Adenium obesum (Obesum) care and propagation at home

Adenium, obesum, bottle tree, desert rose - these are all names of one incredible plant.

It has a thick trunk. Its flowers are similar to the best varieties of petunias. Their color range is so extensive that it is easier to name a color that is not present than to list all that are present.

You can work wonders with adenium: grafting, growing in the form of fancy figures, braiding branches and splicing several trunks together... The flower provides limitless scope for creativity, and one is not averse to participating in it. And how easy it is to care for adenium obese in indoor conditions!

    Description of adenium - is it dangerous to keep it in the house?

It is difficult to determine where adenium comes from. It grows well both in the semi-deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and in the tropics of Africa. In nature, it is a three-meter tree, shaped like a bottle or jug. In the photo, adeniums in natural conditions are not at all earthly looking.

Until now, some African tribes use arrows soaked in adenium juice for hunting. The plant contains poison, but it is unlikely that any Aborigine was harmed when handling it.

Adenium is also endowed with the ability to bloom with wonderful large flowers. Such a representative of the flora could not go unnoticed by people. Adenium obesum (which means obese or thick) was chosen for growing at home as the most unpretentious and whimsical. Today this species exists in the form of numerous hybrids and is the most common.

Slightly less popular, but no less beloved, adenium arabicum (Arabic) is also found in the collections of gardeners. The photograph shows some differences between the species: the Arabian representative has a short and thicker trunk (caudex).

Caring for adenium obese at home means skillfully pruning and shaping the plant. Only in this case will the bush look exotic. All work must be done with gloves, as the plant is poisonous.

At home, obesum grows up to half a meter in height. It is often confused with Japanese bonsai due to its unusual trunk structure. Only at the ends of the numerous branches there are leaves, and here unusually beautiful flowers of various shades and shapes bloom. Young adenium blooms in the second or third year of life and delights with its beauty from May to September.

   How to care for adenium

    What kind of soil is needed?

An important condition for proper care of obesum is planting in favorable soil. It should be loose and well permeable to air and water. In dense soil, plants stretch out, internodes lengthen, and it becomes difficult to create a compact bush.

Suitable for planting:

1. A mixture for succulents or orchids with the addition of up to 20% perlite.
2. Soil for cacti mixed with perlite.
3. Self-prepared soil mixture from peat - 5 parts, humus - 2 parts, coarse sand - 1 part, perlite - 2 parts.

Vermiculite retains moisture, which obesum does not like, so you should not use it. Crushed charcoal, as an antiseptic, is useful to add to any of the selected mixtures.

A good drainage layer will remove excess moisture and protect the fleshy roots and trunk from rotting.

    Choosing a pot

In the first year of life, obesum is transplanted up to three times. Its roots develop quickly, so you need to use small but deep pots.

When the plant has reached the planned height, you need to transplant it into a shallow, wide pot and trim the roots. Now they should grow in breadth, and if some of them spread over the surface of the earth, this will give the adenium even more decorative.

The material of the pot is any, and the color is light to avoid overheating.

    Location and lighting

Adenium is one of the few plants that require direct sunlight. Give him the southernmost window.

The branches stretch towards the light, so the bush must be periodically rotated to form a symmetrical crown.

In summer, you can take obesum in a pot to a sunny, quiet place. In this case, watering should be increased.

    Temperature

Summer care for obesum in the house does not have any special features. This should be normal room temperature unless air conditioning is used.

Even better conditions can be achieved on a sunny balcony, where the temperature rises to 30 - 35 degrees. Adenium blooms profusely in this heat.

By autumn, caring for the plant at home changes somewhat. The bush stops blooming and sheds some of its leaves. This should not be scary; the madman does not die, but is preparing to rest. Now the plant does not need high temperatures and frequent watering.

In winter conditions, you need to pay attention to keeping it on the windowsill so that the temperature does not drop below +15 degrees. In cold and wet soil, fungal diseases can develop very quickly and destroy the plant.

    Watering

Particular attention should be paid to watering in summer. High temperatures quickly dry out the soil, and obesum will drop flowers and leaves due to lack of water. And constantly wet soil can lead to rotting of the roots. Good drainage, correct soil composition and careful care play an important role in this situation.

During the cold period, watering should be very moderate, and the soil in the pot should be slightly moistened, closer to dry.

Tap water is not recommended; soft or filtered water is needed.

    Transfer

Adenium grown from seeds is replanted up to three times in the first season. This is a time of intense growth.

First, the seeds germinate in a common container. When 4 leaves appear, they are picked into separate small cups. Later, the plant will show when it is time to transplant into “adult” containers. Criterion - overgrown roots protrude from below, and the glass falls.

Two to three year old obesums need to be replanted a couple of times a year. Once the plant has reached the desired size, replanting should be reduced to once every two years.

Extending roots are a specific feature of adeniums. This effect can be achieved artificially by lifting the bush up when replanting and exposing some of the roots. This will not affect the health of the plant, but will add an exotic appearance.

    Trimming and shaping the caudex

The thick unusual trunk of the obesum is called the caudex. In nature, it is formed spontaneously in plants. At home, you need to take good care to have a similar result. There are several ways:

1. Large caudexes are obtained when grown from seeds. This is genetically determined, and already upon germination the trunks have a noticeable thickening at the bottom.

2. In the spring, when transplanting young seedlings, cut the central root, dry the cut area, cover it with paraffin and plant it in dry soil. Spread the remaining roots around the circumference. The first watering is after 3 days. Thanks to this technique, the trunk thickens.

3. At the same time as pruning the root, you also need to trim the branches.

This technique will awaken the sleeping buds, the bush will become thicker and more compact.

4. The process of formation of a fat caudex will go faster if at this time the adenium is provided with good care: sufficient lighting, high temperature, optimal watering and fertilizing with fertilizers for succulents.

     What shapes can be created from a flower?

Adenium often itself suggests what form it can take - it becomes similar to some figure. Then, when transplanting, you will have to change the position of the plant in order to grow a monkey, octopus or dolphin. This will take more than one year, but the result is amazing. They have been especially successful in this matter in Thailand. A series of photos depicts the process of creating a caudex in the shape of a dragon.

And here are other photos with the figures. They will probably inspire someone to create something similar.

    Growing obesum from seeds

A huge number of adenium seeds of various varieties and at an affordable price are offered by online stores. Growing adenium obese from seeds is the most common and reliable method, because the properties of the mother plants are completely transmitted, and the seedlings immediately develop a beautiful caudex.

The favorable time for planting adenium seeds is from mid-February to the end of March.

The germination process will speed up if the seeds are soaked for a couple of hours in warm water or wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in a warm place.Treatment with foundationazole or phytosporin to prevent fungal diseases and with root, epin to stimulate root formation and increase immunity will not harm.

The soil for germination needs to be loose and breathable. You can buy soil for succulents or make a mixture of sand, perlite and peat. Do not water the soil before sowing, but sprinkle it with heated water from a spray bottle.

The adenium seeds look like it’s impossible to tell where the tops are and where the roots are (see photo), so we don’t stick them into the ground, but spread them out. Sprinkle a layer of half a centimeter on top, spray with warm water from a spray bottle and cover with film on top.

The next stage of successful seed germination is ensuring a temperature of +28 to +35 degrees. You can create such conditions using a table lamp or place a container on heating devices, placing a wooden board or an unnecessary book under it.

Seeds germinate from 3 to 10 days and have good germination if the above conditions are met. After the shoots emerge, the film is removed and the container is moved to the brightest window. Picking is carried out at the age of 4 true leaves.

If during growing from seeds If the weather is gloomy and there are few sunny days, then the seedlings will have to be illuminated until the onset of favorable weather.

    Propagation by cuttings

Adeniums reproduce excellently from cuttings. You can also use the twigs that remain after pruning. This is an unplanned cutting. And according to the plan, the event is held during the phase of active growth of obesum. It is during this period that cuttings are especially viable, quickly take root and produce a strong new plant.

The suitable period for propagating obesum by cuttings is spring and summer, but taking into account the life cycle of the plant. Cuttings are often used to preserve a beautifully flowering variety. Adeniums from cuttings do not form such a thick caudex as those grown from seeds.

For propagation, take the upper parts of the branches, 15 cm long. The cut area must be dried, sprinkled with charcoal, tear off a couple of lower leaves, and immerse the cutting in a solution of a growth stimulator.

Rooting can be done in water (a small amount), but it is worth using soil for this, since rotting of the cuttings often occurs in water. The soil requirements are the same - lightness, looseness, permeability. Peat and perlite in a ratio of 1:3 on a good drainage cushion is the best medium for germination, and sufficient heat and light are the best conditions.

It is not necessary to allocate a separate container for each cutting. It will be easier to care for when they are in the same container, on a bright window and under a small greenhouse. Later, when their own roots appear, the seedlings are placed in individual cups.

We remember that obesum is poisonous, so we carry out all work with gloves and be careful not to get the juice in the eyes.

   Vaccination of adenium obese

The life cycle of adenium consists of phases of active growth and rest. And this is not necessarily summer - winter. There are periods of rest in the summer, and periods of growth in early spring.

Vaccination of adenium obese is done in the following cases:

• if the young seedling was not pruned in a timely manner and grew into one or two trunks,
• if you want to grow a colorful bouquet on one tree,
• to thicken the caudex and give it its original shape.

The time for obesum vaccinations is the very beginning of the active growth phase. For the scion, you can use the tops of branches of the same bush, or you can take them from others, which is even more interesting.

The result is obesums with a complex caudex, a variety of flowers and leaves of different colors.

The photo shows the grafting procedure through a side incision.

The trunk of the plant is shortened and all branches are removed.

The lower edge of the scion becomes sharper.

A deeper cut is made in the side of the trunk, where the scion is inserted with the sharp end. All joints are tightly wrapped with film, and the grafted obesum is placed on a bright, but not sunny, window. If vaccination is carried out in the cold season, additional illumination is necessary.

After some time, buds will awaken on both the trunk and the scion. The buds around the grafting site must be removed so that more nutrition can flow to the cutting. As soon as it becomes obvious that the grafting was successful, full-fledged leaves have blossomed on the new branch, the wrapping must be removed and after some time the scion must be pruned so that the bush forms a lush crown.

Another method of grafting adenium is presented in the photographs below.

It is used to create a bizarre-shaped caudex. To do this, identical cuts are made on the trunks of two adeniums, the trunks are aligned and tightly fixed with film. The resulting bush is planted in one pot. After some time, the trunks grow together, and the adeniums acquire an extraordinary decorative effect.

We remind you that you need to wear gloves when caring for your home adenium, including carrying out grafting work!

Learning to graft adenium:

   Diseases, pests

Despite its toxicity, obesum is still affected by pests. The most terrible and difficult to remove from them is spider mite. Treatment is complicated by the fact that adenium is an indoor flower, and treatments are not harmless to people, but it is worth fighting for this miracle plant. Repeated spraying with Neoron or Fitoverm in accordance with the instructions will help.

Sometimes various scale insects are found. These pests can be defeated with the help of actelic.

With poor drainage, excessive watering, and low temperatures, fungal diseases and rot develop. They are the result of improper care. The branches of adenium lose their elasticity, the leaves fade and fall off.

In order not to lose the plant, you need to replant it in fresh soil with the addition of charcoal and good drainage. During replanting, you should inspect the lower part of the trunk and roots, clean out rotten areas, allow to dry, sprinkle with crushed charcoal, and plant in fresh, dry soil. You can lightly water it after 2-3 days, then continue to care for it depending on the situation, but the temperature should not drop below +23 degrees to prevent the disease from returning.

I will definitely be crazy about being on Russian windowsills! The ranks of his admirers are growing, clubs and forums are multiplying, where you can talk about problems, get practical advice on caring for obesum and share photographs of your pet. What is your adenium? I'd really like to see it!

Continuation of the topic:

1. Caring for aglaonema in an apartment
2. Propagation of adenium by seeds and cuttings
3. Growing adeniums in an apartment
4. How to grow adenium from seeds yourself
5. Beautiful photos of adeniums