Planting Desert Rose Seeds: A Quick and Easy 6-Step Process

Have you ever heard of the desert rose plant, also known as Adenium obesum? It’s a tough flower that comes from Africa and has beautiful flowers shaped like funnels. The plant also has shiny leaves that catch your eye.

Now, here’s the exciting part: you can easily grow desert rose plants from seeds! Want to know how? Just follow these simple steps to plant desert rose seeds.

How to Plant Desert Rose Seeds

If you live in a wet and humid area, you can successfully grow desert rose plants from seeds. Just follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Prepare the Pot

You’ll need a wide container like a tray to start with. Mix equal parts of coco peat and sand to create a potting mix. Add some water to make it damp but not too wet. Spread the mix in the tray, but don’t fill it all the way to the top.

Step 2: Spread the Seeds

Now, it is time to lay down the desert rose seeds for germination. If you’re wondering what desert rose seeds look like, they are small and typically have a dark brown or black, oblong shape. Space them at least 2 inches to 3 inches apart and press them down lightly to ensure complete contact with the substrate.

Step 3: Add Fungicide (Optional)

To prevent fungus growth, you can use seedling fungicide. Follow the instructions on the label, wearing gloves, and sprinkle a little on the seeds. Alternatively, you can brush the fungicide onto the seeds.

Step 4: Cover with Substrate

Cover the seeds completely with a layer of the same substrate, about half an inch thick. Then, lightly spray water on top and, if you want, cover the tray with plastic.

Step 5: Take Care of the Seedlings

Place the tray in an area that gets indirect sunlight for 6-8 hours daily. Spray water when the top inch of soil dries out, keeping it moist but not soaked. Remove the plastic cover once a day to wipe off condensation.

Within a week, you’ll see seedlings sprouting from the soil. As the sprouts emerge, you can water them once a day, avoiding splashing the leaves. Apply a 10-10-10 water-soluble fertilizer by spraying it instead of watering.

Step 6: Transplant the Seedlings

The desert rose seedlings should be ready for transplantation about one month after planting, depending on their growth. If they have 6-8 healthy leaves, it’s a good indication of when to transplant the seedlings.

Take a small pot with drainage holes and fill it 70% full with potting mix. Gently remove the seedling from the tray with its roots intact and place it in the pot. Add more soil to cover the roots and water the plant until the soil is moist.

FAQs

Do you soak desert rose seeds before planting?

With desert rose plants, fresh seeds work best for propagation. Soaking the seeds in water helps compensate for the moisture that the seed loses over time.

If your seeds are quite fresh, soaking them for about 2-4 hours in clean, room-temperature water could help in the germination process. If the seeds are not fresh, you can soak them for up to 24 hours depending on how old they are.

How long does it take for desert rose seeds to sprout?

Desert rose seeds usually germinate very quickly. In the right conditions, you can expect to see a desert rose sprout emerge within 3-7 days of planting the seed.

However, seeing a sprout emerge does not mean that it is ready for transplantation! The sprouts need to develop a healthy system of roots in order to be viable plants. This process can take up to a month.

If you can see 6-8 leaves on the sapling, it has a healthy root system and is ready to be transplanted.

How long does it take for a desert rose to flower from seed?

Once you plant the seed, it takes about a month to have seedlings ready for transplantation. It is hard to say how long it will be before the seedlings start to flower.

It can take months or even years for the plant to reach maturity and start flowering. Desert rose plants propagated from seeds are generally more vigorous than those propagated from cuttings.

Under the right conditions, a desert rose plant could flower within a year of transplantation.

How long does it take for a desert rose seed pod to mature?

Desert rose seed pods have a slow rate of growth. Timing is very important while harvesting the seed pods. You need them to be mature in order to have viable seeds.

If you wait too long, the seed pods will dry out and burst, dispersing the seeds. It can take about 6 months for the seeds to mature and be ready for harvesting.