Hi everyone. I am hoping to buy some adenium seeds soon but I'm not quite sure what kind of growing medium would be best. I have read all sorts of information from Taiwan and India and other places but they all seem to use sand and farmyard manure... Well im fresh out of manure here in my townhouse so Im not quite positive what to substitute that with. What I was thinking of useing was a mix of orchid bark, promix, and maybe some worm castings? Would that work? I grow hoyas and clivia in a mix of the bark and promix with a bit of added perlite. Any help for a total adenium newbie would be great. Thanks so much!
Before we can recommend a growing medium, a few questions: Since you are in Canada, are the plants going to be inside your home year round, in a greenhouse, or indoors during colder weather/outdoors during warmer weather? My adeniums are indoors during colder weather/outdoors during warmer weather. I also get a lot of rainfall and high humidity in my environment. So, what I have found to work well is a mix of 25% orchid mix, 25% expanded clay bonsai soil, 25% vermiculite, and 25% commercial potting mix. I also use a little bit of slow-release granular fertilizer and insecticide. This particular mix is very loose, does not compact, and holds a little bit of water. I am currently (this year) using what some may consider a somewhat large pot to allow the caudex to grow quicker. My basic strategy is to have the mix dry out rather quickly. The trade-off is that I have to water more frequently during the growing season. During the winter dormancy, I will water lightly when the mix is completely dry. Treat adeniums like tropical plants during the summer, keeping the soil slightly moist. However, during the winter dormancy, one must treat them like desert cacti, watering sparingly when completely dry. In the Caudiciform and Pachycaul Tree forum, there is further information (web links) on "Desert Roses" (Adenium) in the photo gallery. Mark
Thanks for the quick response. I live in a very dry, desert like area of BC. In the summer we get little rain and its always quite hot. I will probably keep them outside during this time and bring them in when its cold. Do you mind if I ask you where you get (got) your adeniums from? There is one person on ebay that from what I have read is fairly good to purchase from.
Where did I get my adeniums? http://www.aridlands.com/ Since your area is a little dryer than mine, I would suggest a little more organic material than I use. Just be careful with that watering this winter. I always worry about compost or manure with container plants...although it is a common ingredient used for growing adeniums in Taiwan and India (a totally different environment). http://www.tropicanursery.com/adenium/cultivation.htm
I was looking at the arid lands website for a while before I noticed the big red writing that said they dont ship outside the US... Sigh... Such a pain somtimes that it's so hard to find plants in Canada!