even birds avoid these caterpillars.
The poisonous sap is a deterrent for animals eating them. When accidentally it comes into contact with your mouth, your saliva glands produce excess saliva to wash that taste out. It won’t kill you, but you will automatically respond by spitting that taste out of your mouth. Even up to an hour later, you will still taste it in your mouth. Ingestion is almost near impossible. But should you worry about your children getting into it, they need to take the same risk of getting stung by a bee, wasp, centipede, scorpion, box jelly fish, or bitten by a dog, or drink Draino or other harmful chemicals which there are death statistics available for that.
10. How do I get a white desert rose plant?
Buy a grafted plant and make sure it is in bloom when you buy it. Periodically seedlings may be sold that are expected to be white. Unless they are in bloom, don’t think that you picked the goose that laid the golden egg from a seedling plant alone. A white can only be produced if it has recessive genes for that white color in their chromosomes. And if they do, about one out of a hundred thousand will come out white by accident. Plants that are white even when crossed together, may not always yield white babies. The dominant gene for color will predominate when two whites are crossed. If they came from a pink parent, you will get some pink babies. The ratio of how many whites can come from a given batch of seedlings can only be known if the cross has been replicated so that a percentage can be assessed. And most importantly, no one will know the true color of any desert rose when you look at a seedling. That is nearly impossible.
