Desert rose plant comes in five varieties, all of which are Arabian natives and grow into semi-arid climates. Despite its arid origin, the desert rose has an excellent adaptive quality to tropical settings. That means these desert dwellers can still grow steadily and beautifully if they receive an adequate amount of warmth and draining soil.

Soil Preference

The key to keeping your desert rose happy is to give it lots of drainage-- typical succulent potting soil with pumice or crushed granite provides plenty of space for water to drain. You can also put layers of gravel above and below the soil to prevent your succulent from rotting. The key to keeping your desert rose happy is to give it lots of drainage with succulent potting soil

Lighting

As mentioned earlier, the vibrant flowers are sun-lover and bloom beautifully in the bright sun. So, if you live in a place that has bright and sunny mornings and afternoons, Adenium obseum is the perfect plant choice. However, keeping them in the shade can weaken their stems and make them leggy.

Temperature

In general, this potted specimen is a sun lover and blossoms in the prolific outdoors. It requires 70°F to 100° F to grow well, and like most succulents, cannot survive in cold temperatures. If you live somewhere that isn’t arid year-round, always move your desert rose inside when the climate changes.

There is no need to water your desert rose daily as it only needs it when the soil gets dry. That means you need to water the plant every two to three weeks, especially in winters. Moreover, make sure that the temperature where you keep succulents doesn’t drop below 60 degrees. This allows plants to bloom more vibrantly and healthily in springtime.

Blooming

Although a desert rose blooms well in hot weather, it needs a break in the growing season. Thus, the desert rose has two different blooming periods. In early spring, the flowers bloom steadily when getting sufficient sunlight. The second phase begins in the early fall months when the temperature drops from 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It is at the time when you need to move the plant indoors for pruning.

Fertilizer

Feeding your Adenium plant regularly will give it the nutrients needed to be healthy, and it will thank you with more and better blooms. When you’re using a fertilizer designed specifically for desert roses and still not getting blooms, you can try one of two things: increasing the dose and supplementing.

To increase the dose, aim for a water-soluble liquid fertilizer and apply as instructed for outdoor plants, with half that strength for indoor or container plants.

Feed an outdoor plant monthly during spring and summer and every 1 to 2 weeks for container plants. Watch for warning signs of overfeeding and cut back if necessary.

Supplementing is a little easier. Just add some phosphorous (or switch to a phosphorus-rich mix) or bone meal during your regular feedings. The extra phosphorus is often enough to encourage blooms on a stubborn plant.

Common Pests

The desert rose is susceptible to common pests like mealybugs, spider mites, fungal gnats, and aphids like all succulents. Without proper drainage, the succulent is also vulnerable to root rot and decay. To ensure the best care for your desert rose, keep the soil well-drained and check for bugs on the underside of the leaves and flowers.

Potting and Repotting

When repotting your desert rose, always do so just before the growing season to ensure it has plenty of time to adjust to its new home. When choosing your pot, make sure that it is at least 10% larger than the previous pot or 10% larger than the size of the plant.

Transplant Shock from Repotting

Plants, like people, can get depressed when suddenly uprooted and stuck in a new home. Plants show ‘depression” as transplant shock.

During this time, your adenium will be focused on root growth and getting used to the new soil. When transplanting use a potting mix recommended for succulent plants. If using a regular potting soil add extra perlite and or pumice to increase the drainage.

Propagation

You can propagate your Adenium obesum with both leaves and cuttings and also seeds right at the start of the growing season.