Mini adeniums. Proper care

Adenium Mini (Mini Size) - dwarf succulent branching tree, with a wide caudex, blooming at 2 years old. The plant is of exceptional interest for breeding due to the instability of varietal characteristics in the form of a flower and its color.

Mini Size has a stunning decorative effect. This dwarf bush blooms, growing up to 17 cm in height, all year round. A bright flower, similar to a rosebud, reaches 7 cm in diameter.

Types of Adenium Mini

From the original variety "Morning Star" (Sunup Star), all other varieties of Adenium Mini Size were obtained:

• white (White) - a new, most unstable and beautiful variety with absolutely white flowers;
• pink (Pink) - the petals are painted in shades of pink;
• red (Red) - a corolla of saturated scarlet color with a dark border.

white

On all Minis, several buds can bloom at the same time, covering the bush with a cap of flowers. It is best to propagate by seeds or grafting.

Caring for Mini Size

The plant needs sun for abundant flowering. In mid-latitudes, backlighting may be required even on southern windows. The soil must be loose. You can use a mixture for cacti with the addition of agroperlite and vermiculite (up to 30% by volume).

The flower may appear directly from the caudex. Mini bloom at different ages, the first buds may appear even in annual specimens, but most often the plant immediately discards them.

An adult Mini flower lasts up to 12 days. Improper care leads to the cessation of flowering.

care mistakes

• Overdrying is a common mistake that causes leaf drop and prolonged dormancy;
• an earthen ball does not dry out from watering to watering;
• planting several seedlings together, close planting - for flowering you need a powerful root system, a wide pot;
• dry content in winter.

Growing from seeds

Seeds are planted all year round, but it is best to do this in April. As a ready-made greenhouse for growing Adenium Mini, plastic packaging for cakes is taken from seeds.

The soil mixture is poured in a thin layer, the humidity is regulated by airing 2-3 times a day. Watered by spraying, overflow can cause decay.

They make shallow grooves with a match, put seeds in them, without sprinkling them with earth and without deepening them into the soil. The germination temperature is approximately +30 ± 3 ° C, shoots appear in a week.

Seedlings do not need to be fertilized until 2 months after germination. Subsequently, they are seated, fed with fertilizer for cacti.

Mini Adeniums are small branching trees with bright green glossy leaves. Due to their compactness, bright flowers adorn window sills, harmoniously fit into any interior of a city apartment or a country house. With proper care, the trees begin to bloom in the second year of life. Their flowers are amazing and long lasting.

plant varieties

A real mini adenium is never terry, but there are varieties with a compact type of growth - such plants are grown on narrow light windowsills.

Mini size plants branch well, grow slowly and bloom profusely. In turn, they are divided into the following subspecies:

• Plant Mini Size Sunup Star blooms with white and pink flowers. As other varieties of dwarf began to appear, it became known as "Morning Star";
• Mini Size Pink plant blooms with a pink hue. The flowers are white in the middle. The closer the edge of the petal, the richer and brighter the pink tint appears;
• Mini Size Red plant blooms with red flowers with a dark border and a white center. Thanks to a smooth transition from white to scarlet, adenium becomes mysterious and magnificent;
• Mini Size White is a recently bred plant that produces beautiful white flowers. Its petals are beautiful with an even outline.

Mini size adeniums differ from each other not only in the color of the flowers, but also in the different shape of the leaves. Their leaves can be straight and even very twisted.

There is also a mini adenium variety called Richie - it has an exotic look. A dwarf-sized tree with four or three leaves on the trunk. If you properly care for the plant, in early spring it can bloom with delicate pink flowers.

Mini plants can grow up to a maximum of 17 centimeters in height. Adenium reaches its maximum height only at the age of five years.

Features of caring for adenium

In order for an adult plant of the mini variety to bloom profusely for 12 days, it needs to create the right conditions for care. Home care for adenium is to create the right lighting, temperature, proper watering and fertilizer, as well as timely transplantation according to the rules.

The plant needs good lighting. In a temperate climate, in addition to sunlight, it is important for the flower to provide additional lighting. But, it is important to protect it from the influence of direct sunlight.

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It is recommended to grow dwarf varieties of adeniums on the southern windowsills. Shade lightly in the summer heat so that the stem of the plant does not get burned. Since it is this part of the flower that is considered more vulnerable. In order for the plant to grow evenly, the container with it must be rotated from time to time.

Temperature regime

In summer, the air temperature should be between 25 - 30 degrees Celsius. It is also recommended to take out the flowerpot to fresh air, to a place protected from rain.

The plant rests with a decrease in temperature and a decrease in the duration of lighting. During this period, adenium mini sheds yellowed foliage. In winter, it is kept in a room with a temperature of at least 10 degrees Celsius, but it is best that it be within 12 - 15 degrees. To prevent the plant from dying, care should be taken to ensure that its roots do not overcool.

Soil for a flower and transplant rules

It is recommended to plant the plant in loose, nutritious, well-permeable air and water soil. It should also be well fertilized with fertilizers with a neutral or sour reaction. Be sure to make a good drainage layer.

The soil for planting or transplanting mini adeniums can be purchased at the store and add a little perlite or vermouth to it. If possible, you can prepare an earth mixture yourself by mixing peat with hardwood or humus, coarse sand and perlite in a ratio of 5:2:1:2.

The nuances of adenium mini transplant:

• since the roots of the flower grow quickly, it must be replanted. Otherwise, the rhizomes will be crowded and the flowerpot will disappear;
• young adeniums are recommended to be transplanted once a year, and older ones - once every two to three years;
• adult flowers are transplanted as the pot is filled with roots;
• transplantation is carried out in prepared nutrient soil with drainage.

Thanks to the transplant procedure, the roots will be able to develop better, as a result of which the flower will receive minerals and trace elements in the right amount.

Irrigation Features

Adenium should be watered regularly, but not very plentifully. Moderate humidity and comfortable temperature conditions will allow the flowerpot to bloom beautifully and profusely.

In winter, the plant is watered with small portions of water once a week. Drying out of the soil or abundant watering leads to root disease. With a lack of moisture, the foliage turns yellow, crumbles, and the adenium itself cannot form buds for flowering.

Growing adenium mini from seeds

The germination of adenium mini seeds is not predictable, even if the seeds are fresh. Since some grains, immediately after harvest, are not viable due to underdevelopment. Therefore, if 60 percent of the sown seeds sprouted, it means that the plant was successfully propagated by seed.

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Experts say that in order to increase germination, the mini-size variety must be pollinated with pollen from the usual adenium variety. But, in this case, 30 percent will be mini, and the rest of the sprouted shoots will be ordinary adeniums. If a mini variety is pollinated with a mini variety, germination will be even worse.

When sown with seeds of the Mini Size Red variety, plants with pink flowers can be obtained, in which the color intensity decreases closer to the throat of the flower.

Seeds of the mini variety germinate later than the seeds of the usual variety of adenium. Seeds can sprout two to three weeks after sowing.

The nuances of growing adenium mini from seeds:

1. It is necessary to sow seeds in March - April in a container with prepared soil, to a depth of no more than a centimeter.
2. It is recommended to sow the seeds in a plastic box with a lid. Such a container will allow you to ventilate the seedlings three times a day.
3. The seeds are placed in holes made with a match. Sprinkling them with earth is not recommended.
4. Since it is impossible to over-moisten the seedlings in any case, watering must be replaced by spraying.
5. If the room is 30 degrees Celsius, the first shoots can be seen in a week.
6. Two months after germination, the sprouts must be planted in separate cups.
7. It is recommended to feed with special fertilizers for succulents, but not earlier than two months after germination of sprouts.

From three to eight months, mini adeniums begin to branch. The crown does not need to be formed. Cut branches only if you want to change the direction of their growth.

Plants of the mini variety bloom two years after sowing the seeds. Sometimes it happens that plants of the first year of life try to form buds for flowering, but they are quickly shed.

Young plants bloom for 12 days, and adults - throughout the year (because after flowering they bloom again). Even if it is limited to water a flower in winter, keep it in low light, it is not possible to completely stop flowering.

Growing a plant by grafting

The procedure for grafting a plant is carried out only with a sharp knife. Make them cuts on the rootstock and scion. Combine the selected plants and fasten them with a special tool.

In order for the vaccination to be successful, the procedure is recommended to be carried out at a temperature not lower than 30 degrees Celsius, high humidity, in bright light.

Propagation by cuttings

In order for the adenium mini grafting procedure to be successful, it is recommended to follow the following recommendations:

1. To root the plant, take cuttings 10 - 15 centimeters long and at least one centimeter in diameter.
2. It is best to root the cuttings during the active growing season.
3. A few days before cutting the cutting, water the flower well.
4. After cutting off the cutting, make a notch in the form of a cross at the place of the cut, which will allow the roots to form in large numbers.
5. Place the cut stalk in a fungicide solution for several hours. Then powder it with a special powder that allows you to quickly take root. Dry for seven days.
6. Place in a clean railing, lowering the handle three centimeters into the product. Be sure to water the perlite moderately so that it does not dry out or become too wet;
7. For rooting, the cutting can be placed in peat mixed with perlite in the same proportion, or in coconut fibers with perlite;
8. In a month, the cut cuttings will take root. They can be planted in prepared containers.

More recently, adenium mini was inferior in popularity to its large counterparts. But now the miniature baby is deservedly loved by flower growers, who especially appreciate early, almost from seedlings, branching, slow development and wonderful flowers.

Unfortunately, the color of Adenium mini flowers grown from purchased seeds can be unstable. Adenium growers suggest that the manufacturer is not too thorough in pollinating mother plants, because having bought seeds of a variety with scarlet or snow-white petals, as a result, pink flowers with a brightened throat are often obtained. However, many flower growers acquire cute dwarfs in their collection because of their growth and are not very upset about flowering that is not as expected. Sometimes babies delight their owners with unusual twisted leaves.

Adenium mini (Adenium Mini Size) originated a little over 10 years ago thanks to the efforts of Taiwanese breeder Chi-Lung Ko. The dwarf is obtained from plants of the species Adenium obesum (Adenium obesum), which have undergone a spontaneous genetic mutation.

Through selection over several years, slow-growing babies were bred, not exceeding a height of 12-17 cm in adulthood. However, even with such a small growth, they have a pronounced caudex. The foliage is bright emerald, dense, covers the stems with a dense "cap", so that the thickening of the trunk is imperceptible. Flowers, often appearing for the first time already in the second year of life, are practically not inferior to large adeniums in decorativeness and size.

Varieties of adenium mini

Today, 4 varieties of Mini Size adenium are considered officially recognized, differing from each other in the colors of the corollas:

Sunup Star is the ancestor of mini adeniums with snow-white petals outlined with a wide pink border. The variety appeared first and received its name "Morning Star" after other varieties were bred;
Pink - with pale pink flowers, in which the edges are richer, and closer to the pharynx the shade is lighter;
Red - with velvety scarlet petals and a white neck;
White - with snow-white corollas. The variety was bred last, but is in the first positions in popularity. However, a pure white flower is still rare for him, despite the fact that the seed producer claims planting material from plants sown in 2014 as completely white-flowering.

Growing adenium mini from seeds

Adenium mini seeds have a low germination rate - about 60-70%. In order to increase it, the producer often uses pollen from tall species and varieties during pollination. That is precisely why crops often contain both ordinary adeniums and dwarfs. Experienced adenium breeders believe that pollination of small ones and among themselves gives a good result when sowing, and attracting large relatives by growth to the pollination process is a common reinsurance of a breeder-manufacturer.

Accommodation Requirements

Like its obese adenium progenitors, the mini loves bright lighting. Due to their compactness, the plants are placed on the windows of a predominantly southerly direction, placing the pots in several rows, as far as the width of the window sill allows.

They make sure that the window panes do not draw cold, the plant is sensitive to hypothermia. With sufficiently abundant watering in conditions of hypothermia, the caudex will suffer from decay.
The optimum temperatures for keeping adenium mini are high - from 22 to 28 degrees and above, in winter it is allowed to decrease the thermometer to 15-18 degrees above zero, but watering should also be less water and less often than in summer.

Adenium mini care

Watering adenium mini differs from moistening tall relatives in reduced abundance. The crown of the baby is well developed, it evaporates moisture not much less than the tall succulent, but the caudex is more compact and, therefore, stores moisture in small quantities. That is why watering the baby should be more balanced in order to exclude the possibility of both overflow and lack of moisture.

Complete drying of the substrate should also not be allowed. There are cases when the mini, after a three-week absence of watering, completely dropped all the foliage, recovered for a long time and for a period of 8 months, while usually the plants of this variety of adeniums form buds almost constantly throughout the year, except for a short dormant period.

Feed babies every 2 weeks with fertilizers for succulents, preferring formulations with a low nitrogen content. The dose in the preparation of the solution is reduced by half or three times compared to that indicated by the manufacturer on the package. In winter, fertilizer is not stopped while the plant forms buds, but it is carried out less often - once every 3 or 4 weeks. For the rest period, feeding is stopped.

Adenium mini branches very early, starting from 3-8 months of life, and he does not need it. In general, the crown develops compactly and without pinching that stimulates branching.

Possible difficulties, diseases and pests

In caring for adenium mini, it is important to observe the correct mode of watering, lighting and temperature. With the violation of any conditions of maintenance, problems begin with the health of the plant: from waterlogging at low temperatures, it softens and leaves turn yellow and fall off from a lack of water, from a lack of light, the plant forms buds inactively, and sometimes sheds them.

Usually, after the elimination of misses in care, the succulent restores its healthy appearance, but with rot it turns out much more difficult: diseased plants are removed from the soil, the affected areas of the roots are cut off and treated with antibacterial agents. If the lesion is extensive, and the root system is almost completely destroyed by rot, it remains only to cut healthy pagons and root them again or graft them onto healthy seedlings.

Description Reviews Images

Adenium (Adenium), "Desert Rose", "Impala Lily" originally from the arid regions of Africa, appeared on the domestic flower market relatively recently and immediately won the great sympathy of indoor plant lovers.

Adeniums are succulents. They store water and nutrients in a large stem thickening at the bottom of the plant. Under natural conditions, adeniums grow up to 10 m in height, and at home their sizes vary between 30-35 cm. With good care, adenium can bloom starting from 1.5 years and even earlier.

Mini adeniums Ideal for those with limited space for houseplants. And in general, they will be a very valuable and incredibly lovely piece in your collection. Such adeniums are distinguished by their compact size, neat crown and dark green shiny "twisting" leaves. The dwarfism of adenium manifests itself already in the first days of life. Remember that mini adenium seeds germinate more slowly than regular ones. Shoots appear from 5 days to 1 month.

All parts of the plant are poisonous.

Care.

The most important condition for normal development is a sunny location. The plant should receive bright light with direct sunlight. In the warm season, it is recommended to take it out into the fresh air (balcony, terrace).

The optimum temperature for growth is from +25 to +35 C. In winter, it can drop to +12 + 15 C, while the plant falls into a dormant period and can partially or completely shed its leaves. The need for a dormant period is not essential when growing adenium, so in winter you can use heating and artificial lighting.

In summer, water the plant with drying of the substrate between waterings, and in winter, watering should be minimal, guided by the condition of the plant. Once every 2-3 weeks, adenium is fed with cactus fertilizer or universal fertilizer in half the dose.

Transplantation is carried out if necessary in spring and summer. Young plants are transplanted every year, adults - every 2-4 years. Use neutral, light soil (universal peat soil or for cacti, coconut briquette) with the addition of a large (up to 50%) amount of rippers (perlite, sand, fine expanded clay, brick chips, vermiculite, etc.). Pruning and pinching is recommended to encourage branching.

Growing from seed.

Seeds begin to germinate after 24 hours, and germination, under all conditions, ranges from 70 to 100%. You can pre-soak them for 4 hours (no more!), But this is not a mandatory procedure. In the summer, seeds are germinated on a sunny windowsill, in other seasons - with heating.

For planting use moisture and breathable, drained neutral soil. Coconut shavings, perlite, charcoal, sand, vermiculite are used as a moisture-intensive additive. Seeds are laid out on a moistened substrate, you can slightly press into the ground, but you do not need to completely fall asleep. Cover with film.

Important! The air temperature should not fall below +25 degrees and not higher than +35 at this time (it is better to put a thermometer nearby). Warmth in the cold season is provided by heating from below, for which a mini greenhouse is placed on a heating pad, a radiator, a shoe dryer.

Also remember to open and ventilate. Ventilation is necessary for air access to avoid rotting of seeds and seedlings. When using heating, adjust the air humidity by spraying. Drafts should be avoided.

Seedling care.

Adeniums Mini Size is a relatively new variety of adeniums and among the huge variety of adeniums of other varieties, of course, quite rare. At first unnoticed among the handsome giants, Mini Size adeniums are now becoming more and more popular among hobbyists.

Adenium Mini Size is a bonsai in a pot. Adeniums of this variety grow very slowly. It will take approximately 3-5 years for your adenium to become a true bonsai. By this age, the plant grows to a height of only 12-17 cm and looks very decorative even without flowers.

Perhaps it is precisely because of cross-pollination with other varieties of adeniums that the varietal characteristics of mini adeniums are not quite stable in color and flower shape, and lovers can get quite original and unusual flowers for this variety.

Lighting.

Adeniums mini need direct sunlight. Therefore, the best place for him in the house is the southern windows. But even in spite of such light-loving, during the summer heat it is better to shade it slightly in order to avoid burning the trunk (this is its weak point). The pot with the plant should be periodically rotated for uniform plant growth.

Temperature.

Adenium mini is thermophilic, in summer it feels good at a temperature of 25-30 ° C. With a decrease in daylight hours and air temperature, the growth of adenium mini slows down, it falls into a dormant period.

During this period, for the most part, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. During winter dormancy, the optimum temperature is 12-15°C, not lower than 10°C. In the warm season, it is recommended to take it out into the fresh air (balcony, terrace).

Watering and air humidity.

In summer, watering is moderate with drying of the substrate between waterings; in winter, watering is significantly reduced. If it is not possible to provide him with a cold wintering, and he is kept at normal room temperature, the plant should be watered after the soil has completely dried.

Lack of watering for 3 weeks, in winter in adenium mini, can lead to an almost complete loss of foliage and softening of the caudex. As a result, the plant will get out of this state for a very long and painful time, it will be difficult to grow new foliage and may stop flowering up to 8 months.

Adeniums do not need spraying.

Formation.

Mini adeniums, unlike their larger counterparts, begin to branch very early - usually from 3-8 months. Crown formation is not required, except in cases where it is necessary to change the direction of growth of the plant's branches.

Bloom.

Usually, Mini Size adeniums begin to bloom at the age of 2-3 years. However, it is not uncommon for adeniums of this variety to bloom (or try to bloom by forming buds, but then dropping them) even at the age of one year. The diameter of the flower is 5-7 cm. Depending on the conditions, the flower stays on the plant for 5-12 days.

An adult plant is able to bloom without ceasing all year round. Even winter maintenance with limited watering and lack of light and heat, while limiting flowering, is often unable to stop it completely.

Fertilizers.

Once every 2-3 weeks with a cactus fertilizer or an all-purpose fertilizer at half the dose.

Transfer.

It is best to transplant mini adenium as needed (for adult plants), young ones - annually. Transplantation is carried out in spring or summer.

In this case, it must be taken into account that its root system develops in breadth, therefore the pot should be shallow, but wide enough. To avoid overheating of the earth, for transplanting, it is better to take a light pot (when kept on a sunny windowsill).

pH neutral, light (universal peat soil or for cacti, coconut briquette) with the addition of a large (up to 50%) amount of rippers (perlite, sand, fine expanded clay, brick chips, vermiculite, charcoal, etc.).

Reproduction.

Cuttings, layering during the growing season, seeds at any time of the year.

Adenium seeds of this variety germinate, usually later than ordinary adenium seeds. Moreover, it is quite normal if the seeds of adenium mini sprouted 2-3 weeks after sowing (which, in general, is not typical for adenium seeds), although shoots are quite possible after 4-5 days.

Precautionary measures.

Adenium is poisonous. Be sure to wash your hands after handling it.

Main pests: spider mites, mealybugs.