Suitable primer for Adenium - preparation

The tropical succulent adenium is very picky about growing conditions. Only by observing all the rules of agricultural technology and careful choice of soil will he delight the owner with exquisite flowering.

What land is needed for adenium

Experienced growers will confirm: it is impossible to buy a ready-made substrate for planting cuttings or adenium seeds. It is prepared independently by mixing a number of components to obtain the optimal soil.

Adenium in pots

The main requirements for it are as follows:

• The consistency of the mixture should be as loose as possible so that air and water can pass freely from the surface to the bottom of the pot.
• To obtain the desired air and moisture permeability, a large amount (up to half of the volume) of rippers is introduced into the substrate.
• To maintain the desired moisture content, the composition includes components that can retain water, but not for a long time.
• The optimum acidity is neutral (pH = 6.0-7.0).

Essential ingredients and minerals

At home, adeniums grow in stony, nutrient-poor soil of semi-deserts. For this reason, the soil for home cultivation is chosen, guided by the same principles as for cacti and other succulents.

Primer for adenium

Organic-rich soil will not lead to rapid growth of the tree, on the contrary, it will cause root burns. But the soil, which combines various fine-grained mineral fillers, is ideal for him.

What are all soil elements for?

All constituent parts of the soil can be divided into 3 groups:

• nutritious: this includes leafy soil, deciduous-humus, coco-soil;
• rippers: sand, vermiculite, perlite;
• neutral: zeolite, charcoal, pumice, brick chips, small stones.

The richer the composition, the higher the chances that the plant will be in a favorable environment for itself.

Earth for adenium - composition

The composition of the soil is formed depending on the conditions in which the succulent will grow. The location of the pot with the plant determines the mode of intake of moisture, fresh air, light.

To understand how best to select the soil for transplanting adenium, it is necessary to consider three typical examples.

The soil for adenium should be very loose

Optimal temperature and natural light

The most suitable conditions are when adenium is kept year-round at a temperature of +25 ° C and above, in bright light for more than 10 hours a day.

The soil for adenium can contain more nutrients, since the plant has the opportunity to reveal its growth and flowering potential. Mix:

• deciduous-humus soil - 50%;
• perlite and vermiculite in equal proportions - 30%;
• charcoal - 20%.

In such a substrate, top dressing is regularly required, but you can transplant the tree only after filling the entire volume of the pot with roots.

Temperature is normal, lighting is artificial

Sometimes natural light is not enough. In this case, in the winter time, additional electric lighting is organized up to the required duration of daylight hours (10-12 hours).The air temperature is limited to the range of + 22-25 ° С.

Even with supplementary lighting, succulent will grow more slowly than under the open sky. This requires a reduction in the amount of nutrients in the soil.

The optimal composition of the substrate is as follows:

• soil for succulents - 30%;
• coco soil - 30%;
• vermiculite and perlite in equal proportions - 30%;
• charcoal - 10%.

Low temperature and lack of light

If the air temperature is about +20 ° C, and there is no artificial lighting, such an environment will negatively affect the development of the tree. It is impossible to compensate for the lack of light. A warm and light-loving plant will survive, but it will grow slowly, and with the slightest waterlogging or hypothermia, its roots will exhibit a tendency to decay.

The permissible soil content is as follows:

• coco soil - 60%;
• zeolite and perlite in equal proportions - 30%;
• charcoal - 10%.

Preparation of soil constituents for adenium

The first and foremost requirement for all components of the potting mix is ​​sterility. The presence of mold, fungi, algae, microorganisms with a high degree of probability will lead to the death of the succulent. That is why, before mixing all parts, each must be disinfected.

Proper sterilization of the earth

Exactly how to disinfect the soil mixture, everyone chooses independently, depending on the available conditions and capabilities. Experienced florists recommend using several methods at the same time to achieve the best result.

You can sterilize the soil in the oven.

Among the well-proven ways to disinfect the soil for adenium at home, you can list the following:

• Calcining in the oven. Mineral components (without perlite and vermiculite) are distributed evenly on a baking sheet and placed in an oven heated to 20 ° C for 10-15 minutes. The cooled soil can be immediately used for its intended purpose.
• The same heating method can be done in a water bath if there is no oven. To do this, place the baking sheet over a pot of boiling water. The holding time is 1 hour.
• It is perfectly acceptable to ignite the soil in a microwave oven. To do this, it is poured into a plastic bag or baking sleeve, and then kept in the heating mode for 3-4 minutes. Do not add a portion of more than 1 liter at a time.
• Disinfection with chemicals. The simplest is a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. The entire volume of soil is abundantly moistened with it, dried, and then used for its intended purpose. They do the same with other drugs that can be purchased in specialized stores: Fitosporin, Fundazol, etc.

Major mistakes

The main misconception of novice flower growers is the idea that all plants need moisture for life. Therefore, dry soil, poor in organic matter, seems to them unsuitable for transplanting adenium.

In fact, an excess of organic matter is guaranteed to lead to the death of a young tree, while without watering it will look great in a month. That is why such components of standard and universal soils for indoor flowers, such as peat and sphagnum moss, are categorically contraindicated for succulents.

Adenium does not need peat and sphagnum

What to do with the old land

After transplanting, the old soil must be thrown away or poured into a street flower bed. It is impossible to reuse it in indoor floriculture for two reasons:

• As a result of long watering, even with boiled water, many different salts, including lime, accumulate in the substrate. A high concentration of these substances is detrimental to almost all domestic plants, and especially to succulents.
• In the substrate in which the seedling grew, its own soil microflora inevitably multiplies. It is impossible to control its composition. In the course of their life, bacteria, fungi, microalgae secrete all kinds of compounds, which cannot be removed from the soil either.

To prepare the ideal soil with your own hands to transplant adenium, even a beginner can do it. The main thing is to take into account the needs of the succulent and provide it with an optimal growth environment.