Adenium- The Desert Rose- Cultivation guide

Adenium - The Ornamental Plant.

Adenium is usually calling as the desert rose and It is purely an ornamental outdoor plant give beauty to your house garden. Lots of varieties are cultivating and the most common variety is Adenium obesum. Adenium is a genus of ‘dogbane’ family that is Apocynaceae. 

It is a slow growing and long lasting lovely plant.

The long and round edged leaf around the stem and colorful tubular flowers at the top are really marvelous. The varieties of red rose and white flowers seen round the year is a specialty of this plant. The swollen bottle shaped trunk base (Caudex) looks striking and gives attraction to your home garden. Because of this swollen stem base it is also called; elephant foot plant’. It loves bright sunlight and hate over watering.

Even though the birth place of Adenium believes to be in Arabia and Africa now it is widely cultivating in Thailand, Philippines and India.

Adenium plant care is little bit difficult and require some special knowledge about the plant breed you preferred. Enough sunlight is required for the proper healthy growth and improper over watering may kill the plant. If possible keep all the time in an open place with proper natural light and keep away from rain. During winter season you can keep the plant at in door near the window side.

We can plant Adenium as a bonsai in flower pot with good drainage facility and soil mix with adequate plant nutrients. Potting medium is the mixture of compost, soil, river sand and vermin compost.

Seeds are the main propagation medium, but the plants growing from the seeds do not show the features of mother plant. So grafting is an optional method to get true characteristics of parental plant. Some are practicing stem cutting to make new plant but it is very difficult to get rooted without root sprouting plant hormones.

Pruning of stem is necessary as it enhances the generation of new attractive branches. Root pruning and re-potting is needed to maintain it as a swollen bottle shaped bonsai. Take care while pruning because its white sap contain highly poisonous cardiac glycosides and is toxic to heart. Wash hands immediately if the sap comes in to contact with your skin.

Be cautious regarding pests like caterpillars, mealy bugs and spider mites. Sometimes the leaves and flowers are eaten by worms. Simply just take out these worms and affected part from the plant manually.