Desert Rose – Adenium obesum Care Tips

Where to buy a Desert Rose plants in Australia?

Desert Rose – Adenium obesum Introduction

Plant enthusiasts are always on the lookout for easy-to-grow, one-of-a-kind plants and Adenium desert rose bushes are ideal for the inexperienced or beginning gardener. These east African and Arabian natives look great in a container in your indoor garden or as lovely additions to a patio display. Properly simulating their native growing environment will result in an abundance of rose-like blooms. Interestingly, the desert rose plant resembles a bonsai plant in appearance, with a low stature when mature and a tidy canopy sitting atop the graded stem. Some do have difficulties caring for desert rose plants, however, with the right understanding of their requirements they can be a simple and rewarding plant. So if you want to learn how to properly care for your desert rose, keep on reading!

Desert Rose – Adenium obesum Care Tips Introduction

If you live in cooler climates you will have to cultivate your Adenium indoors over the cooler months and can give the plant a Summer vacation on the patio or deck. Desert rose plant care can be complex and requires some understanding of the species’ life cycle. Follow our basic Adenium desert rose growing recommendations to ensure healthy plants with full crowns of vividly coloured tubular blooms.

Desert Rose – Adenium obesum Lighting & Position

Desert roses prefer intense light, therefore a Northern window exposure will provide sufficient light for your plants to thrive and blossom. If you choose to grow it outside, choose a bright spot in the garden that is shaded from the midday sun, as this might damage the foliage. They are also not cold hardy and will perish if exposed to a freeze. The plant will not live in temperatures below 4 degrees Celsius, but will thrive in temps as high as 32 degrees Celsius.

Desert Rose – Adenium obesum Watering

Improper watering is the one thing that can easily kill a desert rose. They are succulents, but they are accustomed to rainy periods of growth followed by a dormant, dry phase. For the best results, tailor your watering methods to these requirements. Keep the soil moist in the Spring and Summer, but limit watering in Autumn and especially in the Winter when the plant is dormant.

Desert Rose – Adenium obesum Humidity

Your desert rose will flourish best in temperatures ranging from 18 to 32 degrees Celsius. If you put your desert rose outside, it will most certainly die if there are severe frost periods. Because this plant is adapted to a dry, hot atmosphere, humidity is unimportant to it.

Desert Rose – Adenium obesum Soil & Fertiliser

Having the right soil is really essential for growing a healthy desert rose. Adenium plants are best in a mix of cactus soil and gritty sand with proper drainage. Fertilise once a month with a half-dilution of a 20-20-20 liquid plant food during the active growing phase. We recommend that during the Winter months, you do not feed the desert rose.

We recommend using our Plant Food available here. 

Desert Rose – Adenium obesum Extra Tips

We recommend that you prune your desert rose as soon as new growth appears. Before pruning your plant, disinfect your pruning tools and re-sterilize as you move from one plant to the next. Remove cold-damaged growth and trim long, lanky stems to proportionally balance stem growth. Cut slightly above a leaf node or where the stem connects, removing any branches that rub or cross other branches.

Desert Rose – Adenium obesum Vulnerability to Pests & Diseases

Unfortunately, desert roses are prone to various pests and diseases. Scale, mealybugs, and spider mites are the most common pests which you can wipe away with cotton balls soaked in alcohol. However there are occasions when root rot can get to your plant. A common symptom is yellowing leaves or abrupt leaf loss. Also powdery mildew causes blister-like markings on the upper surfaces of the leaves. It can cause deformed growth as well as a white powdery residue on the leaves, stems, and buds. However, the most prevalent pest that attacks desert rose plants is spider mites. They eat sap, primarily from the underside of the leaves. Leaf speckling progresses to total discoloration and, eventually, leaf death.You can treat these diseases with Neem oil or fungicide; adequate spacing between plants will also help.

For more information on how to manage common plant pests, head to our blog here.

Desert Rose – Adenium obesum Toxicity

Unfortunately, Adenium desert rose belongs to the Dogbane family, and all species bleed a toxic sap that can irritate skin and mucous membranes so you should be extremely careful around this plant.

How to Propagate your Desert Rose – Adenium obesum

Desert roses can be propagated through both cuttings and seeds. Bear in mind that if you propagate the plant from a cutting, the new plant may not have the typical bulbous trunk that you would get from seed.

This is a step-by-step guide on how to grow a desert rose from stem cuttings:

1. Take a 5- to 6-inch cutting from the tip of a branch using your sterilised pruning snips. Allow the cutting to dry for a few days.

Unfortunately, Adenium desert rose belongs to the Dogbane family, and all species bleed a toxic sap that can irritate skin and mucous membranes so you should be extremely careful around this plant.

2. Dip the cut end in rooting hormone and plant the cut end in a growing medium that drains properly, such as perlite or sand mixed with potting soil.

3. Water the cutting on a daily basis, but make sure the water drains away from the soil.

4. After six weeks, you should detect fresh growth, or if you gently tug on the stem, it should feel rooted.

Desert Rose – Adenium obesum Design Tips

Like a bonsai plant, Desert Roses are perhaps best when in a prominent spot as a single feature plant. As a relatively short plants it’s best to have them raised on a ledge, table or something similar so you can appreciate it at its best. Desert roses don’t mind being pot bound so will usually do well in compact pots like Bonsai pots. They’re great in front of plain walls where their interesting form and flowers can have a strong contrast. Their flowers can range in colours and their forms can also be diverse. Like a bonsai some trimming can be used to steer it into a more sparce, unique and interesting form.