Desert Rose Care Guide: Growing Methods and Precautions Explained

SummarySoil: Choose loose, breathable sandy soil with good drainage and irrigation. Light: Good light helps flowering. Temperature: It prefers high temperatures and ventilation, and is not cold-tolerant. Fertilizing: Apply slow-release fertilizer during its growing season. Pruning: Pruning after the flowering period is best. Overwintering: Autumn and winter are its dormant period, when growth is relatively slow, so it should not be fertilized. Repotting: During the seedling stage, it needs to be repotted every year. Propagation methods: sowing, cuttings, grafting, layering. Precautions: Actively prevent and control diseases, and fertilize correctly.

I. Growing Conditions

1. Desert rose is suitable for growing in a climate with high temperatures, drought, and plenty of sunlight. Its growing soil should be sandy soil rich in calcium, loose and breathable, with good drainage and irrigation. It is not tolerant of shade or cold, and should not be given agricultural fertilizer or raw fertilizer. It is averse to waterlogging. The suitable growing temperature is 25-30°C.

2. In summer, it can be placed outdoors in a sunny place without shading, watered sufficiently, and the soil kept moist, but waterlogging must be avoided.

3. In winter, the amount of watering should be controlled, and the overwintering temperature is best kept above 10°C, allowing it to shed its leaves and go dormant.

4. When planting, organic fertilizer can be applied 2-3 times as a top dressing according to the specific situation.

II. Growing Methods

1. Soil: Desert rose grows in places close to deserts and prefers well-drained sandy soil. During the plant's vigorous growth period, some small gravel or river sand can be added to its substrate, which helps with drainage and prevents waterlogging. During the seedling stage, it needs to be repotted every year.

2. Light: Desert rose needs good light during growth, which helps flowering. Even during the dormant period, the light duration should not be too short.

3. Temperature: Desert rose is suitable for growing in a high-temperature, ventilated environment and has poor cold tolerance. It is relatively easy to grow in the south, and in winter it needs to be moved indoors and kept dry.

4. Fertilizing: The annual spring and summer rainy seasons are the growing period of desert rose. At this time, its growth rate is relatively fast, so it is best to apply slow-release fertilizer, such as decomposed compost.

5. Pruning: Desert rose must be pruned regularly, otherwise it will lose its ornamental value. Pruning after the flowering period is best. More branches mean more flowers. If you want a large number of flowers, you need to keep more branch divisions.

6. Overwintering: Autumn and winter are the dormant period of desert rose. Its growth is relatively slow or even stops, so fertilization is not needed at this stage.

7. Repotting: During its seedling stage, it needs to be repotted every year. The method is relatively simple. Before repotting, do not water first. After the potting soil is completely dry, the plant can be taken out, the roots trimmed, and the old potting soil removed, and then it can be replanted.

III. Propagation Methods

1. Sowing: Desert rose is generally sown in summer, and the germination temperature is 21°C.

2. Grafting: Desert rose can be grafted using oleander as the rootstock. In summer, the cleft grafting method can be used. After the plant survives, it grows robustly and blooms relatively easily.

3. Cuttings: Desert rose is best propagated by cuttings in summer. Select 1-2-year-old branches, preferably terminal branches, cut them into 10 cm lengths, and after the cut ends dry, insert them into a sand bed. They will generally root in about 3-4 weeks.

4. Layering: In summer, the aerial layering method is commonly used. Cut two-thirds through a robust branch, then fill with moss, wrap with plastic film, and roots will generally form in about 25 days. After 45 days, it can be cut off and potted.

IV. Growing Precautions

1. During its growing period, it should not be wet but should be kept dry. In summer when temperatures are high, it can generally be watered once every 3 days, and water should not accumulate in the pot.

2. During the spring growing period, nitrogen fertilizer needs to be applied 2-3 times, and before flowering, a compound fertilizer containing calcium and phosphorus can be applied 2 times.

3. The main disease of desert rose is soft rot, mainly caused by poor ventilation and water accumulation in the pot. Its symptoms are initially white and pale yellow near the soil surface, then turning dark brown, or even rotting. Therefore, do not overwater. Agricultural streptomycin 1000-fold solution or 150-200-fold Bordeaux mixture can be sprayed for chemical control, about once every month or so.