When searching for info on germinating Adenium Obesum I was only able to find one website that dealt with them. The info there was sparse, but I was able to gather that the seeds should be soaked for a couple of hours in warm water and sown on the surface of the soil. The images on this site showed them just placing the seeds on the surface of the soil under a misting system.
I did basically just as I saw on the site. With the exception of using misting system, I don't own one so I just covered the pot with a plastic sandwich bag. Within a few days the seeds had germinated but I noticed that the seeds that had been partially covered in soil germinated before the seeds that were resting on the surface of the soil.
Because they were covered with a plastic bag and were sitting under a light a fungus or mold began to develop along the surface of the soil. I sprinkled cinnamon ontop of the fungus or mold that was developing and it was eradicated by the next day. In the photo attached to this entry the red stuff on the soil is the cinnamon I sprinkled.
how do these plants look now?
ReplyDeletei have one..and i'm wondering what the growth rate is
Hi,
ReplyDeleteYou know they aren't much bigger because I've been very neglectful of them. Since they're small I keep "loosing" them on the plant shelf and find them when they're half dead and then have to bring them back.
When they're young they can take a lot more water than when they're older established plants and you can expect for them to flower at the third year. As seedling they grow pretty fast with proper care, which mine aren't really getting.
i bought 25 seeds on line, first time trying to grow, i got one plant lol, but its two years old now and it is so awsome, the trunk is amazing, all narled and its about 2 feet tall and blooms all the time. two of my older plants have seed pods, the red one has about 8 pods and the pink about 6 and getting more. how long does it take for the seed pods to open?
DeleteThe seed pods take about 3 to 4 months to open. Once the seed pods start browing it is good to up a leg stocking over them so that the seeds dont fly away.
DeleteHello i find four beggining info with seeds:
ReplyDelete-24 hours in water
-24 hours in a plate not tooo deeper with water
-refrigerator
-inside a kitchen paper wet with water.
And one very complete version:
Seeds must be on water 24 hours after that the ones that stay deeper could be used.
Then you put one seed inside a paper from kitchen wet with water(paper seed paper the seed must be covered with wet kitchen paper)then inside a bag on refrigerator 30 days minuimum and control the humidity.
Then the seeds germed can be putted on earth (this one has to be 50% de peat moss e 50 % de perlite)
Then can be mantain with controled humidity earth.
The best is put a vase with good drainage system and use fertilizer after the water.
You can water often to stimulate maximum growth and flowering.
I didn't begin yet but i intend to have this plant in my house since i have plenty of sun and a good temperature even in winter.
P.S. i go pick your blog in mine to store and visit you often.
Thanks for the info you have here
I purchased 5 seeds on Ebay. I placed them in a light potting mix just under the soil surface in a plastic container with lid. Before covering with the lid, I spritzed the water very well with water and covered. I placed the container on top of the fridge where it was semi-dark. Not long after (didn't count the days) all 5 sprouted. They made great Christmas gifts for my sisters.
ReplyDeleteThank God for classy garden bloggers. I was searching for some info on germinating Adenium Obesum but found poor info on various forums that very usually contradictory (esp. the cold stratification part). I have finally found something that borders with common sense and is actually effective ;-) How are your lil fellas doing? Here's another small-pot-seedlings infidel. My ignorance to their petty and above all, dry life inside the shelf dungeons truly borders with malice and I rarely find them when they are half dead. Mine are usually well dead upon rediscovery ;-) But I get better, every now and then. Talk about green thumbs....
ReplyDeleteHi I found your blog informative. Following your instructions I have around 200 saplings. But I find a few casualties everymorning. Its hot and dry here (40oC)so I do water them eveyday. Where am I going wrong?
ReplyDeleteDevjani. New Delhi, India
You have to be very cautious when you wather them. If water falls to hard on the seedlings they tend to bend at the base. at that moment a small break/tear in the plants skin will cause it to rot out. I started growing some seedings in late june 105 in total. I have only lost about 10 so far. Again be extremely careful when watering. It is better if you just put the pot its in into a pan of water so that water gets soaked from bottom to top
Deletetry not to move the seedling.
I have about 70 Desert Rose Seedlings that are about 3 months old and almost 2 inches tall. Recently some of the have started to fall over at the soil line and after a closer look it appears that the top of the tap root is shriveling up. Just the top if I move the top cm. of soil in the pot the root is full and healthy looking.
ReplyDeleteAny ideas of what might be happening?
those seedlings are mature enough to stop watering them daily. water only when the soil is dry add alot of sun
Delete@anonymous, Congrats on getting them to germinate and it was very nice of you to pass them on to your sisters.
ReplyDelete@Viooltje, My seedlings were given away a long time ago but I've got some mature ones in my collection now. Thanks for the comment, glad you found the info useful.
@Devjani, My guess would be that it may be too hot for them and you're not giving them enough water during the seedling stage.
@Anonymous with the 70 seedlings, It could be soil, maybe water is pooling near the surface and causing rot?
Check out this site, http://adenium.tucsoncactus.org/index.html
ReplyDeleteMake sure to check out the photos of the Adeniums in the Wild!!
When I was researching planting my seeds I learned about a product called Vermiculite. I had about 55seeds that I gently pressed in a 3"D tray with 2" of cactus soil. I covered the seeds with about a 1/4" of Vermiculite and watered generously. 5 days later I was excited to find a few had broken the surface. Now 3 weeks later I have 37 little baby desert rose sprouts!
One source recomended watering from the bottom everyday and every 3rd day gently water from the top. Which seems to be working great to get those little roots to dig deep.
Orbin,
ReplyDeleteYou can also use perlite as a seed starting medium. Congrats on your seed starting success.
I just planted the seeds in regular potting soil and they were up in 3 days.
ReplyDeleteHi Laurie,
ReplyDeleteThat's fantastic. Congrats!
Hello, i'm curious as to why the Cinnamon eradicated the mold that was developing, I've never heard of this and need to try this out in the future.
ReplyDeletethank you.
Alexander Roman,
ReplyDeleteCinnamon is said to have anti-fungal properties, which is why some gardeners use it when starting seeds. Here is a link to orchid growers discussing it http://is.gd/5p5uw & one from Garden Web http://is.gd/5p5za . Although, it may be an old wive's tale. But in my experience it works.
Great info. 7 of 10 have germinated already, so I'm gonna pot them separately. I hope they will do well in my apartment. I have to be really careful the watering, because I tend to overwater my plants :D
ReplyDeleteThanks again :)
Dave
I hope the seedlings are not to big that you cant seperate now if they are to close the roots will intertwine and it will be difficult to seperate. When you do repot make sure the soil is not to dry because you dont want to water the plant the same day that you repot it.
DeleteHi Dave,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the germination. Good luck with your Adenium obesum seedlings.
I recently bought some seeds online and when they arrived I planted them in cactus mix, watered them and put a plastic bag over them. I live in Oklahoma and right now the temps outside still aren't high enough to put them outside and the only light I have for them besides a western window is a 60w gro light bulb which I've heard aren't the greatest. I put them on a heating pad but I don't want to leave it on when I'm not here. It's been 7 days and still nothing! Do you have any advice? How long should it take? would it be ok to only have the hating pad on part of the day and put the gro light closer the rest of the day? Do I just need to be patient?
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Amanda
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteIt could be the seed were old, they don't stay viable very long. I'd say be a little patient and after 14 days I think it would be time to maybe give up on them or to consider giving them more warmth.
hi
ReplyDeletei just received 30 seeds in the mail from thailand.im very nervous about planting them because i recently moved to the country and i want to make sure they grow and that i dont do anything wrong.is there anymore advice you could give me?also i was wondering if i should plant them in separate pots or if its ok to put them all in one? sorry i know i sound stupid :( thanks...
Anonymous,
ReplyDelete1st, if you were "stupid" you wouldn't be gardening. 2nd you wouldn't be asking questions to expand your knowledge. So you don't sound stupid to me at all.
Basically, the advice I can offer in germinating your Adenium Obesum seeds is to see what I wrote in the post. It worked for me. Also, some people have left good tips in the comments, so check them out.
Good luck with your seeds.
HI, I purchased seed from ebay and did the paper towel method - wet the towel slightly, folded it in half and placed my seeds along in a row. then I placed the whol lot in a snap sandwich bag and hung them out side under my patio. they were in light but not direct light. the all germinated but the older the seeds were the slower they were to germinate. From then, I cut around the seed and the little root and potted them up into seed raising mix. I mist them once or twice a week and they are going fine so far. A few of them are about two inches high now.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the secrets is to get fresh seed.
JO
Hi Jo,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your Adenium seed starting tips. Appreciate the feedback and good luck with your seeds.
Hi All, I've recently harvested seeds from my 3 year old desert rose. I wasn't sure what would work so I planted the seeds in two ways:
ReplyDelete1. In an ice cream tub with cotton wool soaked in Sea-Gro fertilizer, then covered with plastic wrap.
2. In well draining soil, with plastic wrap.
The seeds in the ice cream tub have germinated after 5 days, the one's in the soil haven't. The difference is the amount of moisture was higher in the ice cream tub and it received more light being placed in the window.
My question now, if anyone can help! What do I do with the germinated seed in the ice cream tub? Do I move them into soil now?
Thanks! Nikki
Hi Nikki,
ReplyDeleteWas the ice cream tub completely covered? If so, you'll have to open it and leave it open for a few hours a day to get the seedlings accustomed to the dry air outside the container.
Day one: open for one hour.
Day two: open for an hour and a half.
Day three: open for two hours.
and keep going for about a week.
You can gently pick the seedlings up and put them in soil and just barely cover them.
Thanks! Yes they are completely covered, so I'll do as you mentioned. It turns out the seeds in the soil have sprouted as well, so I'm doing great so far... I'm guessing I just leave the ones in the soil as they are until they're much bigger?
ReplyDeleteThanks again.
Nikki
Hi
ReplyDeleteI am from India. I was looking for some discussion forum on adenium. I have planted seeds collected from red adenium. The seedling are in two colours - pink and green. Is it related to flower colour. Do natural pollination lead to colour differences
Nikki,
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late reply. Yes, you can leave them in the soil for a while and let them develop some roots before potting them up into a different sized pot.
Chitra,
Yes, the colors can be different depending on if they were cross-pollinated by different colored flowers. Good luck germinating your adenium obsesum seeds.
Thanks so much! Your advice has really helped me! I've put pics of my babies on my blog, they're looking really good so far!
ReplyDeletehttp://nikkzn.blogspot.com/
Nikki,
ReplyDeleteCongrats. Just left you a comment on your post.
My apologies! I've changed my blog address:
ReplyDeletehttp://foreverfridays.blogspot.com/2010/08/desert-roses-are-doing-well.html
Hi,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Adrienne and I have a question about the growth of the caudex... I, like many others have bought several seeds from Thailand. This is my first attempt at planting Adenium seeds. I used my Aerogarden to start the seeds because I live in Florida and didn't want to worry about the seeds getting knocked out of the pots because of rain. I planted 5 seeds of five different varieties (one per opening). All but 3 seeds have sprouted. YAY 22/25, I'm happy!! It has been about 3 weeks and they each have 2 sets of "true" leaves, with the third set starting now. Although the caudex has swollen some, I wanted to know if there was anything I needed to do to facilitate the widening of the caudex. I have not transplated them into dirt just yet, I am waiting on the 3 set of leaves to completely open up. One good thing about the hydro growing is you can check the root system periodically. I would say in about another 3 weeks they will be ready. I have all the pots set up and ready to transplant. I use marble stones at the bottom to aid with drainage, then a cactus mixture as growth medium, and then a thin layer of marble stones on top. I have two others that i purchased from the store with conical shaped caudex's, but these are my first babies so I am a little nervous. I read somewhere about cutting the tops off, but I'm nervous about doing that with such a young bunch of seedlings. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks all for your input and comments on this blog..... not to many out there that deal specifically with this succulents, and I learn alot from everyone's experiences. :)
Hi I was wondering what setting you use on your aerogarden cause I'm using mine for that too
Delete@Adrienne,
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're doing great with your seedlings. Pinching (not cutting) the tops would probably encourage some widening of the plant because more than one "branch" would develop. The more branches it has the thicker the plant will become.
Hope this helps.
hi
ReplyDeletei want to know the temp. of water you have used to soaked the adenium seeds...!!!
When searching for info on germinating Adenium Obesum I was only able to find one website that dealt with them. The info there was sparse, but I was able to gather that the seeds should be soaked for a couple of hours in warm water and sown on the surface of the soil. The images on this site showed them just placing the seeds on the surface of the soil under a misting system.
Frijo,
ReplyDeleteSoak your Adenium seeds in lukewarm water. If the water is too hot for your skin, let it cool off a bit before soaking the seeds. Also, I've not noticed a difference between soaked seeds versus unsoaked seeds. They both germinate pretty much the same.
Haven't heard anyone talk about what type of water too use..i always use distalled water! Can that make a difference? I just bought my first plant from ebay for $5.00 about 6in tall!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I just use regular tap water. I'm not so sure that bottled or distilled water makes any difference.
ReplyDeleteHi its me again,
ReplyDeleteI'm battling with whitefly on my Gerbera's and my baby Adenium's are right next to this plant and the flies seem to be moving on to them!
What do I do about this?
Thanks Nikki.
Ni Nikki,
ReplyDeleteThere are several home remedies for getting rid of white flies. Do a search of "Google for Gardeners" and you should come up with a bunch of results from houseplant forums. http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=016107364460514176754%3Al5qjc3mrgym
Mr Brown:
ReplyDeleteIm a Tissue Culture Hobbist. I got some seed today left on Hydrogen Peroxide 3% for two hours and going to planted on Orchids Media. Those seed has been in refrigerator for more than 7 month hope are not dead. But my interest to post is your tip on Ground Cinnamon. Today I use one of the Cinnamon Capsule that use to take care of my Cholesterol and sprinkle over a contaminated media with fungus and bacteria. Let see if the Cinnamon really work. I will post the result in three days.
Gregorio J.
I live in Tampa, Florida and I planted around 100 seed in my greenhouse in march. When the plants was around two and a half inch and had around 4 to 5 leaves I planted the into small pots. Since I have read that they need a lot of sun I placed them out in full sun, after three days I noticed that all the leaves started to get brown and fall off. I moved them under a sun blanket that reduce the sun 60 % which I use for my Hollyhocks in the summer time. I watered and gave them seaweed fertiliser, it is now November and they haven't grown much the whole summer, most of them are only 4" and a few are 5", is this the normal grow rate or is because they didn't get enough sun in the summer? In end of December to end of February I will have to move them into the greenhouse because the night temperature can drop to below 40 some nights, do they go dormant like plumeria? Do they need water in the winter time?
ReplyDeleteThis a lot of questions, but this is my first season.
Kim J
@Gregorio, I admire your experimentation and look forward to your results with the experiment and see if you find that the cinnamon has an affect on fungus.
ReplyDelete@Kim J, The slow growth rate could be because they suffered some shock after getting scorched. It is a good practice to acclimate them to being outside in the spring time. If they are kept cool in the winter they will go dormant. Mine went dormant at the end of summer here and lost their leaves. After about a week of being in a heated house they've started to grow some leaves. If they're dormant they don't need a lot of water. Water sparringly if you see some caudex shrinking in the winter and the plant isn't growing.But if you've grown Plumerias before growing Adeniums is pretty much the same.
Me again! I have two medium sized adeniums that I purchased about 2 years ago. I've just repotted them and wanted to lift the caudex out of the soil to create an interesting effect.
ReplyDeleteWhat I want to know is, have I exposed too much of the root? Please help as I don't want to kill my adeniums! I'll post some pics on my blog: http://shongololocraft.blogspot.com/2011/01/adenium-obesum-repotting.html
Also I plan on pruning the single stemmed adenium, what would be the best way to do this?
@nikki, your post doesn't seem to be there any longer. Can't really say without looking at the picture, but I don't think exposing the caudex would do much harm.
ReplyDeleteHi sorry! I think I had moved things around a bit after I posted. Please try this new link and let me know what you think.
ReplyDeletehttp://shongololocraft.blogspot.com/p/adenium-obesum-desert-rose.html
when do i back off with the watering my seedlings have now got six leaves and i am still keeping them wet they are looking good and not lost any yet out of 40 plants. daphne.
ReplyDeletehi, I got my seeds from Ebay too and its been 2 weeks and out of 40 seeds 11 has sprouted they're abt. 1.5 inches or so tall w/ 2 tiny leaflets.I planted them in a seedling start kit/jiffy pro planter bought from walmart 1 seed per peat pellet.my first time to attempt from seeds.I had few plants that i bought in the swap meet but died on me some had bloomed already but forgot them outside 1 winter and all but 2 died.I hope my seeds will continue to progress.
ReplyDelete@daphne, You got six leaves on one plant already? I say keep doing what you're doing until the next fall in your area. I'm assuming it is currently winter in your area, right? Keep growing them normally through the spring and summer and start to hold off on the watering in the fall.
ReplyDelete@Cora, That's a pretty good germination rate for your adenium obesum seeds. Congrats and I wish you luck with them.
I've been growing adenium for a couple years now. I just haphazardly put them in a jiffy peat pellet in one of those mini greenshouses you get at places like WalMart. When I bought from a supplier called "Adenium Ko" I was getting about a 90% germination. Since then I've bought from some other suppliers that didn't have fresh seed, and only got about 50% germination. Some people in the USA are buying seed from Thailand and re-selling it. Nothing wrong with that, but it does increase the time from seed pod to pot. Fresh is always better.
ReplyDeleteJWJ
ReplyDeleteI am new to the blog comment idea. But even newer to growing Adeniums from seeds. I have one three foot tall "adult" which produced a seed pod. I planted the seeds maybe 30, about 12-14 sprouted. But I have lost 6-7. They are in reqular potting soil and an aluminum pan with a clear plastic lid. Most have lost one leaf and don't look very healthy. Do I need help, or am I just panicing. They are about one inch tall and maybe 3 weeks old. I leave them uncovered in the day and cover-up at night. Any advice will be helpful.
When you are sowing seeds it is better to uncover them after the seeds have germinated. The humidity tent created by the cover is not needed after germination. Since I can't see what your Adenium seedlings looked like, I can't really guess at what is causing the leaf loss and death. But my initial thought was that the soil is remaining too wet since you used "regular potting soil" and are covering the seedlings.
DeleteHi, I just got Adeniums plant from the store but I want to transfer to a bigger container. What kind of soil do I use? Thanks, Mel
ReplyDeleteMel, you can use cacti & succulent soil sold at your local garden center.
DeleteI planted my seeds in separately in small pots and they are sprouting. I heard that we are supposed to change soil every 6 months. Is that true?
ReplyDeleteYou should replant your Adenium seedlings when they outgrow your pots. There steadfast rules about when to repot a plant. You repot when it is necessary, and when the soil seems exhausted of nutrients. Which would probably be every couple of years.
DeleteOne of my Desert Roses now has several seed pods. One has definitely "ripened" but I fear it may have ripened too much. I've been checking it for several days and today it had a split in it. I further opened it to see what lay inside... After carefully removing the seeds, within minutes they looked like dandelion puffs! There is a small, dry, stem with these now puffy hairs. Please tell me what I should do at this stage... Should I soak them in warm water as mentioned above?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your help!
Linda
Summerfield, FL
well...since I didn't get any reply, I just took a chance and set the seeds on the dirt and pushed a tiny bit of dirt over each one, ignoring the puffy hairs. The 3 sprouts are doing fine and are each about 2" tall.
DeleteThe next pod to open contained 8 seeds. I realized that one end of the hairs easily snaps off, so I set that end of the actual seed into a seedling pellet. About 4 days later, the other pod split. I am thrilled that I got 15 seeds out of that one! This is as of Sept 30, 2012.
I live in central Florida and have many friends awaiting their deep red Desert Rose....
Hi, Sorry I didn't get to your question, but I'm glad you went ahead and sowed your adenium seeds and that they're germinating so well for you. Congrats! Now you know you can do it and how easy it is. :0) Hope you and your friends enjoy your adenium plants!
DeleteHi, I germinated about 20 seeds last Fall, and all were growing well in coir fibre until the start of this Summer, when I noticed the leaves were yellowing and the larger green ones looked less shiny and had spots on them. The caudex is still firm. Is this a compost problem or a nutritional problem? So far, none have rotted. Thanks
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like it is a compost and nutritional problem. Coir isn't really a great growing medium of Adeniums when they are past the seedling stage. During the seedling state Adeniums can tolerate being wet, but as they grow they are less able to handle staying wet for too long. Also, coir doesn't have any nutrients so unless you're fertilizing there isn't much in coir to feed the plants.
DeleteHello
ReplyDeleteExcellent site. I live in Oaxaca, Mexico, and the seed podson the Adenium are 4-5" in length, a reddish brownish greenish hue. I am interested in trying to start new plants from seed. At what point would you suggest harvesting the pods, or would you, as one reader commented, place a nylon stocking over the pods and wait for them to drop on their own? Much helpful information, and many thanks to you and all contributors.
Regards
Richard Huber
email - zotzbahlum13@gmail.com
(ps - how do i go about selecting a profile? i looked at this prior to sending this message and the letter was erased. Thank you)
Hi Richard,
DeleteAs suggested above, place a nylon stocking over the seed pod to keep the seed from flying away when the pod splits. This is a blog and it works different than a website or forum that you're probably accustomed to. You can really choose an avatar or create a profile unless you have a blogging account too, or have an OpenID account to comment.
Anyone have suggestions on what fertilizer to use on my little seedlings?
ReplyDeleteAnd, mine seem to be doing more straight up growing, with only 2-4 leaves. i've seen other pictures of them being short and stout. Wish mine were like that at their young age... Suggestions?
Linda
Summerfield, FL
AND, I have lost about half of my original 23. I'm so disappointed....
DeleteWill possibly lose a couple more!
Regarding fertilizer, neither Lowes nor Home Depot have Cactus & Succulent fertilizer. They have lots of all-purpose feed, and feed for citrus and palms. Need confirmation of what is best for them, please!
Linda
Summerfield, FL
Try eBay for cactus succulent feed, brilliant
DeleteWendy
Linda in Summerfield,
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read digging through pages and pages of online information, pruning severely determines the growth and shape of the plant. Also, here is a page from some gardeners/botanists in Florida about growing Adenium Obesum.http://adenium.tucsoncactus.org/large.html
Good luck!!
Denise in Fruitland Park, Florida
Hi
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Adenuim info. i want to congratulate you as with your advice I planted two cutting and are new leaves are breaking out :)
this is my third try with adenium. I feel only over watering can kill the Adenuims.
thanks...
Hi who has bought adenium seeds on ebay, which seller is the best o anyone who has an excite with the color that they bought
ReplyDeleteHi there,
ReplyDeleteI buy all my seeds on ebay UK, I planted about a dozen ADENIUM seeds and every one sprouted. It is the middle of December here in the UK and I have seedlings coming out of my ears. Now I am new to gardening and growing seeds so not sure what to do next they are very even, about 2" tall and have at least four, others have six beautiful healthy leaves ( touch wood) I haven't lost one. Do I pot them on or leave them in the pots they are in. I have six in each pot. When I planted them i used ADENIUM mixture put it in a pot dampened it, laid the seeds on top sprinkled a little mixture over to cover them, put them in the propagator, within a few days they all popped their little heads up. Would be so grateful for any advice where to go from here. I live in Oxfordshire UK so not the coldest area in GB but we have our moments, lots of frost at present. Oh I have them under grow lights......
Hi there
ReplyDeleteI live in the UK, I've turned my conservatory into a greenhouse, every seed I plant just pops up and takes off, I planted 12 desert rose seeds last month, ( November 2014) and everyone has taken several are 3" plus tall and have 6or more very dark shiney leaves. I am growing in heated propagator under light. I have tried different seed with the wet paper poly bag way and not one seed ever grew,I am having so much fun with it. I didn't know they should come out of the propagator as soon as they popped up so I will remember that. But will still keep under lights as they love it. Thank you for all lovely advice. Perfect. This is second time I've written but last time wasn't published. Hope this will be
Hi!
ReplyDeleteRecently, I've planted my first desert rose seeds, and I'm now starting to see them pop up I'm wondering if it's possible to put two or more seedlings tightly together as the become a bit bigger, to get one, big desert rose instead of several small? Or will this risk their chance of surviving in any way?
Regards
Therese, Sweden