Variegata Adenium

If we plant adenium from seed sometime we found a unique form.



Sources : ToekangKeboen.com

Simple Step to make Dwarf Arabicum

Charateristic that need to pay attention from the Dwarf form or Bonsai Arabicum are :

#1. Skin of the rod looks very wrinkle, more dark color and has many joints.
The dark skin is as sign to stop growing especially in main branch otherwise the caudex will be more chubby.

#2. Remain stable with more short branches in the chubby caudex. Therefore looks like classic and old.
The two character above can be a measurement of quality from Dwarf Arabicum form.

Menahile there are 3 genus of hybrid arabicum that could produce Dwarf Arabicum with good quality i.e Petch Na Wang, Lop Bu Ri dan Sing Bu Ri.

Step to make Dwarf :

#1
Choose the frees and healthy form the above genus.

#2
Use media that can provide drain and watering that can be good germinate of the seed and grow faster.

#3
After the seed become germination follow the growth of the seedling untul 6 month.

#4
The crown with chubby caudex is the best form and make sure the branch skin all is green.
The green branches could be growth bigger.

After 6 months the Dwarf form will be more stable. And then decide whether the caudex will be growth big or to be bonsai.


Translation from :
nja, agrobis, edisi 716, februari 2007

Cheers
Multa

Make an artistic root for your Adenium

Basically adenium is plant that easy to be customized, particularly with the root. Below are the tips to make your adenium plant perform an artistic plant.

1. Select the plant with minimum caudex size 10 cm.
2. Release the plant from the pot, then spray the root and the caudex with water cleanly.
3. Wipe the root with liquid fungicide, and let them dry.
4. Cut the caudexes into 2 parts on the center with sterile knife.
5. Wipe liquid fungicide to the bottom of the caudexes, and let them dry for 3-4 days.
6. Use stereo form, and cut the stereo form fit to the form of the bottom of the caudexes.
7. Stick tightly the stereo form to the bottom of the caudexes.
8. Plant the adenium to the pot.
9. Wait 3 – 4 month, and you will find your adenium create the root with artistic form.

Happy trying …….

Regards
Multa

Adenium Seed

Adenium seed can be produced from natural-pollination or hand-pollination. Generally the best hybrid adenium come from hand-pollination.
The seed as result of natural-pollination can not be controlled to get a good next generation. This seed generally only be used for trunk-material due to the form of caudexes can be made an artistic plants.
Most of us know that adenium plant is “a desert plant” that is why called as “desert rose”. The major factors to get sustain generation in desert area is the wind. Adenium seed has hair, slight-skin and hollow-space, therefore easy blown by the wind. When the seed is ripe, then the seed pod will be broke and spread the seed. A couple of seed pod usually produces 100 to 150 of seed and takes 80 days to be ripe.
Adenium seed will be dormant until they find a suitable place to grow, they will react against water. The penetration of the water to the seed will cause the embryo produce a hormone. This process also creates enzyme which will stop dormancy of the seed.
After pass dormant period, the seed start to live through respiration and transform food-reserves become energy. The energy will trigger a sustain process for seed casing separation, create a root, trunk and leaf. The above process kotiledon (part of seed contain food-reserve) will be move-up to the land surface. Kotiledon is used for food-reserve and fotosintetic
Actually adenium is easy to germinate. However there are seed will not want to germinate due to such factor i.e seed fertility; wrong handling seed when harvest, and planting process of the seed.

Watering Adenium

"How much" to water Adenium sounds like easy: to support the plant is growing, always need enough water in the soil thoroughly with some coming out of the bottom of the pot. It may be necessary to water a little each time in the winter, usually with the plant not in growth or even dormant, what we need is just to keep the media from going dry.

The question is How often to water: The factors which will be influence are : 1) season 2) environment, 3) media, 4) fertilizer

Growth: Adeniums can use a lot of water - more than most other plants. Insufficient water will impact the plant will not growth as what we need. But to much water will cause the plant will be rotten.

Environment: hot & dry conditions (sufficient of sunlight), Watering every 7-10 days.

Media: Coco peat + Organic fertilizer + fried hull with Very little water retention.

Container size: Large specimen plants require less frequent water, partly because big pots don't dry quickly and partly because large plants are more resistant to dry conditions.

Growth stage: require frequent watering for young plants, they need growing rapidly. More older of the plant more Less frequent watering.

Growth control: regular fertilizer + nutrients will give a toughened plant with hard caudex. (make a schedule each 2-3 days for fertilizer and nutrients)

Germinating adenium seed

I couldn't remember that when is my first time germinating adenium seed. I just feel that it is very easy and don't even try to remember anything about it. Germinating adenium seed in my growing condition is very easy because I have enough warm and sun all year around. There are 4 things I will mention in this article : seeds, soil mix, temperature and light & humidity.

Seed : This must be the main key to success. Adenium seed loses its viability in short time. Fresh adenium seed can germinate in few days. I have never kept record that adenium seed can hold viability for how long. From rough observation, my 2 months old seeds have 100% germination but after 6 months germination decreases significantly. Anyway I believe that viability of seeds depend on fertility of mother plant. Healthy adenium seed should have perfect cylinder shape.
Mix : I found that adenium isn't a selective plant. It can grow in many kinds of mix which well drain. Best thing to do is selecting materials that are readily available at your place. I don't have fixed formula for mix. I normally use coarse sand, coconut peat, rice husk and some decomposed leaves. The approximate ratio is 3:2:2:1. I have never use perlite so I can not give any comments on it. I use the mix said for seed germination and seedling. For bigger plants, chips of coconut husk will be added to provide more porosity.
Temperature : I have never experienced too cold weather. Average temperature in Bangkok is always over 25 C so adenium seeds can be germinated all years around. Anyway I suppose that temperature below 15 C can delay or retard germination.
Light & humidity : Fresh adnium seed may germinate over a night. Light is not necessary for germination in first few days. I always put seed tray under table so it gets only indirect sun light. All seeds should germinate in 7 days. Once seed husk fall off seedlings should receive more light. Until they are 2 weeks old, I give them full sun. Anyway mix have to keep humid at all time. I water seedlings once a day or more if temperature is too high. Within one month seedling can be transplants to 4" pot and grow until flowering.
In tropical climate like Bangkok, adenium seedlings grow very fast. Plants should be watered everyday unless it rains or no sun. If seedling is repotted regularly according to its growth, it will flower within less than one year. Fertilizer can be used to accelerate growth rate. I use even formula soluble fertilizer. Fertilizer can be applied with watering every 10 to 15 days.

By Chuyos Punpreuk, Nov-2000.

Adenium seed and its problem

There are two main problems in adenium seed. #1 Seed don’t want to grow, #2 Types of seed doe not meet to our criteria.
There 4 parties should have responsible to the above case: seed farmer, seed trader, seed buyer and adenium it self.
Their involved due to :

1. Wrong in handling seed when harvested
• The way to take care the plant should able guarantee nutrition availability for the seed.
• Seed quality worsens fast as fast as time ticking.
2. Wrong in planting

The way and procedure of planting will impact to life survival of the seed. The good quality of the seeds will be fail if wrong handling in planting
• Planting media is not meeting the life requirement of the seed/plant
• Insufficiency sunlight/weather

3. Genetic Problem
• Genetic of”mother plant” will influence seed quality.
• Mostly Adenium in the market currently is Hybrid. For example: yak siau, thai soco, RCN, brazilian, desert night fork, etc.
• Nowdays rarely we found “true type” of the seed, due to produce the seed will take a long time, minimum 5 generation needed.

4. Fraud and limited knowledge of the seed
The seller sells the seed in obsolescent condition.
The terrible one is when the seller has limited knowledge of the seed, they don’t know which the goods seed and bad seed, how to keep the seed always in good condition after they has had harvest.