I'm happy to have found a forum just for Adeniums...


I've just started to grow them and will most likely have lots of questions !

So far, I have these...

Five Somalense which are a month old.
Three hopefully variegated Obesums (they don't look very variegated to me, but it's much too early to tell, I guess)
Two Arabicum Yak Kaset...these seem to be very slow...
And these Obesums...

They are hopefully Chandelier, Mercedes and Marmora, but I realise that anything can happen - one is already quite different in colour to the others.

I also have this...

I guess there's nothing I can do to help this one survive...?

I'm in the UK and I'm using a heated propagator, coir pellets and a north facing windowsill, with quite good results, so far...

Let me be the first to say a great big welcome to you!

We have a lot of fun here,,,,, sometimes.

OK, varigated doesn't come true from seed, from what I have heard. Your albino has no chlorphyl, so it has little chance, unless you graft it soon(!!) I don't know of anyone growing somalense, they have very narrow leaves, and a tree, meaning tall, form. I don't have any. And, yes, arabicums are slow, and they go dormant in winter. very fat caudex without much of the amazing root systems of obseums.

Hmm, I haven't heard those names, where did you get your seeds, might I ask?

Oh, and of grafting, it's the center of the stem that's important, not the skin or bark, cambium, as in normal plants. Someone shaved the sides of two seedlings and stuck them together and they formed one plant, hahaha! I haven't had microscopic luck yet!

Nice collection!

Thank you for the welcome.


I got my seeds from a UK seller on ebay, there aren't many here in the UK. He sells his surplus seeds, I believe they are imported from Thailand and possibly Venezuela.
He does state that the flowers (and the variegated varieties) may not turn out as expected...all part of the fun of growing them !

My Somalense are looking quite good so far...here are three of them...



The three Obesums are a mixture of pinks, and white/red, with one variety having longer looking petals.
I'm watching one with interest as it's a creamy green colour, quite different to all of the others.
One germinated a bit strangely (a breech birth, perhaps ?) so I'm keeping a close eye on that one too.

I have more Obesum seeds as I got a special offer pack of them, 50 seeds of several different (hopefully !) flower colours. Earlier today I soaked some more, and they are now in my propagator.

Unfortunately I don't have anything to graft the albino onto...there is now an older Adenium on ebay but it would take a week to get here, not sure if the albino has that long left ! I did consider trying to graft it to one of the other variegated seedlings (I bought five of these seeds - three are growing nicely, one is the albino and one hasn't done anything)

The Arabicums...they took a lot longer to germinate, and then seemed to stop - with only a tiny thin root, just visible, sticking downwards out of one end and the case still almost lying flat on the surface. I figured that it was something I wasn't providing, so I made a few changes and now they are growing nicely, leaves are there now and the cases are nearly off. I really don't want to lose those two !

Welcome to the site "dragonlady" I grow few of them as well but many members here do.

I am sure if you have question there is many experts here can help you. So ask away

Cora

Hmm, David Clulow lives in Venezuela and sells wholesale to a vendor in the UK. Very nice felow Nice flowers, also.

I'm jealous. I am babying my one and only 2 week old sprout from 30 seed attempts. I will try again, but it may be too late in this season?? How cold is too late?

Welcome and your babies are so GREEN and cute! Good luck with them...


Robert B

Thank you, everyone.


As these are my first attempts at growing anything from seed, I'm a bit like an anxious mother !

Cheryl...I'm too much of a novice to really suggest anything, but there are varying accounts about freshness of seeds and the right amount of heat.
I did find that the Arabicum seeds I bought appreciated a slightly higher temperature and maybe a bit more moisture, and they are growing very slowly.
The Somalense were up and out within three days.
The Obesum seeds I have are taking three to four days to germinate, with a few taking quite a bit longer.

They are all in an ordinary heated propagator (no thermostatic controls) in a bright (but no full sun) place. As it's getting dark quite early here now, I'm adding some extra light in the early evenings - not sure if that's helping but it doesn't seem to be harming ! The light is a full spectrum daylight type. The seeds themselves were bought from someone who imports them, so they have had several journeys (and an unknown length of time) before arriving with me. That could explain the very slow growing (and two out of five germinating) Arabicums, I guess.

I'm not sure how late in the season would be too late, it's getting very Autumnal here in the UK.
The ebay sellers here in the UK are mostly selling off their excess seeds at a discount now though, stating "end of season" as a reason. I'm planning on using all the seeds I have left as soon as possible.

Hopefully I'll get some more photos taken later today.

Plants, seeds, are kind of programmed to grow in the spring, with longer days, hey? I believe you're doing fine. First thing you know it, you'll be needing space for pots! Then bigger pots!

Ha, a girl posted in the Adenium group on facebook a photo of a tray, like a kitty litter pan, with what looked like several hundred seedlings, no joke. They were about 1mm apart, really jammed together. Some were damping off. Then someone commented about pots for all of them. She said, "Pots? I hadn't thought about pots..."

I've got my pots ! And the appropriate compost...trying to think ahead and be prepared.

Although, I wasn't expecting so many to germinate. But I still have enough pots.


Adenium group on facebook ? Is this a public group ?

I have more little Adeniums peeking up (the ones I mentioned going into the propagator a few days ago) and I'm going to try to get all of my remaining seeds in there soon too - I have 17 left.

One of my seedlings is a much paler colour. I wonder how this one will turn out...

That one may not make it, but you never know. looks like your doing good.

The stem/caudex is nice and green, you might have a good varigated. Lucky you! I would give it more nitrogen, and generally more food than the rest of your babies. Nitrogen is the first number y'know!

Good photos!

There are several adenium groups, with folks who post interesting photos. Type adenium in the search space at the top. One is Indonesian, and not in English, but the photos are fun to see. Another bunch is a mix of people, with a grower in India who posts and answers questions. And (Mr.) Choochart has a presence, that's Siam Adeniums..

How about some information on baby adenium care, feeding light etc? Now that the seedling is up and growing, what should I be doing?

There is a posting by Wilfred that is some where on "all things plants" that shows you step by step from seed planting to growing that was a big help to me when I started, I've searched but can't find it now;but I bet Melissa or Doris could. Maybe they will see this and post the link for you. It was a huge help to me when I started, and helped me to maintain my interest.

Jim

Cheryl I found it.... http://garden.org/ideas/view/W... click on this

My seeds came with some instructions, including after care instructions for the seedlings - I've also looked around online for information too. The person I bought the seeds from was also very helpful when I asked him some additional questions.

This is what I've been doing...not saying that it's 100% correct, but it seems to be working pretty good for mine.
I am in the UK, so there might be some differences in the care needed in other countries !

I've been waiting until the seedlings are getting their second set of leaves before taking them out of the propagator, and the room they are in is quite warm, too...but it is bright (big window, north facing) and well ventilated in there.
When they are out of my propagator, I start feeding them once a week with half strength balanced feed, from underneath after lightly watering. Also, I check them every day and water/mist as necessary.
My Somalense (now with three sets of leaves) will be potted up into 3" pots very soon, with a 50/50 mix of cactus compost and perlite.

This seems to be working well for my seedlings.


I'm hoping that paler green one is a variegated. It seems to be growing well. This is what I have, so far...



I have now got the last of my seeds into my propagator, and they are already peeking up !

You are doing great!

One thing, to get really interesting 'roots', caudex, on the obseums, it's good to pinch off the tap root, but that's when they have six or eight sets of leaves. Too often, you get a round lump with one long boring tap root.

Fun to be watching your babies! Glad you're here.

jimsned2 said:Cheryl I found it.... http://garden.org/ideas/view/W... click on this

Thanks Jim! I appreciate you searching for me.

Thank you Marie for the information. Your babies look GREAT! I will get the fertilizer ready. I have a small ketchup squirt bottle I bought at Walmart for a BBQ but didn't use. 50 cents. I saw someone watering using that with small squirts. Seems everything I have read go from seedling to a young plant with no instruction in between. I still have a baby. We are getting ready for that second set of leaves along with a new batch of seeds in a sunny, warm location. The humidity has risen, which they probably appreciate.

I am not sure about what I have, obseum or what? But it is greener than what I see on here. Most I see here are reddish? I guess I will worry about forming the caudex when I get there.

No relation with different colors, except that sometimes the reddish are red, and the green are white. Almost all Adeniums are obseums now-a-days, unless you went to some trouble to get species.