Meet the Beautiful Fat Adenium

Adenium is a popular, beautiful in its flowering plant, popularly known as the Imperial Lily, Desert Rose or the Star of Sabinia. Almost 50 species of Adenium are known, but at home, growers grow Adenium Tucheny.

Next, we will tell in detail about this plant: lighting, watering, temperature, soil. What you need to know precautions when growing a flower, why it is dangerous. Features of growing in open ground. What are the ways of reproduction. And also learn about the frequent diseases of exotics.

Botanical description and its danger

Adenium Tuchny (Adenium Tolstoy) - a type of low trees or shrubs of the Kurtov family. A flowering plant, with a thickening in the lower part of the trunk, grows up to 70 cm in height under indoor conditions. The leaves are dark green in color with a pointed or blunt apex. The shape of the sheet plate is lanceolate, the surface is glossy. Funnel-shaped flowers with bright scarlet petals and a lighter core.

Important! Despite the fact that the plant is ornamental, it is poisonous. Its juice can penetrate through the skin into the bloodstream and cause poisoning. Some African tribes use Adenium to create poisonous arrows. Adenium Fat is small in comparison with other varieties of Adenium (read about Arabicum and here Obesum).

Photo

Below you can look at photos of this houseplant.

Home Care

Fat Adenium is an unpretentious plant that has gained popularity for its extraordinary appearance. Its plain or motley flowers of white, scarlet, raspberry or burgundy hue, in combination with a dense trunk, look quite exotic. Quite unpretentious in care, it still requires compliance with certain rules.

Lighting

Good illumination for this plant is the key to healthy growth and development. Adenium should be kept on the windows of the south side of the house, but direct sunlight, which he loves, can burn the trunk. In summer heat, at especially high temperatures, it is better to put the pot in a small shadow. So that the crown does not lean towards the light source, it is worth turning the plant from time to time.

Reference. Adenium's demand for lighting directly depends on the temperature in the room. The higher the temperature, the more light it needs, especially during the period of growing seedlings.

In the winter months, you can use auxiliary artificial lighting:

• Fluorescent lamps with a capacity of 40, 60, 80 watts. It is recommended to install several lamps in combination with reflectors to achieve maximum results.
• Photodiode phytolamps are very effective, but expensive.
• Phytoluminescent tubes. They are quite economical and have a beneficial effect on photosynthesis, but their glow is irritating to human eyes.

Watering

For irrigation water is used, preferably at room temperature. Abundant hydration is necessary on hot summer days, and in winter frequent watering is not required. At temperatures above 30 degrees, the earth must constantly be moist, this is especially important for young, growing plants. Determining the need for moisture is easy by examining the soil.

Excessive moisture in the soil of an adult plant is not desirable.

Temperature

The optimum temperature for comfortable growth of Adenium can be considered + 25-35 degrees. He is very thermophilic, due to his southern origin. The period from spring to autumn, especially for young plants, is the most favorable time. With a decrease in air temperature, closer to winter, Adenium goes into a state of rest. At this time, the leaves intensively fall, sometimes completely.

Too low temperatures are detrimental to the plant, so do not leave it in rooms where it is colder than 10 degrees, otherwise the root system may rot.

When growing plants in modern apartments, no special temperature indications are required for its content.

Important! At high temperatures, humidity should be high or moderate, at low, respectively, low.

Substrate

Properly selected soil is an important detail for growing Adenium. You can buy the finished mixture for succulents in specialized stores, or you can mix the composition yourself.

Soil preparation components:

1. Universal flower soil - 50%, vermiculite - 15%, charcoal - 10%, perlite - 25%.
2. Coconut soil - 50%, charcoal - 10%, vermiculite - 10%, perlite - 30%, river sand.
3. Coconut substrate - 30%, cactus land - 30%, vermiculite - 15%, perlite - 15%, river sand or charcoal - 10%.

The mixture should be loose, pass air and moisture well. Acidity is another factor to consider. In acidic soil, the plant will not take root and die, so when buying ready-made soil, you need to pay attention to the characteristics. If the pH is below 5.8, the soil is considered acidic; if above 7, it is alkaline.

In order to avoid fungal diseases, some components for the composition must be sterilized using incandescent or potassium permanganate solution.

From the video you will learn how to make soil for adenium:

Pot

The choice of container for landing depends on each person’s personal preferences. Mainly clay and plastic pots are distinguished. They are diverse in their properties.

Ceramic

The advantages of ceramic pots:

• good breathability;
• stability due to its weight;
• the release of harmful salts through the walls.

Minuses:

• clay conducts cold and warm well: in winter, the plant on the cool window sills will freeze and overheat in the summer;
• over time, the pores of the pot become clogged;
• with prolonged use, the root system grows to an uneven inner surface, and can be damaged during transplantation;
• stains and spots from the removed salts appear.

Plastic

Pluses of plastic containers:

• the roots of the plant do not dry to the walls and are easily removed during transplantation;
• plastic does not cool and does not overheat in the sun (white plastic);
• salts do not accumulate, but are removed through drainage holes during irrigation;
• cost, unlike clay or ceramic, is much lower.

Minuses:

• slow evaporation of moisture, requiring careful monitoring of watering;
• dark plastic is very hot in the sun, such pots are not recommended for windows on the south side.

On a note. It is important to choose the right container sizes. The optimal width of the pot is twice the diameter of the ground part of the trunk. In tight containers, Adenium is uncomfortable and his growth slows down.

Top dressing

Despite the fact that Adenium is a desert plant that perfectly survives in the wild with minimal consumption of healthy vitamins, it is necessary to fertilize it regularly at home.

Using nutrient mixtures:

1. significantly accelerates growth and development;
2. appearance is improved;
3. resistance to disease infection increases.

Fertilizers and growth stimulants come in different forms:

• solution;
• powder;
• granules;
• watering;
• spraying.

It is necessary to determine the choice and frequency of use, because the plant may suffer from an excess of vitamins.

Fertilizers are a source of nutrients for Adenium, and at different times their frequency of use varies.

With universal soil:

• From April to September - 1 time in 10 days.
• From October to March - 1 time per month.

With a baseless mixture (coconut fiber):

• In spring and summer, you can fertilize every other time, in autumn and winter, once every 2 weeks.
• Coconut fiber contains virtually no beneficial vitamins, so replenishment is needed more often.

Almost all mineral fertilizers used for growing indoor plants are suitable for Adenium. Among them, we can distinguish domestic:

1. Orton Gumat - Great for a coconut substrate lacking in nutrients.
2. The siliplant is universal - Suitable for fertilizing adult plants to strengthen trunk tissues.
3. Mineral fertilizers in liquid and granular form.

Important! When choosing mineral fertilizers, dosages must be calculated according to the instructions so as not to harm the plant.

Imported fertilizers are noted for their effectiveness, but difficulties may arise with their acquisition. Well established themselves:

1. Advanced Hydroponics (Holland).
2. GHE (France).
3. Advanced Nutrients (Canada).

Pruning

Pruning is the removal of branches, shoots, or roots. It can be either partial or complete. It is necessary to increase branching and denser flowering. The pruning procedure is recommended in the spring, at the age of 12-18 months. The cuttings remaining after the manipulations can be germinated and planted in a separate container.

When cropping, it is advisable to follow the main recommendations:

1. A few days before the procedure, water the plant so that it does not experience a shortage of water during the difficult period for it.
2. To make a cut with a sharp knife or blade above a sleeping kidney by 3-4 millimeters.
3. After each cut, wipe the blade with alcohol, and remove the toxic juice with a cloth, avoiding contact with the skin.
4. After stopping the juice production, cover the cut with a garden balsam, garden varnish or RanNet garden paste to heal and preserve aesthetic perception as soon as possible (scars may remain on the Adenium trunk just like on human skin).

Recommendation. Be sure to ensure that water does not get into the "wound", otherwise the plant may undergo a process of decay.

Usually, 40-45 days after pruning, intensive branching begins.

From the video you will learn how to trim the adenium and form a crown:

Features of outdoor cultivation

• Adenium Fat is an extremely heat-loving plant and for its full development, the air temperature should be at least 25 degrees with a + mark. In winter, he goes into a state of rest, but even then the temperature should not fall below 6 degrees, otherwise Adenium will die.
• If you plant it in open ground, the root system will begin to develop rapidly. In nature, Adenium can grow up to 3.5 meters in height. Heavy rains and damage to the roots during an autumn transplant can adversely affect plant health.
• In open ground, without the use of nutritious fertilizers and irregular watering, the growth of Adenium will be slow for decades. Constantly growing Adenium in open ground is possible only in the southern part of our country, but there is a risk of freezing the plant during abnormal cold snap.

Disease

Due to weak immunity, Adenium is often susceptible to fungal and bacterial diseases. At home, it is difficult to establish the root cause.

Common plant diseases:

1. Decay of the root system - due to the mismatch of soil moisture and air temperature, excessive watering in the winter.
2. Drying out branches - It can be both a natural drying out of vaccinations and a symptom of the disease.
3. Round spots on the leaves and trunk - fungal disease.
4. Yellowing of the edge of the leaves - A symptom of a lack of fertilizer or sunlight.
5. Burns - formed if, after a long wintering, put the plant in bright sunlight.

Breeding

Adenium Fat is grown by seeds or cuttings.

1. The seeds. Seeds should be fresh, because they quickly expire and lose their germination properties. The most favorable time for planting is the end of winter, the beginning of spring. You can pre-soak the seeds in growth stimulants for 2-4 hours following the instructions. Plant in a mixture of sand and vermiculite. The main disadvantage of this method is the risk in the choice of seeds, because there is a chance that they will not germinate.
2. Cuttings. Apical cuttings are also suitable for propagation. They land on a substrate of vermiculite and sand. They can first be rooted with water. This method has its drawback - the trunk will not be pronounced, the caudex will not form.

Adenium Fat is considered an unpretentious plant, but it also requires care and attention. With proper care, Adenium will grow and delight with its flowering for many years.

Watch the video: Meet my adenium plant & its care (May 2024).