Desert rose ∗ The 10 best care tips and varieties

origin

the Desert rose, botanically adenium, is actually not a rose at all - it belongs to the dog poison family. It owes its beautiful name to its rose-like flowers, which delight with their splendor even under hot, dry conditions. Because the plant is adapted to such environmental conditions - its habitat is semi-arid, i.e. a climate that is characterized by long dry seasons. Specifically, the desert rose is native to the steppes of Africa and Arabia.

Which location is suitable?

For cultivation in our latitudes, this means that the desert rose needs a sunny, warm location. It thrives best in a bright place on the window sill and can conveniently cope with intense sunlight and heat. However, you should turn it a little now and then so that it does not grow diagonally towards the side facing the light. In summer you can and should put them out, because here the light output is always greater than in the room. In winter you have to make sure that your ambient temperature does not fall below the 10 ° C mark.

Desert rose location rules to remember:

Place warm and sunny
Rotate occasionally for balanced, straight growth
Can / should also be put outdoors in summer
In winter no ambient temperatures below 10 ° C

growth

The desert rose is assigned to the shrub trees, but it grows as a stem succulent. So it forms a caudex, a heavily woody trunk, which makes its habitus rather tree-like. The caudex is used for effective, long-term water storage and turns the desert rose into a veritable plant camel because it can withstand long periods of dryness without any problems. The water storage capacity makes the trunk very thick and the thickening in the lower area makes for a striking overall appearance.

In the wild in its original home area, the trunk of the desert rose can reach a diameter of up to 2 meters. In height it reaches up to 5 meters, but in Central Europe it remains smaller because of the lower light and heat supply. It grows very slowly, reaching a Methuselah age of several hundred years.

The growth characteristics of the desert rose at a glance:

Stem succulents with a water-storing Caudex stem
This gives it a striking appearance and is very drought-resistant
Reaches a height of up to 5 m and a trunk diameter of 2 m in the wild
Slow growth
Reaches several hundred years of age

blossom

The desert rose owes its name to the attractive, pink to reddish, white or purple shell flowers. Their shape also shows their close relationship with the oleander. They are terminal, five-fold and tubular and intensify their color towards the outside. With a diameter of up to 5 centimeters, the flowers are relatively large. They appear in late spring to early summer, roughly between April and July.

leaves

The leaves of the desert rose are also quite attractive with their fingered structure and lush green give the plant an exotic look due to its leathery texture in addition to the grotesque caudex trunk Painting. The leaves are heaped on the shoots and are about 5 to 15 cm long. The shape of the single leaves is inversely egg-shaped and with entire margins. In its home area the desert rose is almost evergreen, but in this country it sheds its leaves during the winter rest phase.

Pour the desert rose

As a stem succulent, the desert rose makes it easy for the hobby gardener to do watering. Since she can hoard so much water in her caudex, you can forget about it or go on vacation for a few weeks without organizing a casting agency. In general, it gets by with little water; waterlogging is much more critical than a lack of water. It can lead to root and stem rot and must be avoided at all costs.

Over the winter you hardly have to and shouldn't water at all - that would be against the given lack of light. Also, after the winter break, you should just gradually get her used to more water.

To note:

Desert rose needs little water
Can survive for a long time without watering due to the caudex trunk
Avoid waterlogging at all costs
Hardly any water needed in winter

Overwinter

The dwindling supply of light in our Central European winter inevitably means a period of rest for the desert rose culture. However, you should not place them in the dark, but leave them in a light window seat. In accordance with its vegetative break, it also needs cooler temperatures in winter, but these should not fall below 10 ° C. A good location is a window sill in a not too warmly heated room. It is important not to water very much or not at all - too much vegetation drive through watering can prevent flowering in the following spring and summer!

The winter rules for the desert rose:

Place a little cooler, but light
No temperatures below 10 ° C
Hardly or not at all watering

Fertilize desert rose properly

You can see the desert rose a little over the vegetation phase fertilize, but no more than 2 weeks apart. To do this, use a fertilizer with balanced potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen levels.

Loses leaves

Although the desert rose is almost evergreen in its home, it loses its leaves here in the course of autumn. This is quite normal as far as she needs a rest period in view of the fading light. So don't worry when the leaves are shed in October.

However, if the desert rose sheds its leaves in the light-rich vegetation phase, this is alarming. In this case, different factors can be to blame. The most likely are the following:

Unfavorable location
Too quick change of circumstances after winter break
Waterlogging
Overfertilization

Unfavorable location

The site conditions for the desert rose are unfavorable if they are too dark or too drafty. Always make sure that the African plant gets lots and lots of sun. She also doesn't like draft at all.

Too quick change of circumstances after the winter break

Due to its slow metabolism, the desert rose has to get used to the increasing amount of light and more water after the winter break. If possible, avoid a radical start to the vegetation phase by starting it immediately in spring Place in the blazing sun and force them to sprout and bloom with vigorous watering try. Instead, you better put them in a slightly lighter place and start watering very gradually.

Waterlogging

Too wet a substrate is very bad for the desert rose. Always make sure that the substrate is not permanently wet and remember that the plant stores enough water in its trunk. Root and stem rot can not only lead to temporary leaf shedding, but also damage the plant permanently.

Overfertilization

You should not overstrain the desert rose when fertilizing either. As a slowly growing steppe plant, it only needs a small amount of fertilizer every 14 days during the vegetation phase. If you use too much or too aggressive fertilizer, the desert rose can burn easily.
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Cut the desert rose correctly

The cutting chapter is quickly ticked off with the desert rose: Due to its slow growth and moderate branching, it does not need any pruning care at all.

If you definitely want a special education, perhaps also in the direction of bonsai culture, you can do that Process the desert rose with a cutting tool, of course - but it should be well sharpened and hygienically clean be. As a rule, it also drives well from prunings. Under no circumstances should the caudex be injured, which as a reservoir of water represents the elixir of life for the desert rose.
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Repot

When the desert rose has bloomed for the first time, it is best to repot it in the following early spring. Use a simple mixture of commercially available houseplant soil and a good proportion of sand as the substrate. In the following years you only need to repot the plant if the tub is very tight.
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Multiplication

Would you like to multiply your desert rose? This is relatively easy to do with cuttings. This method is particularly recommended because the desert rose grows so slowly. When growing cuttings, you do not have to wait so long for a fully developed plant and the first flowering. To do this, cut a medium-length shoot and put it in a pot Potting soilthat you put in a bright, warm place. For rooting, keep it evenly moist and cover it with a film if necessary.
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Cultivation

Growing a desert rose from a seed is a little more time-consuming. However, patience pays off in several ways: In contrast to a cutting, it develops from a seed out a plant with a significantly better developed caudex - so you are allowed a specimen with all characteristic features expect. In addition, the desert rose seeds show good germinability. The flower color will often revert to its original shade of pink - after all, with this method, unlike the cuttings variant, you do not get a clone.

When planting the seed, you need to be careful not to get it too deep under the surface of the earth. It may not be covered more than an inch. To germinate, place the nursery pot in a bright, warm place and keep the substrate evenly moist. It usually only takes one to one and a half weeks for the seedling to appear. When it has reached a height of about 10 centimeters, put it in a new pot with Cactus soil around and cultivate it according to the species-appropriate care rules. It takes at least two years for the desert rose pulled from the seed to bloom for the first time.

The seed cultivation at a glance:

To be preferred to the cutting method when a specimen with a fully developed caudex is desired
High success rate due to good germination capacity
Do not set deeper than 1 cm into the earth
Warm, bright growing location
Time to first bloom: at least 2 years

Diseases

Fortunately, the desert rose is quite resistant to disease and pests. In the heated room you can occasionally Spider mites or mealybugs occur. These can easily be combated by showering and, if necessary, spraying with an oily mixture or nettle broth.

Is desert rose poisonous?

The fact that the desert rose belongs to the dog-poison family says it all: it is poisonous, and indeed in all parts of the plant. In households with small children and animals who like to nibble on indoor plants, it should be avoided as much as possible. The milky sap, which was also used as an arrow poison by locals in their homeland, is particularly highly toxic. The toxic cardenolides are strongly concentrated here and cause irritation of the mucous membrane when consumed, Nausea and vomiting, cramps and circulatory disorders up to life-threatening cardiac paralysis emerged.
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sorts

The best known variety among the desert roses is the Adenium obesum. In addition, there are 5 to 15 other varieties that are cultivated in this country as ornamental plants. Here is a small selection:

Adenium obesum

This most common species is most commonly found in plant centers, although there are still some subspecies with names such as A. honghel, A. Coetaneum or A. Somalense. They have different flower colors from white to dark pink and their appearance varies, such as particularly corky bark or differentiated branching. It grows up to about 3 meters high in the bucket in indoor and outdoor culture and requires a lot of sun and warmth.

Adenium arabicum

This variety is quite close to the Adenium obesum, but among the desert roses it is considered best for bonsai culture. Its caudex is a little more pronounced than that of the adenium obesum and its leaves are particularly large. Their flower colors vary between pink, clear red and deep purple with fire-colored centers. Adenium arabicum is often sold in the form of seeds, which gives bonsai lovers a free range of designs.

Adenium multiflorum

Adenium multiflorum has its most important property in its name: its flowers are particularly rich and colorful, with the colors depending on the specimen between pink, rose tones or mauve nuances vary. The joy of flowers is increased by a pleasantly sweet fragrance. Its leaves are up to 10 cm long and glossy dark green. Unfortunately, this variety has neither leaves nor flowers for most of the year. Overall, the Adenium multiflorum reaches a height of between half a meter and 3 meters.

Adenium oleifolium

In German this variety is called olive-leaved desert rose and shows a corresponding foliage with 4-13 mm long, olive-green leaves. In terms of size, it is the smallest desert rose variety with a maximum height of only around 30 to 45 centimeters. Its flowers appear in pink, salmon-colored to reddish tones.

Adenium swazicum

The Adenium swazicum comes from Swaziland and is a small exception among the desert roses in terms of location: It also likes it a bit partial shade and does not necessarily need as much sun as the other varieties possible. The Adenium swazicum is also one of the smaller desert rose varieties with a maximum height of 45 to 60 centimeters. Its flowers appear a little earlier in spring compared to Adenium obesum and delight with intense pink to magenta tones.