- origin
- Which location is suitable?
- growth
- blossom
- leaves
- Water desert rose
- hibernate
- Fertilize desert rose properly
- Losing leaves
- Cut desert rose correctly
- repot
- propagation
- cultivation
- Diseases
- Is desert rose poisonous?
- sorts
The desert rose is an extremely pretty and undemanding ornament for the home windowsill - and yet rather a rarity among hobby gardeners. We have put together everything there is to know about the African beauty.
The desert rose is not a rose at all
Table of Contents
Show all- origin
- Which location is suitable?
- growth
- blossom
- leaves
- Water desert rose
- hibernate
- Fertilize desert rose properly
- Losing leaves
- Cut desert rose correctly
- repot
- propagation
- cultivation
- Diseases
- Is desert rose poisonous?
- sorts
- Keep warm and sunny
- Turn occasionally for balanced, straight growth
- Can/should also be placed outdoors in summer
- In winter, no ambient temperatures below 10°C
- Stem succulent with 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 life
- Desert rose needs little water
- Can survive for a long time without watering due to caudex stem
- Absolutely avoid waterlogging
- Hardly any watering required in winter
- Set a little cooler, but bright
- No temperatures below 10°C
- Little to no watering
- Unfavorable location
- Circumstances changed too quickly after the winter break
- waterlogging
- over-fertilization
- Preferable to the cutting method when a specimen with fully developed caudex is desired
- High success rate due to good germination
- Do not plant deeper than 1 cm in the ground
- Warm, bright growing location
- Duration until the first flowering: at least 2 years
origin
The desert rose, botanically Adenium, is actually not a rose at all - it belongs to the dogbane family. It owes its pretty name to its rose-like flowers, which will delight with their splendor even in hot, dry conditions. Because the plant is adapted to the same environmental conditions - its habitat is semi-arid, i.e. a climate that is characterized by long dry periods. 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 spot on the windowsill and conveniently handles intense sunlight and heat. However, you should turn it from time to time so that it does not grow obliquely towards the side facing the light. In the summer you can and should also put them outside, because the light output here is definitely greater than in the room. In winter you must ensure that the ambient temperature does not fall below 10°C.
Desert Rose location rules to remember:
growth
The desert rose is assigned to the shrubs, but it grows as a stem succulent. So it forms a caudex, a heavily woody trunk, which makes its habit more tree-like. The caudex is used for effective, long-term water storage and makes the desert rose a real plant camel because it easily survives long periods of drought. The water storage capacity makes the trunk very thick and the thickening at the bottom creates a distinctive overall appearance.
In the wild in its original home range, the trunk of the desert rose reaches a diameter of up to 2 meters. It grows up to 5 meters in height, but remains smaller in Central Europe because of the lower supply of light and heat. It grows very slowly and reaches a Methuselah age of several hundred years.
The growth characteristics of the desert rose at a glance:
blossom
The desert rose owes its name to the attractive, pink to reddish, white or violet cup-shaped flowers. Their shape also shows their close relationship with the oleander. They are terminal, fivefold 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, around April to July.
leaves
The leaves of the desert rose are also quite attractive with their fingered structure and their rich green and give the plant an exotic touch due to their leathery texture in addition to the grotesque-looking caudex trunk. The leaves are clustered at the ends of the shoots and are about 5 to 15 cm long. The shape of the individual leaves is inverted egg-shaped and entire. In its native area, the desert rose is almost evergreen, but in Germany it sheds its leaves during the winter dormant phase.
Water desert rose
As a stem succulent, the desert rose makes watering easy for the hobby gardener. Since she can hoard so much water in her caudex, you can forget about her once in a while or go on vacation for a few weeks without organizing a watering replacement. In general, it also gets by with little water, waterlogging is much more critical than a lack of water. It can lead to root and trunk rot and must be avoided at all costs.
You hardly have to and shouldn't water at all over the winter - that would counteract the lack of light. After the winter break, you should only gradually get them used to more water again.
To remember:
hibernate
The dwindling light supply of our Central European winter means a period of rest for the desert rose culture. However, you should not put them in the dark, but leave them in a bright window seat. According to her vegetative break, she also needs cooler temperatures in winter, which should not fall below 10°C. A good location is on a windowsill in a room that is not overly heated. It is important to water little or not at all - too much growth drive by watering can prevent flowering in the following spring and summer!
The rules for wintering the desert rose:
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Fertilize desert rose properly
You can fertilize the desert rose a little during the vegetation phase, but at most every 2 weeks. Use a fertilizer with balanced levels of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen.
Losing leaves
Although the desert rose is almost to completely evergreen in its homeland, it loses its leaves here in the course of autumn. This is quite normal so far as she needs a rest period in light of the fading light. So you don't have to worry about falling leaves in October.
However, if the desert rose sheds its leaves in the light-rich vegetation phase, this is questionable. In this case, different factors can be to blame. The most likely are the following:
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 draughts.
Change of circumstances too quickly after the winter break
Due to its slow metabolism, the desert rose must be gently and slowly accustomed to the increasing amount of light and water supply after the winter break. If possible, avoid a radical start to the vegetation phase by immediately placing them in the blazing sun in spring and trying to force them to sprout and flower with heavy watering. Instead, it is better to put them in a slightly brighter place first and start watering very gradually.
waterlogging
A substrate that is too wet 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 stem. Root and stem rot can not only lead to temporary leaf drop, but also permanently damage the plant.
over-fertilization
Even when fertilizing, you must not overwhelm the desert rose. As a slow-growing steppe plant, it only needs a small amount of fertilizer every 14 days during the vegetation phase. With too much or too aggressive fertilizer, the desert rose can easily burn.
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Cut desert rose correctly
The pruning chapter is quickly ticked off with the desert rose: Due to its slow growth and its moderate branching, it does not need any pruning care at all.
If you really want a special form of training, perhaps also in the direction of bonsai culture, you can of course work on the desert rose with a cutting tool - but it should be well sharpened and hygienically clean. It usually drives out again well from prunings. Under no circumstances should the caudex be injured, which as a water reservoir is the elixir of life for the desert rose.
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repot
When the desert rose has flowered for the first time, it is advisable to repot it in the following early spring. As a substrate, use a simple mixture of commercially available houseplant soil and a good proportion of sand. In the years that follow, you only need to repot the plant if the bucket is getting really tight.
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propagation
Do you want to propagate your desert rose? This is relatively easy to do with cuttings. This method is particularly recommended because the desert rose grows so slowly. When cultivating cuttings, you don't have to wait that long for a fully developed plant and the first flower. To do this, cut a medium-length shoot and place it in a pot with potting soil in a bright, warm place. For rooting, keep it evenly moist and cover it with foil 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 respects: In contrast to a cutting, a plant with a much better developed caudex develops from a seed - so you can expect a specimen with all the characteristic features. In addition, the desert rose seeds show good germination. The flower color will often revert to the original shade of pink - after all, unlike the cutting variant, you don't get a clone with this method.
When planting the seed, be careful not to plant it too deep below the surface of the soil. It may be covered by a maximum of one centimetre. To germinate, place the seed pot in as bright and warm a place as possible and keep the substrate evenly moist. As a rule, it only takes one to one and a half weeks for the seedling to appear. When it has reached a height of about 10 centimetres, put it in a new pot with cactus soil and continue cultivating it according to the species-appropriate care rules. However, it takes at least two years for the desert rose grown from seed to bloom for the first time.
Seed cultivation at a glance:
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Diseases
Fortunately, the desert rose is quite resistant to diseases and pests. Spider mites or mealybugs can occasionally appear in the heated room. However, these can be easily 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 dogbane family says it all: it is poisonous in all parts of the plant. In households with small children and animals who like to nibble on indoor plants, you should keep your distance from them as much as possible. The milky plant sap, which was also used as arrow poison by the locals in their homeland, is particularly highly toxic. The toxic cardenolides are highly concentrated here and, when consumed, cause irritation of the mucous membranes, nausea and vomiting, cramps and circulatory disorders up to and including life-threatening cardiac paralysis.
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sorts
The best-known variety within 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 also a few subspecies with names such as A. honghel, A. Coetaneum or A. Somalense. They have different flower colors from white to dark pink and have varying characteristics in appearance such as particularly corky bark or differentiated branching. It grows up to about 3 meters high in pots indoors and outdoors and needs a lot of sun and warmth.
Adenium arabic
This variety is quite close to the Adenium obesum, but is considered the most suitable for bonsai culture among the desert roses. Its caudex is slightly more pronounced than that of the Adenium obesum and its leaves are particularly large. Her flower colors vary between pink, clear red and deep purple with fiery centers. The Adenium arabicum is often sold in the form of seeds, which opens up a free design spectrum for bonsai enthusiasts.
Adenium multiflorum
The Adenium multiflorum already has its most important characteristic in its name: its flowers are particularly rich and colorful, with the colors varying between pink, pink tones or mauve nuances, depending on the specimen. The joy of blossoms is increased by a pleasantly sweet scent. Its leaves are up to 10 cm long and shiny dark green. Unfortunately, this strain bears neither foliage 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 Ölbaumblättrige Wüstenrose 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 growth height of only about 30 to 45 centimeters. Its flowers appear in shades of pink, salmon pink to reddish.
Adenium swazicum
The Adenium swazicum comes from Swaziland and is a small exception among the desert roses when it comes to location: It also likes a bit of partial shade and does not necessarily need as much sun as possible like the other varieties. 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 than the Adenium obesum and delight with intense pink to magenta tones.