Q: I live in New Hampshire. will the desert rose plants, adeniums, grow in may area?
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A: Yes we have clients in Maine, NY, MN, ND, Washington State, etc. However, you need to grow them in containers, use the right soil and fertilizers. In the northern states many collectors have greenhouses or a window sun room so you can extend the growing season due your longer winters. The adenium plants, desert rose plants, do not like weather below 40 degrees what so ever. If you do not have a green house or large window facing south to extend your growing season you may want to get a growing light. Do you have to have longer growing season and light to grow them – No. However, they will grow much slower and may not flower in the Spring/early summer as easily. You will need to use fertilizer to help them grow and bloom.
During the winter water them once a month. Use time released 6-6-6 or 6-6-10 fertilizer during the summer months and in the Winter. Use Dyna-Bloom and Dyna-Grow Tekt starting in late winter (March in your area) for two months every other week or until you see flower buds just starting to form.
The grow light or large south facing window is more critical during the late winter early spring in your area. You need to get the adenium plants to warm up (60 to 70 degrees) with longer hours of daylight start to grow to get flower in late Spring/Early summer.
Adenium plants do go dormant and if the plants does not get enough light (6 hours) and warmth starting in late winter (March) to get out of dormancy you may have a hard time getting the desert rose plants to bloom. In England desert plants such as adeniums are very popular, however, they have green houses or growing windows. Their weather the Northern New England states in the USA so if they can grow the desert rose plant and other succulents so can you.
I would like to know why they graft dessert roses
Grafted plants are the only want to insure that the hybrid flower type is of the type desired. Also, hybrid plants usually do not grow as fast so by using a larger base it accelerates the growth.
I came across your website while looking for some tips to care for my adenium. It’s been with me for over a year now, but there has been no branching at all. the caudex is pretty small and the plant itself has a single stem with leaves on top. It has been 2 months since it last flowered. I am trying to find out if pruning will help it to grow some new branches and how and when to prune the plant. This is my first adenium, appreciate some pointers! also, I live in Bangalore in the south of India, tropical climate with slightly cool winters and heavy rains during this time of the year.
Your adenium should grow great in your location. Yes you may need to crop the long branches to force the plant to grow several replacement limbs. Also, you need to fertilize because the heavy rains leaches the soil of all nutrients.
I live in Alabama and am having a desert rose delivered to me from you guys in the next few days. I plan on keeping it indoors year round under a lamp. I know that the dormancy/blooming cycles very depending on where you live but in my controlled environment, what months should I base my cycle on? When should I do the fertilizing, pruning, etc., and should I ever even alter the amount of water? Also should I differ the amount of light to simulate a change in climate/daytime length so it knows when to go dormant?
Adeniums will take as much light as you will give it. It would give them 8..10 hours of light from March through late October and then back down to 6 hours. Use a combination of time released fertilizer for the adenium plants and then supplement with liquid starting in February through June (K-L-N and grow). If the desert rose plants do not bloom i spring you may want to use K-L-N bloom for a month in late spring.
Prune (Crop) the branches on the adenium plants after they bloom and when you still have 2 months of growing season. In your area they will do great outdoors during late spring through October so If you have the area you can put them outside.
You said supplement with liquid starting in February through June. Isn’t that the times for blooming? I read elsewhere to not fertilize during blooming season. Am I getting the cycle wrong?
if the plant is on a regular schedule it will not cause a problem. The problem occurs when the plant is shocked by a one time feeding. Also, February is before you will see buds and blooms in your area. If you are not sure start in January instead of February.
I received my desert rose and it looks great and it has been planted for 2 days now. I soaked in the kln stuff for 30 minutes after I opened the box and didn’t water it till 24 hours later. How long do you think before I will see some leaves start to come in? Also at my apartment, I am able to give it full Sun for 5 hours from 10am to 3pm, but after that I have no Sun to put it in so I bring it inside and put it under 2 lights (150 watt 2700k cfl and a 300 watt 5000k cfl) for another 7 hours. Do you think that system of direct sun and supplementary indoor lighting will give it enough light to thrive well?
Depending upon how much light and you location temperature you should see new leaves in 2..3 weeks. Remember the adenium plants will go dormant and/or greatly start to slow down their growth in October. Some states have longer desert rose growing season. I believe your growing setup should allow for another 2 months of growing season before the slow down in December/January time frame. We do not use growing lights in south Florida except for the fist few weeks when growing from seeds during the winter months.