Cultivation of Adenium
Adenium plants, belonging to the caudex succulents, are very beautiful and rather easy to cultivate because Adenium is adaptable to many types of climate and soil mixes. CactusPlaza offers fertile seeds of Adenium species. Propagation can be done by anyone if you follow the basic guidelines as I have written below.
Adenium from Seed
Growing Adenium plants from seed can be done by following our general seed germination instructions for cacti and other succulents. Make sure you do not let your germinating Adenium seeds dry out. Keep the air moist and slowly start ventilating after almost all seeds have germinated.
Light Intensity
When you start with older seedlings or adult plants there are some tips you should keep in mind when growing your Adenium. You should supply as much light as possible but avoid direct and intense sunlight, especially when plants are young and the atmosphere is dry.
Adenium Soil Mix
There are many soil mixes you could use to grow Adenium. A good starting mix could be for instance an inorganic mix based on bark (75%) and Perlite (25%). This mix provides optimal drainage for your plants. The disadvantages could be: inappropriate moist containment and a lack of (essential) nutrients. To correct this you should add some peat and regular potting soil. In conclusion. Make a fertile soil mix but make sure the drainage is optimal. A good final mix would be 50% bark/Perlite mix and 50% peat/soil mix (peat and soil mix should be mixed 1:1).
Water and Nutrition
If you water your Adenium plants then water them well, preferably from beneath. Put the containers with your plants in a tray with water and let them soak for approximately 10 minutes. Only water Adeniums when the soil mix is almost dry. If you water earlier you could risk rotting of the roots.
A good fertilizer would be a slow releasing one. (for example a balanced mix of npk 13-13-13 or 14-14-14). Do not fertilize in the winter. Also reduce waterings in this period.