This image was taken two months ago of a striped adenium flower. This is the first bloom since the graft and it is showing its first couple leaves that are just starting to pop out. Right after the adenium, desert rose plant, bloom we took off the flower buds so all the energy goes towards leaf development. Many times when we received grafted adenium plants, the flowers bloom before we see any leaves. The flowers takes a lot from a plants energy and 99% of the time we snip off the flowers on any new adenium graft until they are at least 6 months old.
Notice the triple layer of pedals. Some adeniums layers of pedals are clustered in the center as this adenium pant and others have the flower pedal look of a rose bush (see previous posts). This adenium plant will have a more pronounced yellow color in the center leaves as the plant ages and once it received fertilizer. As a general rule we do not fertilize new adenium grafts until they are 4 months old. Only time release fertilizer is used except when the leaves needs some copper or other micro minerals for leaf color or growth. The same holds true for seedlings except we wait until 6 months and adenium caudex development of at least 1/2″ to prevent plant shock. Also, this weeds out adenium seedlings that are exhibiting natural bad growth from adenium seeds batches.