Understanding seed propagation

It won’t be long before those who grow Plumeria and Adenium will be scurrying to buy their first seeds of the new season, I know I have already made a couple of small purchases from two of my favorite suppliers last week. The listings on our favorite web sites are so inviting, the colors of the flowers, the shape of the petals. They are all so appealing to the eye. Sometimes I feel like a big kid in a botanical candy store, and most of the time I want at least a dozen of each. When you make a purchase regardless of what it is ,you expect to get what you see. Well if your buying Adenium or Plumeria seed you may be surprised when your Japanese Lantern seedling is more of a pink than the customary red that we all know it to be. Adenium and Plumeria, as well as many plants are not always true to form from seed. That is to say, seed from a plant known to produce red flowers might actually produce a flower that is another color than red. The deciding factors of what is produced is determined by the genetic DNA of both of the plants involved in the breeding. Just like with humans the offspring will be some combination of the parents. The chances of getting something new are very good. This doesn’t seem to bother those who insist on growing from seed, that is actually the fun of doing it, to get something new and unique. It’s exciting to initiate life from a seed, then nurture it and watch it develop over a period of time. Then if you supply it with all the care it needs to reach its fullest potential, it rewards you with a special gift in the form of a flower.

Do you know what’s below the soil?

I was in the growroom recently working with some of my Adenium and Plumeria when I decided to check on one of my cuttings from last season which has been putting on some really nice new leaves. I decide to pop it out of its pot to check out its roots. To my amazement there were no roots! None! My experience has been that any plant in the dogbane family is easily rotted during cool weather without roots and with wet media. Do you know what type of roots are supporting your Adenium? Did you know that all roots are not the same when your talking about Adenium? The number one cause of loss with Adenium is root rot, so knowing your roots is important to avoid costly setbacks or losses. The image below is from a friend of mine who is showing the differences between the same variety of Adenium, both of these plants are Adenium Arabicum but notice how different the roots are. Knowing your roots is very important.

Picture credit Sundaram Ramasamy of Abena Adenium

Roots are the most important part of any plant. Without the roots your plant can’t remain upright, it can’t acquire the needed moisture from its surroundings. The plant can’t find the nutrients it needs from the media. Sure there is foliar feeding, but the plant can’t get all the required elements needed through its leaves. So without healthy roots your plant can’t sustain it’s self.

Roots appear visually to be tough and expendable. They are kind of mysterious lurking out of sight. The truth is that they are subject to rot if they stay wet. If they are damaged, any open wound is a point of entry for disease that can cut off nutrients to the top of the plant. It is important to handle roots with care, and to be aware of any damage caused when handling them. I find that it’s the simple stuff that can cause you the most trouble with plants. When you prune the roots, or accidentally damage them, take the time to to treat them with a powder fungicide. If they get broken, then trim them back clean and treat them with a fungicide to prevent disease to enter.

The type of media used in the pot is important for healthy roots. Adenium need to be able to dry out in a timely fashion, they do not like “wet feet”, that is wet roots. media like sand, stone, hydroton, perlite and the like do not have the ability to retain nutrients on their surfaces. For this reason it is necessary to create a mix of different elements to obtain excellent drainage with nutrient holding compacity. I like cocoa coir in my growing program, but use what works best for you. As long as your media of choice drains rapidly and is capable of holding nutrients such as coir, peat, or pro mix it will work.

You will find that Adenium can develop a massive root system with thickened secondary roots. I have found that it is often necessary to root prune them to maintain plant vigor and maintain root organization. Don’t be afraid to handle your roots, to visually inspect them. Know what kind of roots are under your plant. Fine fibrous roots are subject to rot quicker than thick swollen roots. Thick roots have much higher water holding capacity than fibrous roots. Know your roots, know your plant, it’s that simple.

~Michael

#whitehort