Adenium (also known as desert rose or Japanese frangipani) is a hardy plant that is better suited to hot temperatures and dry soil. Adenium can grow very well in pots and containers indoors because conditions can be monitored closely, making this flower suitable as a house plant. There are many ways to grow adenium, including from seed. However, if you want to grow adenium from seeds, you have to work indoors because these adenium seeds are light and easily blown by even the slightest breeze.
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Method 1 of 4: Collecting Adenium Seeds
Step 1. Collect fresh seed pods from living plants
Fresh seeds are more likely to grow. On the other hand, dry seeds are rarely viable.
Alternatively, you can get fresh seeds from a garden supply store or flower nursery
Step 2. After seed pods appear on mature plants, wrap the pods with wire or twine
If the pods open, the seeds will disperse and you won't be able to use them to breed new plants.
Step 3. Pluck the mature and ripe pods from the plant
The pods must be waited to mature before picking; otherwise, the seeds are not ripe enough for planting. If it has started to split, it means the pods are mature and ready to be picked. Cut it with a sharp knife or scissors.
Step 4. Place the pods on a flat surface
Let it dry.
Step 5. Untie the wire/thread from the pod and gently split the pod with your thumb
Each pod contains a number of hairy seeds.
Method 2 of 4: Planting Seeds
Step 1. Prepare a plastic nursery tray or small pots for planting seeds
If the container you are using does not have drainage holes, punch a hole in the bottom of the container before planting. For plastic nursery trays, you can punch holes in them by sticking the tip of a pen or large needle into the bottom of each compartment. The hole doesn't need to be big.
Step 2. Fill the container with well-drained growing medium
Vermiculite is a good choice, as are soil and sand mixtures or soil and pearlite.
Step 3. Spread the seeds over the planting medium
If you are using a nursery tray or container 10 cm or smaller in diameter, plant one seed per compartment. If you are using a larger pot, spread some of the seeds evenly over the soil.
Step 4. Cover the seeds with soil
Use good soil to cover the seeds perfunctory, just to prevent the seeds from blowing away. Seeds should not be buried deep.
Step 5. Fill a tray or wide container with rocks and water
The stones should cover the entire bottom of the tray and the water should not be higher than the rock surface.
Step 6. Place the nursery tray on top of the rocks
Change the water daily to supply the seeds with adequate water from below.
Step 7. Spray the soil with water from above once every three days
Use a spray bottle until the soil surface feels wet to the touch.
Step 8. Place all trays on a heating pad set to low temperature
During the germination process, the soil and seeds should be placed at a temperature between 27 and 29° C. Check the soil regularly with a thermometer to accurately monitor the temperature.
Step 9. Stop watering from above the soil once the seeds have germinated into seedlings
This stage will occur in a week or two. You will still have to water the seedlings from below during the first month.
Step 10. Transfer the seedlings to a more permanent container
Each seedling should have about six mature leaves by the time it is transplanted.
Method 3 of 4: Removing Adenium
Step 1. Choose a medium-sized pot or container with one or more drainage holes
The pot should be about 15 to 20 cm in diameter. Adenium will not be a problem even if the roots fill the pot; even this plant often grows better this way. However, you should still move the plant into a new pot as it grows bigger.
- Ceramic pots without a glaze are the best choice because the soil can dry out between waterings.
- If you're using a clay pot, choose a size that's slightly wider than necessary to allow additional room for root growth. The clay is most likely to crack under the stress of root growth.
Step 2. Fill the pot with a well-drained soil mixture
This mixture can be made from sharp sand and soil medium for cacti in a ratio of 1: 1 which has proven to be good. Do not use clay soil with poor drainage because adenium prefers dry roots and this plant can take root quickly if the soil remains saturated.
Sharp sand, also known as silica sand or building sand, has a jagged surface and looks like tiny aquarium pebbles. Sharp sand is usually used to make concrete mortar, and can be found in building materials stores
Step 3. Mix a handful of slow-release fertilizer with the soil
Check the instructions on the fertilizer label for a more precise dosage.
Step 4. Dig a small hole in the middle of the soil
The depth of the soil must be equal to the depth of the container currently used as a nursery.
Step 5. Remove the seedlings carefully from the container
If the seedlings are planted in a thin plastic nursery tray, gently squeeze the sides of the compartment until the seedlings and soil are removed.
Step 6. Place the seedling into the hole and compact the soil around it
Seedlings should be firmly planted in place.
Method 4 of 4: Caring for Adenium
Step 1. Place the pot in direct sunlight
A south-facing window that receives plenty of direct sunlight is an ideal choice and the adenium will receive a minimum of eight hours of sunlight per day.
Step 2. Use artificial lighting if there is not enough sunlight
Place the plant 15 cm apart under a fluorescent grow light and let it sit for 12 hours per day.
Step 3. Water Adenium regularly
Allow the soil to dry before you water it again and add water only if the top 2.5 to 5 cm of soil feels dry to the touch. Water lightly if necessary, just to keep the soil wet without saturating it.
Step 4. Keep the plant warm
The ideal day temperature ranges from 24 to 29° C, with night temperatures falling as low as 8° C. Do not allow the soil temperature to drop below 4° C. At this low temperature, the plant can be damaged or even die.
Step 5. Apply liquid fertilizer frequently enough until the adenium blooms
Use a 20-20-20 fertilizer and thaw at half dose. A 20-20-20 fertilizer has a complete balance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels. Nitrogen helps foliage growth, phosphorus helps root growth, and potassium helps flower growth. If the percentage of one of the elements in the fertilizer is higher, it is likely that the adenium will not grow well.
Step 6. Be diligent to give fertilizer with a large dose even though the adenium has flowered
- Apply a water-soluble liquid fertilizer weekly during the rainy season.
- At the beginning of the dry season, replace it with slow-release palm fertilizer only once.
- In the middle of the dry season, apply a slow-release fertilizer once again.
- During the rainy season, keep the soil temperature around or higher than 27°C and don't let the soil get too wet.
- After three years, when the planting is mature, stop applying liquid fertilizer. However, keep applying slow-release fertilizer.
Tips
- If you have difficulty growing adenium from seed, propagate it from stem cuttings. Stem cuttings are usually easier to grow and are the more popular method.
- Watch for pests and diseases. Spider mites and mealybugs are the types of insects that commonly attack this plant. Apart from these two insects, there are rarely other pests that attack adenium. However, the disease usually causes more serious problems. One of the biggest threats is rotting roots.
