Buy Mark Dimmitt's book...it has all the info in one place.Here on the forum all of us are busy doing what would be best called experimentation with our seedlings...

Hi AJ I have not found a centralized repository of Adenium knowledge. It has been a journey of fact gathering and then proving/disproving through trials. With every climate change there will be a variation in what the plant will tolerate and what it will not. I urge you to look for growers in your zone and find out what has been successful for them. Best of luck!

Tracy

Great idea Sinha, here is where I bought my copy: Adenium: Sculptural Elegance...

I don't know if Mark Dimmitt's book is the best place to look for information on growing them from seed. It's an excellent book, but I've had much more practical knowledge learned from this forum and trial and error.

I'll be honest in saying that the book would be a waste for me. I was looking for a no-nonsense, no pictures, cliff's notes version. I guess I found what I was looking for:

McLaughlin,
J. and Garofalo, J. Desert Rose (Adenium
obesum) Nursery Production. [Fact-sheet No.
71]: http://english.xtbg.cas.cn/rs/ma/201105/P020110525336916428343.pdf

http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/GardenPubsAZ/Dessert_Rose_Adenium_obesum.pdf

http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu/News columns/Desert.Rose.htm

http://manatee.ifas.ufl.edu/lawn_and_garden/master-gardener/pdfs/newsletter/2014/garden-bench-jul-2014.pdf

I have 5 packs coming from KO. I guess I'll follow up with another post after germination and then later when/if they flower after following the nursery guide above. I wish this place had a wiki to better organize the great information here.

I thinlk you are looking for a quick fix. It doesn't exist. But if I could summarize what I know about adeniums:

1. Well draining soil is a must.

2. Full sun is a must.

3. Keep them above 50 degrees F.

4. Water sparingly in cool temps.

Dain, well, you can't grow healthy plants (any) simply by reading books. Horticulture has a lot to do with practise, trial and error. And some people never learn it. ;-)

Well said Martin. Always a learning experience. When you say you have learned all you can. This is when you "stop" learning. Sad day.

Rick

I don't think asking for what the "best practices" for growing adeniums is a quick fix nor was I looking for one. When there are multiple sources with very conflicting information I wanted to know if something better exists. That is why I looked for extension office information. They cut out myths, old wives tales, and just give the science based facts of what actually works.

@Dain Yes, that is helpful. I would think the name "desert rose" is a misnomer that likely gives everyone grief.

I am naive and ignorant on adeniums. I will admit this. However, I don't think asking for official/science based facts about growing them is taking a shortcut. Just about every single plant or seed sold comes with instructions to at least get some success. The only reason I posted was that even some of the County Extension Office's information is conflicting e.g.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep499

"Soil preference: Rich, organic peat or bark-based, bagged potting soil.

Water requirement: Water regularly but do not allow soil to become waterlogged"

Sounds like too much peat and too much water in the winter would likely be disastrous. I saw people reported growing them in cat litter (yes, cat litter) and other crazy things.

Thank you for your help. Yes, I will report back and attempt to make a wiki post about growing them for "idiots" like myself. I do think that the more people growing them, the better for everyone here. I will begin reading your thread as well. Again thank you.

Hello AJ, and yes, you are welcome! Whereabouts are you located please as your info does not say? As you have probably gathered, there are many of us here who are really pushing the boundaries in trying to grow DR's as we call them, myself and other enthusiasts included here in the sunny UK! As stated, the conditions a particular grower can provide for whatever reason, dictates the success (or failure) they may have with them. There are just no hard and fast rules other than a) a combination of cold and wet will surely rot them and b) treat them in summer as lush tropicals and in winter as a desert cactus.....but basically, you grow them how YOU want to given the conditions YOU can supply.

Please stay with us and let us know how you get on?

Are you considering starting some from seed or do you plan to buy plants?

Gill UK

AJ ask the extension service if any of their master gardeners has experience growing them/ also, ask when their next meeting is … and crash it as a person interested in possibly taking the course. YOU could end up being the go to person on adenium in your area. It could happen. i use cactus mix and perlite half and half. they haven't jumped out of my container and run away, OR committed hari kari … also, go to the last page of this forum and start reading forward ...

Have a few packs coming from Mr. KO in Taiwan so these will all be from seed. Hopefully going to get at least over 30 growing or more. Will likely give away a lot as gifts.

Zone 9A USA Florida. My attitude towards success improved hearing these are more of tropical plants (at least in summer). Winters are very dry but way too cold to keep these outside.

Yes, I've asked around for local support and waiting to hear back. I've spent a lot of time in the subforum reading up. I was just looking to find and/or start a condensed "newbie" version to help more people grow them.

85% germination but expect higher as I see no signs of rotting seeds left and some appear to still be coming up. 46/54 so far. Above is from day 5 or 6.

50% sun; green house grown to correct temps.

2:2:1 ratio

1. 2 parts coir (not the fibrous/husk kind)

2. 2 parts perlite

3. 1 part miracle grow potting mix*

Mix performed great enough that I may start vegetable seeds in it. I'm also sold on coir. I had to add some potting mix. The potting mix was MG and peat based. I didn't bother with citrus/cactus based because I was mixing in so little of it. *While this potting mix was peat based, it had much more bark and woody parts to it compared to peat. Was going to use manure but was afraid of too much water retention.

I bought everything to assemble a gritty mix but avoided starting them in it because I was starting just too many.

Gritty mixes are only suitable for adolescent and adult plants, seeds and seedlings need more moisture than can be gained from a grit based media.

Gill UK

I totally, absolutely agree! My babies loved the rains and moisture in their organic media. The older ones don't need as much since they have stored water in their caudex.

Kadie

I planned on creating a small well or pocket of seed starting mix on top of the gritty mix. It would be there just to get the seeds going but not enough to effect later growth or hold too much moisture. I just wanted to avoid having to re-pot since everyone says that slows down growth.

Would that not have worked?

If you sow them in the gritty mix you will have to water them more frequently. Adeniums are different than other succulents and have higher water requirements as seedlings and mature plants. I would stick with your current mix until they are at least 3 or 4 months old, then move them to the grittier stuff.

Tracy

AJ, the issues I see with making a pocket with seed starting mix. The seed starting mix could get rinsed down over time to the lower section of the pot creating a perched or stagnant water area. Other, is that as the seedlings grow and you have a finer more moisture retentive substrate on top, could lend itself to collar rot ( rotting at soil level ) being too moist on surface.

I do not find my seedlings pout or slow when transplanted, as long as they are in an active growth state and use a diluted transplanter fertilizer.

Rick

I would be sowing in a pocket/area of seed starting mix. The seeds would grow in the 2-4" of seed starting mix. I'm not going to change what I have now, but thinking out loud for if I start more. I guess a picture might help:

Edit: Took too long to draw that. Question has been answered and this is not advisable. Thanks. I'm going to wait a bit longer and post up a guide to help future "newbies" start out.

you can grow adenium seeds on anything, paper towel method, hydroponic method, aquaponics, normal sowing like any other seeds, and when people tell me why waste my time in doing all this kind of sowing methods, i just tell them this is my seed and i can do anything i want with it and its fun and i can learn different things on it,

my fastest seeds germination is in hydropnics, aquaponics, and paper towel, in soil they take a while, i even experiment on one bread pan regular seed potting mix, saturated with water all the way, and left it for weeks and weeks, until dry, some sprouted, then i re hydrated the pan again, and in couple weeks some old seeds underneath sprouted also, your best practice is to experiment and do what works for you, for me i love to play around and do different sowing methods, its fun, some die, some will live, and the ones that lives will strive later on...

and when they start growing....never ever bother them when they are in full stride,only transplant them when they stop showing signs of growth...

Experimentation is a good thing, but if the amount of seed one has in their possession is limited, this can make it less desirable.

I believe people here are giving sound advice in response to questions asked and whether we chose to listen/follow is up to the individual.

However, I do not feel transplanting while inactive or If a plant is dormant is the best. They will not be using any nutrients and taking up water. Therefor the possibilities of root issues is more prevalent. Roots will not be growing seeking water and develop.

Rick

I'm down to ~10 seeds left. I will likely try out 1-2 seeds in the method I drew above in the spring. Dormancy is my next issue.

Two green houses available; 12pm sun for one, full sun for the other. Both fully sealable with little heat loss. Upcoming temps based on historical average (dry air but waves of humidity possible):

• Nov 70/51 F avg

• Dec 63/44 F avg

• Jan 60/42 F avg

• Feb 64/46 F avg

70/50F avg is likely all that will happen till mid January. Any advice on liquid fertilization this late? I can 100% keep the 60F min till January but then things get iffy. 50F might be the best I can do at night if a hard frost comes.

My plan:

Nov = 20-15-15 NPK, 1-2 twice a week via liquid

Dec = 20-20-20 NPK, 1-2 twice a week via liquid

Of course if any signs of dormancy occurs I will completely halt till spring. Is this a bad idea to even attempt this late?

AJ, I would think if the day and night temps. where not staying over 60F and if receiving good sunlight, that they would not need to be watered too much?

Fertilizing should be done at 1/2 strength.

You know your set up better than myself or anyone. You should find that they require less watering while temperatures are under 70F.

Basing on info that you have given.

Rick

I tried an experiment once with some seed from Mr.Ko, I started equal amounts in gritty mix and generic (as marked on bag) "seed starter mix" which was very fluffy and mostly peat. They were in tiny individual pots (1 seed per pot), under a humidity dome with a touch of bottom heat. Germination and development of the seedlings showed no real differences that I could tell, though I had to work a bit harder to make sure the seedlings in gritty mix got enough moisture.

I think either media should work fine. My experiments were far from controlled, but I decided to stick with gritty mix as I didn't like how much the seed starter mix moved/compacted when being watered - even with a very fine mist/sprayer.

I did sprinkle a tiny bit of 50/50 peat/turface fines over the tops of the seeds in gritty mix (seeds not buried at all - just left on top of gritty mix), that seemed to be mostly effective. It washed away at some point, but had already done its job by then. Sort of like your plan A, but instead of digging a hole I just piled it on top. Tip if trying this - wet the top dressing you use before initially putting it down on top of the seed.

AJ turn on your houzz messaging ...

i have been doing the seed starting mix in the gritty mix. but i put the mix in a k-cup or one of those little dixie cups (with slits in the bottom) and then plop them in the gritty. it's one of those 'it works for me' things, but probably not the best practice, as they seem to be a touch slower growing, but as i have hundreds of seedlings, no big whoop.

My experience is from vegetable and fruit growing and was attempting to apply it here i.e. direct sow vs transplant and container vs bareroot fruit trees. The former usually outperforms the latter and/or has faster growth. I wanted to grow in the final gritty mix and final pot (at least for a few years before it outgrows it).

I thought about using peat or coir pellets for seed starting in a gritty mix. I'm still unsure whether the roots would push through so early which is why I wanted to just use loose seed starting mix.

I turned on messaging but may take me a bit to check.

Starting in fall + climate change/El nino weather recently is turning out to be disastrous. Getting at least one small, dark circle/spot on 50% of seedlings which looks like the tell tale signs of rot. The temperatures and humidity swings are likely to blame. Holding off watering as much as possible but the weather is ridiculous now.

I regret not waiting till spring. I also regret not doing the above plan of using a pocket of seed starter in the final gritty mix. That appears to be the way to go for home gardeners and novices.

Dear AJ,

Please do not be regretful of anything regards growing these amazing trees! They have the power to survive. Over a one year period of growing them, I spent lots of money on trying to find the best potting media, fertilizer, and so forth. I have since gone back to the basics. Gritty mix does not work well for me...I am having to water and fertilize more often. Granted they are being grown year-round out doors, but I have had issues of excessive rain, as well as excessive heat and humidity.

"Listen" to them...they will tell you what's what! So you found dark spots on the leaves, that's okay, as long as the soil at the base of the caudex is not saturated with water. But please, do not withhold water...but do allow the very top of the soil to dry out by ventilation or at least a fan blowing breezes over the trees that would allow continuous transpiration to occur during daylight or whatever light source you are providing.

This is offered info through my experiences only.

Regards,

Kadie

Thanks for the worlds of encouragement. It's not the leaves. The dark small spot is on the caudex/trunk like it is rot; the weird thing is there is only one spot. I'm going to keep them alive for as long as possible. I'll try to get pictures attached later. Some are putting out 5-6 leaves at this point. Quite a few look very great.

Watering is very light only because I can't control the environment as well as I would like being outside in a greenhouse. Temps and humidity are "yoyo-ing" around here. 50F->80F + 100% humidity -> back to 50F; greenhouse mitigates some of these rapid changes. The dark spots on the caudex is further causing me to hold off on watering. Sometimes it's so humid there is heavy condensation on the adeniums compounding my hesitation with watering.

I know these conditions are not ideal but it's what I have available and room for.

I just saw this post and I started with adenium seeds around sept. In northern California. I killed alot before I found a method that works best for me. I really enjoy growing them hydroponically. I will later move them from a hydroponic system to smart pots. I'm not sure about my media mix. I started with a cactus mix that I added some perlite to. Didn't really measure it out. That ended tragically for that group of seeds. I kept them pretty moist. Growing in the off season lighting was a challenge. I ended up getting a tent to put my yearlings in that I purchased online, as well as my seedlings growing in soil media. As well as l.e.d lights. The media I use now is black Rose cactus mix mixed 1:1:1 with extra coarse perlite and pumice. I rinse my perlite and pumice first to get rid of the dust and real small pieces. Those seedlings are doing much better than the last. I like to grow arabicums and I believe I have some seeds that are socotranum arabicum mix. I water my seedlings in soil about 3 sometimes 4 times a week. The only experience I have had with obesum, they were about a year old and rotted almost right away. I think because the night time temps are much cooler than the day time temps in the summer here ,where they were outside. Arabicums seem to be more cold tolerant. My hydroponic seedlings grow much faster. The leaves grow faster than the ones in soil, and the caudex grow much plumper and not as tall. The seedlings I have in soil are growing slow and steady but look good the leaves are much smaller and have about half as many as my hydro seeds started about a week sooner. In soil the caudex grows a little longer but I got it down to where the caudex in the soil doesn't grow too much longer like my first set of seeds which looked etoliated and died. It has been alot of fun and you can see some pics of a few of my seedlings that are now around day 55 hydroponically if you search on houzz hydroponic adenium my thread will come up. I will be posting what my seeds look like around day 55 tomorrow when I have time. I also have an update on two weeks for my other hydro seeds started. And soon I will be posting my soil seeds. I can't wait til spring ! I have stopped starting seeds for the most part til then because it is getting harder to care for them all. Also i get brown spots on my leaves when I fertilize my yearlings and end up having to cut the leaves because I can't Handel looking at them. I need to use less fertilizer in my water when I fertilize them. Also come spring I want to use more organic material because of the fertilizer problem I have, and will probably only use a slow release 15-15-15. My sister in law has an obesum, it is in a plastic pot way smaller than it should be, in a mostly peat moss nursery mix. It sits in full sun and gets rain everyday, she neglects the hell out of it, but lives in Orlando, fl. I wish I had her problem with adeniums! That kind of shows how big a difference weather makes for these plants. I really enjoy everything I have learned from everyone on this forum. Now I need to get to taking some pics to post on my thread. Goodluck with your seedling!