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Growing adeniums mini. Mini adeniums

Adenium mini is a dwarf variety of obese adenium (obesum). It has all the features characteristic of a "tall brother": a thickening in the lower part of the trunk (caudex), gorgeous flowering, and unpretentiousness.

Benefits of miniature varieties

The size

Adenium mini size is an ideal option for lovers of exotic flowering succulents when there is absolutely no room left on the windowsill. An adult bush (by 4-5 years) reaches a height of only 20 cm. Undersized varieties have been bred quite recently and are not very common, so you can only buy them with seeds.

The compactness of the miniature allows you not to think about the annual pruning of the tree. Mini varieties branch themselves, in contrast to the "full-sized" options.

Bloom

Dwarf plants will also please with flowering: it often begins from the first year of life and practically does not stop even in winter period with proper care. The size of the flower is also remarkable: 5-7 cm in diameter.

Breeders have not yet been able to bring out the number of shades and patterns of flowers that adenium obese has. There are white, pink, red and white-pink inflorescences.

Secrets of growing "desert roses" from seeds

In order to grow your own "miniature", you should:

Buy seeds of mini adeniums.
Choose containers for sowing: small volume, shallow, individual for each seed.
Prepare the soil - nutritious, but light and loose. Be sure to use expanded clay or pebbles as drainage to prevent moisture stagnation and root rot.
Filling the pot with soil should be incomplete. Be sure to leave about 1 cm of free height for watering.
Pre-soaked (in warm water with the addition of potassium permanganate) for a day, planting material is laid out on the surface of the soil and slightly sunk into it with a light touch. Humidification of an earthy coma is made from a spray gun.
Sown mini adenium seeds should be put in a bag to maintain constant moisture.
The best temperature for germination is 25-30 degrees. Shoots of a miniature variety appear later than the usual "desert rose". After a week or two, sprouts will begin to appear.
Emerging plants are placed on the sunniest windowsill.
Watering seedlings is carried out very carefully, after the soil has completely dried.
Plants are fed twice a month.

Adenium mini is a great option for lovers of rare plants. Periodic watering and bright sun are the main needs of the culture to obtain abundant long flowering on a dwarf plant.

Oleg Georgievskiy 25/04/2011

Photos by Oleg Kovalev and Vladimir Kheygetyan

Adeniums Mini Size comparatively new variety 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 Sunup Star, age - 3.5 years.

Adenium Mini Size- a real genetic dwarf. There are currently four varieties of Mini Size Adenium.

Adenium Mini Size Sunup Star with white pink flowers can be considered the ancestor of this series. It received its name - "Morning Star" a little later, when other varieties of this dwarf appeared.

Adenium Mini Size Pink- a variety with pink flowers.

Adenium Mini Size Red- a variety with red flowers.

Adenium Mini Size White- a new variety with white flowers. Currently the rarest of the Mini Size adeniums. According to the information from the manufacturer of these varieties of adeniums, sufficient genetic stability of this variety has not yet been achieved during seed propagation, and therefore the sale of seeds is carried out in a very limited amount.

The germination of seeds of these varieties of adeniums is quite unpredictable even with fresh seeds, because some of the seeds are not viable immediately after harvest (due to their underdevelopment). Therefore, seed germination of 60-70% can be considered good for this variety. According to information from the manufacturer of adeniums, in order to increase the germination, Mini Size adeniums are pollinated with pollen from ordinary adeniums, but then the mini yield is not more than 30%, the rest is ordinary large-sized ones. If you pollinate mini on mini, germination will deteriorate. Indeed, when sowing relatively large batches of Mini adenium seeds, ordinary adeniums and semi-dwarfs can also grow from seeds. However, I think that the seed producer is playing it safe in this case - the repeatability of the variety from seeds is very high.

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.

Adenium seedlings Mini Size.

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.

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.

Adeniums Mini, 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.

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.

In general, caring for Mini Size adeniums is not particularly different from caring for other varieties of Adenium obese. However, a relatively small caudex and a large total surface area for evaporating leaves require more balanced watering. I would also not recommend keeping mini adeniums dry in winter with leaf fall and very little watering, especially if this leads to a significant softening of the caudex. Not watering for 3 weeks in the winter on my 4 year old adenium mini resulted in almost complete loss of foliage and softening of the caudex. As a result, the plant came out of this state for a very long time and painfully, with difficulty growing new foliage and stopped flowering for almost 8 months.

Growing this variety of adeniums from seeds is an interesting and exciting activity for flower lovers, causing a large number of positive emotions. In addition, this plant is ideal for our small window sills.

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 does not approach the pollination of mother plants too carefully, because having bought seeds of a variety with scarlet or snow-white petals, as a result they often get pink flowers with a clear throat. 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, for him a pure white flower is still rare, despite the fact that the seed manufacturer 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 growers 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 the usual 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 watering; from a lack of light, the plant forms buds inactively, and sometimes sheds them.

Usually, after the elimination of misses in the care, the succulent restores the external healthy look, and 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.

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.

Lighting.

Adeniums mini need direct sunlight. So the best place for him in the house - 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 his weakness). 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. AT warm time year it is recommended to put on 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.

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 or for cacti peat soil, 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 mite, mealybug.

Small, bright flowers decorating the window sills of city apartments and country houses Mini Adeniums are charming little branching trees with a wide caudex at the base and leaves that look like bright green glossy paper. They are compact, fit perfectly into the interior of any home, filling it with an atmosphere of harmony, comfort and peace. If their care is organized correctly, at home, mini adeniums bloom in the second year of life and delight their owner with a long and delightful flowering.

To learn more about these amazing flowers, which occupy a special place among all adeniums, let's get to know them better.

Adeniums mini are different, but have a lot in common

In nature, their relative - the giant adenium reaches two meters, and the height of the mini, like other dwarf plants, is small - only about 17 centimeters. They reach such sizes by the age of five and represent an original ornamental tree in a pot. But all year round they allow you to admire their bright, rosebud-like flowers. As a result of the painstaking work of breeders adenium mini Today they are represented by different varieties:

White. The variety was bred one of the last. Its large white flowers amaze with their beauty and smooth outline of the petals, so Mini White is in the first place in popularity;
Pink. Adenium mini variety Pink blooms gently pink. The middle is white. There is no clear border of the color transition, the color becomes richer and brighter towards the edge.
red. Scarlet flowers have a dark border and a white core. A smooth transition from white to scarlet makes such an adenium mini even more mysterious and magnificent.

On Mini of any variety, several flowers bloom at the same time, covering the plant with bright, colorful decoration. Florists prefer to propagate mini by grafting or seeds.

I would like to say a few words about Richie's Monadenium. An ornamental plant is becoming more and more popular due to its exotic appearance. Like all minis, it is dwarfed, there is a caudex on the lower fragment of the trunk, and the trunk itself looks like a hill of “bumps” with three to four leaves on top. In early spring, with a good content, gently pink flowers appear at the top.

How to organize care

As for adenium obese, the main requirement at home is good lighting. These plants are similar, so the requirements for growing them are the same. Their homeland is the Arabian Peninsula, so they tolerate high temperature air and bright light.

In order for the plant to bloom as long as possible at home, in a temperate climate, flowers need additional lighting. The substrate should be loose, nutritious, well pass air and water. An important condition for Mini is good drainage.

Don't be surprised if a flower emerges from the caudex. The beginning of flowering depends on how well you organized the care of the Mini. Some specimens bloom in the first year of life, although this does not last long, there are mini ones that are in no hurry to pamper their owners.

If you have organized the care correctly and at home Mini feels good, an adult flower will bloom for twelve days.

What you need to remember for proper care

Proper Care at home it consists in good lighting, regular but not abundant watering, moderate humidity and temperature control.

Drying out of the earth, as well as abundant watering, lead to a disease of the root system, from which the plant may die. If the plant suffers from a lack of moisture, the leaves on it begin to turn yellow and crumble, and flowering is delayed for an indefinite period.

Care includes transplanting the flower into a new, larger pot. root system grows quickly, and if it is crowded, the flower will die. This happens if several flowers are planted in one pot. Young plants are transplanted once a year, those that are older - once every two or three years. Adult flowers need to be repotted as they become crowded in a pot. Transplanting is not only about getting more space for root growth and development. It is also providing the root at home with all the necessary minerals and trace elements.

In winter, the flower cannot be watered, but this is done very carefully, in small portions, once every seven days.

Growing flowers from seeds at home

Seed germination is very difficult to predict, but still consider how this is done. Seeds are planted in March - April to a depth of no more than a centimeter. If there is no special container, a small plastic box with a lid can be used for this purpose, so that two or three times a day there is an opportunity to ventilate. Excessive moisture at home is dangerous for seeds, so spraying is used instead of watering.

At a temperature of about 30 degrees, seedlings may appear in a week. Two months after germination, seedlings are seated and fed with fertilizer for succulents.

Growing adenium is not an easy, but very interesting activity, it brings a lot of pleasant minutes to flower lovers.