Planting bare root and/or leafless adenium plants Most adenium bare root plants shipped are leafless to help prevent moisture lose and plant shock. Adeniums can last 3..4 weeks as a bare root plant if you keep them out of sunlight to prevent too much drying out. If your adeniums has leaves expect them to fall off. This is how we do it when we receive plants:
1) First do not crop the adenium desert rose branches or the roots at this time.
2) Dip the adenium roots in Super thrive liquid, root hormone or similar root fertilizer if you have it. You do not have to do this. However, if you do, the leaves will burst out quickly which will greatly help the growing process. Liquid hormone is better than powder for adeniums. A little bit of Super thrive goes a long way. Only leave the desert rose plants roots in the liquid for 3…4 minutes.
3) Get a pot with drain holes and put large rocks over the holes. We do not recommend putting directly in the ground if you lie in the right zone until you second potting.
4) Fill the pot 1/3 with the adenium soil mix. DO NOT USE STANDARD POTTING SOIL! Adeniums do not like water and potting soil has way too much water retaining elements in it. Yes, you can use store bought cactus mix. If you do this add some very small non-porous rocks to the mix (about 10 percent).
5) Put the adenium plant in the pot and fill in around the roots with the soil mixture.
6) On top of the desert rose soil put some non-porous rocks to keep the soil from floating away when watering.
7) Do not water the adenium yet! You already dipped it in the hormone so you need to give it time to absorb the nutrients.
8) Plant your desert rose plant in 70% to 80% sunlight for the first week.
9) After the first week you can place the adeniums in full sunlight
10) Water in 24 hours and test the soil to make sure it drains very quickly. The best way to get answers is to post a question on the AdeniumRose company blog.
Soil mixes for adenium plants do not add top soil or or organic material. Recently a client purchased soil for the adenium specifically mixed for planting. They decided to take 50% of the mix and add more organic ingredients specifically potting mix. Potting mix has way way too much organic water retaining properties for desert rose adenium plants. What happened? They lost 50% of the new adenium hybrids plants to root rot. They only thing you ever may want to add to special adenium or cactus soil mixes are NON-Porous rocks. perlite and silica (not limestone sand – not all sand is the same) sand if you are in a high water area (tropical) or in an area where the water does not evaporate quickly!
I just mixed up a batch of “Gritty Mix” for my DR’s. They love it; it’s fast draining and has little organic material in it – ideal for Adeniums!
what is gritty mix? can I mix my own?
if you would give recipe I would appreciate it.
your blog site is very helpful, have gotten very helpful
info.
Thank You so much,and have a Blessed Day.
Reply: Presently our mix has approximately 70% perlite, 15% coir, non-porous 5% rock and 10% potting soil along with time released 6-6-10 fertilizer that does not have peat moss in it for our adenium plants.
Purchased a bare root desert rose online may 29th from Florida, which was shipped express, and I got it May 31st @1pm est to Maryland zone 7. It came with small leaves which still haven’t fallen off, I repotted with gritty porous mix like my all my other plants, which I keep on dry side, it’s warm here, but has gotten hot couple times. After potting, I watered, placed it in window where it gets afternoon sun only, and then checked soil was bone dry. I use clay pots for majority of my plants, watered again w/super thrive, and today have not watered again. It’s doing lovely but want to know should I prune the leaves off or keep them? The other 2 stems have Been previously pruned, I see small green growth starting to emerge, but this is a tall adeniums w/small base. I think it looks like a holloween type tree that’s beautifully crooked & semi twisted. I’ll keep this indoors since my windows will remain open until it gets to hot, then AC will go on but was just wondering what to do with the 1 tall stem that has leaves on it from shipping?
Adenium caudex grow best when you prune/crop long branches to force growth of the exposes root system (caudex). If the branch is long I would crop the adenium plants it now not later because the main growing seas is now.
I just received 2 XL bare root desert rose from you and have planted per your instructions. When do I fertilize? I believe you have written elsewhere on this blog to fertilize in February before the flowering season. Is that true also for bare roots planted in August?
Also, I have a very large beautiful desert rose that is not currently flowering. I think in part because I moved and it did not have the best conditions for a month. Should I fertilize it now? I just received your fertilizer. thank you
First did you dip the plants in the super thrive? If you did wait a week before watering the plant. Put the fertilizer in the pot in about 1 month using only a teaspoon to a table spoon per plant. We fertilize twice a year once right after the raining season which around October in summer in south Florida (our rainy season is during the summer) and once right after the plant blooms. If you are in the north you can get away with fertilizing once a year after the adenium plants bloom
Do you use the Super Thrive full strength when you dip a bare root desert rose before planting?
We do not use super-thrive at all. We have switch away from super thrive 4 yrs ago for a product that has better/more micro-nutrients adn better balanced – Dyna-Gro K-L-N.
I just received my two desert roses they both look very healthy but one of them where the new growth is has wilted and dried up. Should I trim that part off so new growth can start or just leave it alone?
Leave alone until you see new growth below the area then trim it off.
How much KLN do you use for your desert rose in s.w. florida?
We use Dyna-Gro K-L-N at planting time and them once a week for three weeks.
Sorry when do I put the new bare root adeniums in the sun in s.w. florida. Just received them.
give them two weeks.
All of my older desert rose in containers are dropping their leaves and flowers. Live in s.w. florida. Is this normal and do I water when they are doing this?
We went through a dry spell for 2 months and the plants went into water conservation mode. Since it started to rain more the past two weeks they should start to produce leaves again.
can I use Miracle gro orchid mist on the desert rose roots before potting it?? it just arrived and i do not have any of the other things mentioned.
Use a rooting hormone such as Dyna-Gro K-L-N . orchid fertilizer is not the right formula for root growth.
hello so i actually have a long double grow light and a double bulb grow light, i have 1 awesome black fire desert rose and expecting one here tomorrow, i live in idaho so its cold, i have soil set and also have “fastroot” by miracle grow , i want to ensure it makes it. i heard applying cinnamon helps also. i have a green shallow bonsai pot and would love any tips as to how to ensure my new desert rose makes it
We do not use cinnamon what so ever on adeniums. When we crop branches or roots we wait 5-7 days before we pot them or allow water to set on the cut sections. The best time time to transplant adeniums is after they flower – not during dormancy.
I planted my first desert rose in cactus mix 1:1 with peat moss because they want slightly acidic soil. Is this ok? Also, my home is surrounded by shade trees in west central fl. Should i get a grow light?
NO peat holds too much water and crusts. Put soil in the top search area of this blog for soil recommendations
I received my bare desert rose root a couple of months ago. I potted it immediately after receiving it in the mail but the poor thing is not doing anything…growing leaves, forget blooming. It looks healthy, not rotten or dry…is there anything I can do to help her grow?
Desert roses plant take time to recover. They are not fast growing plants. When we receive them in from out of the country we give them 3 months to recover before we offer them. You had yours bout a month – give it more time.
Hi just received bare root adenium, can i add regular construction sand bought in home depot to cactus soil and perlite? Can i also put or hids bark at the bottom & top of soil? I read your blog and its very much helpful. By the way what if i dont use any rotting hormone?
Please put “Soil” in the top search area for the correct type of soil. No sand or bark for adeniums. Add more perlite to the cactus mix to help make it more airy. Home depot cactus mix has moss which causes a crust on top of the soil over time. If you do not use rooting hormone then it will take longer to recover and grow small roots needed to uptake nutrients and moisture.
I just got 2 DR from another country in the mail, bareroot. The cadeux seems a little soft and also the branches. Maybe they over watered for travel? I planted in a pot using 2/3 cactus soil and 1/3 perlite. I did not water, just set in planting mix. When should I water? I am in Michigan, cold now so potted plants in the house for winter. In a window to get some eastern light. Any help would be appreciated.
They need warmth and light during dormancy. Water once a month.
I need help with desert rose. Please, anyone who can give advice would be appreciated.
Plenty of articles on this blog about growing them.
When I received my bare root Adenium today, the codex and roots were soft(er) … not mushy. Not sure if I should have watered it or just planted it. I washed the roots off, did not soak or water … and planted it. That was it. Hope I did well.