How and when at home does adenium need trimming and shaping?
Adenium is a desert plant native to Central and South Africa. In the wild, depending on the species, it grows to 3.5 meters. When grown indoors, Adenium appears as a small tree with a dense trunk, thick intertwined roots and bright flowers.
Like all plants, he needs timely pruning. You will learn how to carry out this procedure correctly in our article. We also recommend watching a useful video on the topic.
Why and when do you need to crop?
Pruning is a partial or complete removal of branches necessary for more intensive flowering of a plant. At what age and how should be trimmed? Trimming is carried out when necessary:
- Intensify the flowering of Adenum and form a lush crown.
- Set the required form.
- Get rid of dried branches and rejuvenate a plant older than 5-6 years.
Pruning leads to the appearance of new buds, and then branches, at the ends of which flowers bloom. Do the procedure during intensive plant growth, usually in the spring, when the dormant period ends. If a transplant occurs, pruning is postponed for 2-4 weeks to adapt the plant.
In autumn and winter, pruning is strongly discouraged, because the sleeping branches of Adenium will not develop lateral branches and may die.
The wider the place of the cut, the more likely the formation of new shoots. Too young a plant with few buds after pruning will look fluid and not as pretty as older trees. Florists recommend rejuvenating pruning at least once every 2 years, if the branches are too thin and flowering is on the decline.
Pruning at home so that the plant blooms
ATTENTION: For independent branching, the age of Adenium should reach about 5-6 years, and until then you can help it with pinching or pruning.Crown (to give shape and intensive flowering) and roots (to facilitate the process of transplantation or removal of damaged fragments) of the plant are pruned. We talked about how to make Adenium bloom in a separate article.
To get a positive effect from the procedure, you must follow some rules:
- Water the plant a couple of days before the intervention so that it does not experience water deficiency.
- To process places of cuts of a plant for its quick healing.
- Protect yourself in contact with the poisonous juice of Adenium.
Tools required for trimming:
- disposable gloves (to protect the skin);
- alcohol (for disinfecting the blade);
- secateurs or sharp knife.
The cropping procedure itself involves several steps:
- The pruning procedure begins with an assessment of the state of the plant. It is important to choose the right place for the cut, about a centimeter away from the caudex. The minimum universal cutting height above ground level should be about 9 centimeters.
- Removing part of the stem. The stalk remaining after trimming can be rooted and planted separately.
- The juice of the plant is poisonous, therefore, disinfection of the blade is required after each cut. You can disinfect with alcohol, special antibacterial wipes, hydrogen peroxide or brilliant green. Excessive secretions can also be removed with a napkin.
- Processing the cutting site is the final step in the cutting procedure. It is important to gloss over the rank for two reasons:
- tissue safety, protection against ingress of water and prevention of rotting of the stem;
- accurate healing without ugly marks on the trunk.
For puttying, it is best to use special means: garden balm or paste.
Shaping step by step
With the help of pruning, the crown, trunk and root of Adenium are formed. The kidneys have different activities, depending on their location.
Often, the apical kidney develops more actively due to the special hormone of the plant - auxin, which is most concentrated in the upper part, stimulating its growth and inhibiting the development of side shoots. Removing the apical kidney will help awaken the rest, but only a few of them will become full-fledged branches of the future crown.
Kroons
The formation of the crown is necessary to add splendor and intense flowering, and it is carried out throughout the vegetative period of tree development. The thickness of the stems is visually estimated and the thinnest of them are cut off. Extra branches that grow inside the crown or create friction with others are also subject to removal.
A universal way to form a crown is to trim the side branches to 2/3 of their length. With this method, over time, the crown will become magnificent, otherwise the branches will go upwards with thin sticks, which is considered ugly for adenium.
In a hot time when all plant development processes are accelerated, healing will occur faster.
Watch the video on the formation of the crown of adenium:
Caudex (trunk)
If everything is clear with the crown, then the formation of the trunk raises many questions. Caudex is an important part of the plant that, even without leaves, is of interest. The thicker and denser the trunk, the richer the whole plant looks.
There are several techniques for forming caudex. Consider them.
- Fusion of several seedlings - a method in which several young plants of the same age are put together. It is possible to use different varieties of Adenium to achieve a more interesting result. In the places of contact of the stems, cuts are made, and the whole bunch is fastened with a tape. After about a month, the plants grow together and there is no need for garter.
- Plexus - a technique in which 3 or more stems planted in one container are braided into a pigtail to form one, ornate common trunk.
- Ring formation - Suitable for Adeniums with too long and thin caudex. Gradually, it is rolled into a ring, which visually thickens the plant.
How to form a plant? Powerful caudex can be formed by pruning roots. This procedure is carried out at each transplant, and the plant itself gradually rises above the soil level.
It is important to choose the right soil and nutrient mixtures, moisten, but not flood the soil. Of the auxiliary tools, a plastic ring is used, located on a hill of soil. Having shortened the main root, the plant is laid on a ring, carefully spreading small roots in different directions. It is necessary to fix the plant for its proper growth. For fixing, use wire, small pebbles or slivers. Spread roots sprinkled with earth.
In this article, we talked about how to properly form a caudex and what to do if it has dried up.
Roots
Trimming the roots is not necessary, but using the root system, you can modify the plant, giving it a more exotic look. There are 2 most common root formation options:
- Pinching the root of the seedlings (plants 2-3 months old are taken). It is done only in the presence of side roots. The pinch place is treated with peroxide and coated. The soil should not be very wet. Thanks to this procedure, Adenium forms several thick roots that will subsequently affect the growth of caudex.
- Pruning root. In another way, this method is called the formation of the "Octopus". With a wide cut of the central root, the remaining roots appear smaller, similar to tentacles. It is better to plant in a wide and flat pot, for a more convenient location of the roots. With this option, there is the likelihood of a long healing of the cut site, which can lead to slow growth or decay. This can be avoided by filling the cutoff point with paraffin and thoroughly drying them.TIP: When forming an octopus, under a central root, put a pebble or a plastic cover - all that the plant can lift, not allowing the roots to grow down. In addition to the octopus, the roots can be given any other shape, such as a dragon or a bird.
It should be noted that pruning of roots in an adult Adenium (older than 2 years), which has already formed, can lead to its death. The appearance of an adult plant directly depends on the efforts, imagination and patience of the grower.
Care
The period after trimming or forming for Adenium is quite complicated, it needs peace and carebut. It is necessary to fertilize and stimulate growth with the help of special additives (imported or domestic), monitor the humidity of the soil and air to eliminate the possibility of decay.
If pinching the roots of seedlings was carried out, the first watering should be no earlier than 4-5 days after the procedure. When forming the crown, it is impossible for moisture to get into the places of the slices. A pot with a plant is recommended to be placed in a small shadow if the sun is too bright and scorching. Read more about caring for Adenium here.
What to do if the plant begins to wilt after the procedure?
Violations of the rules of pruning and shaping can lead to plant disease, which begins to fade and eventually dies. First you need to find out what is the cause of the disease and take treatment measures.
- Decay of the root system - may occur with excessive watering, with insufficient evaporation of moisture from an improperly selected container, after trimming. To diagnose rot, you need to remove the Adenium from the pot and audit the roots. If necessary, remove damaged areas according to all the rules of plant care.
- Withering branches - It can be both a natural reaction to pruning, and the cause of the disease. It is considered normal when the tips of the cut branches dry out, this process stops itself after healing. If the situation worsens, it is worth trying to remove the damaged tissue and treat the cut sites with antibiotics.
We talked about all the problems that you may encounter when growing Adenium here.
Adenium care must be carried out with all responsibility, otherwise the consequences can be disastrous. In the race for the beauty and exotic appearance of the tree, do not neglect its health. With maximum care you can get a gorgeous plant, worthy not only of a place in your personal collection, but also of universal delight at thematic exhibitions.