Not every amateur gardener can imagine how unusual a cactus can look. Associating with something boring and prickly, this type of flower has gained popularity only among computer enthusiasts. Only one type of adenium is able to overturn the usual idea of cacti.
Types of Adenium Cactus
The flower adenium was first discovered in Africa, after which it began to be actively bred on all continents. Correlate it correctly to shrub plants, in its natural habitat it is able to grow up to several meters.
Mesmerizing cactus
Adenium is fat
This species of plant is a leader among its brethren. The choice of flower growers is due to the fact that adeniums obese are the most unpretentious of all. Their appearance has nothing to do with the usual ideas about plants: the stem is very thick at the base, but thin enough closer to the top.
Foliage is juicy green with a glossy surface. The shape of the leaf resembles a drop - the stalk has a narrow, wider to the edge, the end is often rounded.
Adenium Obesum
Adenium obesum translates as "obese," "fat." This is the most popular type of flower bred in apartment greenhouses. Mistakenly, many beginner gardeners take him to a separate view of this family. It blooms in early spring, most often the petals have a pink and white color.
Adenium Obesum
In the natural habitat, the buds are smooth, but some breeding specimens may have double flowers.
Adenium frol kinky
Curly frol differs from obsesum in incredibly beautiful flowering. The buds have multi-tiered petals resembling a rose, sometimes even a peony. The trunk and leaves are similar to obese adenium: significantly thickened at the base. Many see the resemblance of an adult cactus with a miniature copy of a baobab.
Adenium white
This variety is chosen by those who love exclusively white flowers. Adenium white got its name for the snow-white flowering, striking in its beauty.
Adenium white
Terry Adenium
This variety has a large number of petals in the bud, which makes it especially bright and juicy. Terry bells exceed the size of the fat buds and reach 8 centimeters in diameter.
Adenium Crispum
The original variety of culture differs from the previous ones both in the structure of the stem and in the colors. Foliage also has its own peculiarities in appearance - thin white veins adorn each leaf, which is much narrower and longer than that of other representatives of this genus. The trunk (caudex) can be visually divided into two parts: the underground, looking to the surface, and aboveground.
Adenium in the wild
The underground part resembles a large root crop, because it has a rounded shape. Long thin trunks are stretched from the round part, on which leaves and amazing buds are already located. Crispum bloom will not leave anyone indifferent - pink petals have a unique bend, the flowers themselves are wide open.
Adenium propagation methods
Propagating the adenium at home is not difficult. The procedure does not require special skills. You can cut the shoots and propagate by cuttings or germinate new plants from seeds.
Seed germination
Growing adenium from seeds allows you to immediately get a large number of new plants. If the seed is in a certain microclimate, the first seedlings will appear already on the 3rd day. Necessary conditions for germination:
- air temperature should be above + 30˚С;
- the soil should not be heavy and airtight;
- eliminate excess moisture;
- long daylight hours, more than 16 hours.
Soil for growing adenium is chosen special, marked on the packaging "for cacti", it is mixed in equal proportions with sand or charcoal. Such soil will allow the seeds to breathe and prevent souring.
Mini greenhouse from the film
For germination, the seeds of adenium need high humidity, which can be easily achieved by covering the pots with transparent polyethylene. If in the room where shoots are expected the air temperature is below 30 ° C, you will have to use additional heating, otherwise the sprouts will not appear.
After all the sprouts hatch, heating can be removed and be sure to put the pots so that direct rays do not fall on them. Watering of young shoots occurs only when the soil around the stems is dry.
Important! Water temperature should not be lower than 30 ° C and contain salts and other heavy compounds in the composition.
A young plant can be transplanted into a permanent pot at the age of 1 month. A prerequisite for transplantation is the presence of two of these leaves at least.
Propagation by cuttings
It is best to carry out such propagation by the cuttings method in the summer, when it is easy to create comfortable conditions for young plants. A healthy adult plant in the active phase of growth is suitable for collecting planting material. Be sure to cut the cuttings with a sharp blade to get an even cut, without torn edges.
For successful rooting of the plant, the length of the cuttings should not be less than 10 cm. After cutting, the lower leaves will be removed, but the upper leaves must be left, because they are actively involved in the formation of the root system.
Attention! Cutting the cuttings must be done with gloves, since adenium juice is poisonous. After cutting, the sections should be dried for 4 hours at room temperature in order to subsequently root them.
For the appearance of the first roots, the shoots are planted in a small pot with light, ventilated soil. The best composition for adenium is mixed in equal proportions river sand and coconut fiber.
Propagation by cuttings
Planted shoots must be covered with a transparent film or, depending on the size of the handle, a plastic cup or a cut-off plastic transparent bottle and put on the windowsill so that direct sunlight does not fall on the plants. Air temperature can vary from + 25˚С to + 35˚С. If the temperature drops below 25 ° C, there is a risk of decay of the processes.
Important! Once every 3 days, mini-greenhouses need to be aired. Subject to all the rules, the first roots will appear in 1 month, as new leaves will testify to.
Cactus Home Care
It is not difficult to grow adenium in the apartment - home care does not include any impossible tasks. The most important thing is to provide the plant with diffused light for 14 hours every day. To do this, it is placed on window sills on the east or south side of the house.
Adenium in bloom
With insufficient daylight hours, adenium will not show flowers and will significantly slow its growth.
Cropping and shaping the crown
Adenium is pruned and crown formed every spring when an exotic rose woke up after the winter period and went into the growth stage. Cut the shoots, forming a beautiful crown, at the discretion of the hostess.
Need to remember! Having made the cut too close to the caudex, the florist will receive many new thin shoots, which will greatly modify the plant.
Temperature and humidity
The humidity regime for adeniums requiring home care that is close to natural should be observed as follows: the higher the temperature in the room, the more humid the air should be. So, with optimal room temperature + 22˚С - + 25˚С, the humidity in the room should be close to 60%.
Watering
Do not overdry and specially fill the plant with plenty. It is recommended to observe the following mode:
- in the summer season, when the air temperature is quite high, you can water the plant in 1-2 days, depending on the degree of drying of the soil;
- in cloudy and cool times you need to water the plant no more than 1 time in 5 days, limiting the volume of water so that only the upper layers of the soil are moistened.
Adenium Transplant Rules
If necessary, it is possible to transplant the plant in early spring, before the plant has not yet passed into the active phase of growth. The change of the pot should occur with an increase more in width, and not in depth, due to the peculiarity of the development of the root system. A transplant is performed on average 1 time in 3 years.
Flower transplant
If the plant looks painful and begins to drop foliage in the spring and summer, this may be the first sign that it is crowded in a pot. A transplant can be carried out in the summer, but only if there is still a month of time before the next cold snap so that the plant has time to adapt in a new place and let out a few new leaves.
If you put a cactus in a new pot during the dormant period (autumn or winter), this can provoke decay or death of a healthy flower.
Desert rose is a beautiful, unusual flower, which is easy to care for. All varieties are suitable for apartment maintenance, including Anuk and Arabikum. The choice of variety is usually influenced by the individual preferences of the hostess in terms of color and size of flowers. The presence of an attractive cactus in the home will add a twist to the interior and will not leave anyone indifferent.
