How to make your desert rose produce seed

Can they tolerate wind?

They look like two years old Melissa, maybe younger or older, cant really tell since some plants grow faster than others. they can tolerate some wind but the blooms get really messed up.

Wilfred

Seed Pods are still not ready yet, the largest one is 14" long, two are 10" one is 8" and the smallest is 4" on one side and 2" on the other, and the 4" side is fatter than all the others, they just keep growing, also the other large plant I have has lost most of the leaves and has not had a bloom for about three weeks, I hope she is OK, by the way Wilfred is there a male and a female plant.*S*
Yes that is "smilling" lol 'this is Laughing out loud '

Doris

Molamola, would you believe I paid $65.00 for my white one! I didn't even know it was white it had not flowered yet, but I figured she wanted so much for it, then it had to be somthing special, I made the mistake of planting it at the end of my driveway closest to the street, now I worry that some one is going to grab it because so many stop by and make nice comments about it. It was also a bad location to plant it because my drive way and front yard tilt down so rain seeps toward that end, I'm glad our rainy season is about ended, but so far it is doing OK.

Yah, boy, Jim! I'd move it!!!! Plants do get stolen!

Doris, are you a seedy lady?

Sorry Doris, plant don't get to have the fun we humans do, flower have both sexes in them, were the pollen comes out would be the male part and were you put it on would be the female part of the flower, the stamen.

Careful with prices Jim, expensive does not necessary miens better, bigger, or different color, it just miens expensive.

Wilfred

Thank you Wilfred, I wondered because one flower got seed pods, the other one did not.

Wilfred, that particular day I had won $100.00 on a scratch off ticket so I decided to take another chance and spend it on desert rose, I figure I got lucky again because it turned out to be a white one. I don't want to give any one the impression I've got money to burn LOL, every now and then I do somthing silly and it turns out to be lucky! More often then not it turns out to have been the wrong choice, as when I feel "lucky" and go to a casino here on the Indian reservation, I end up eating Mc Donalds for a week to get back within budget. Gotta go now and plant some desert rose seeds that a great friend and guy sent me. Molamola, I'm just not all that comfortable with the desert rose to transplant it, I'm thinking.....maybe a land mine just in front of it. Now, I'd hate to have it stolen if I don't heed your advise, I think I'd keep it secret so I don't hear "I told ya so" LOL

Wilfred, just a quickie question. When you plant your D.R. seeds, do you put the trays in the sun, and do you keep them covered with a clear dome? Right now I have mine on the porch where it's bright but no direct sun, I'd have to water them 20 times a day if I put them in our very hot sun light! I do have a clear dome on them which has an opening to allow for air which I can keep either open or closed. Waiting for your response. Jim

Hi Jim, as you will notice from the photo, I plant my seeds in baskets since its like a very big flower pot and big flower pot tend to hold humidity for longer periods of times since it has a water tray ether in the inside or outside of it. OK, back to if you put them in the sun or not, yes put them in the sun and don't cover them, if you planted them in pots just place a tray under them with some water enough to last them the half a day, seed must stay humid not soggy, so it should be enough water that by nightfall it humid but more to the dryer side, to humid at night can cause seeds to rot instead of germinating, aways water seeds in the morning, never at night. Don't cover them since heat can cook them, if you want you can but the in the bright shade area when its the hottest time of day or you can place something over them to block the direct sun at that time of the day that's the hottest.

BTW, can you take photos when you ask me for some advice, this way I'll be able to answer you better taking in account your situation.

Wilfred

Just took another picture of my seed pods, still not ready yet,but still growing.

This message was edited Oct 5, 2009 9:00 AM

Jimsned2 I need your address, read your email *LOL*

Finally finally opened, the first fllower, and I'm happy with the color. The camera sees more white than I do. Haha, and tried to pollinate, such a strange thing to do!

Can you see the pollen on the paintbrush, under a magnifying glass?

Molamola...Very nice!

If you pollinate it early in the morning, like an hour after the flower opened you can see the pollen on the tip of the paintbrush, that's when the flower has the most active pollen in it that has been just produced by the flower.

Very Beautiful bloom you got there Melissa, congratulations.

Wilfred

Do you spin the brush, or circle it around?

After you have introduced the tip of the brush in the center, ( check photo number 10, that's the center were the brush tip has to be introduced ) you than make a circular movement while moving to the center where the stamen is. In the photo I tore one side of the bloom to shoe the the center, you don't have to do this, all you have to do to open the center is to squeeze the flower at the base.

Wilfred

Wilfred, I've had to give up trying to hand pollenate. I Have somthing called essential tremor which only effects me if I'm trying to do somthing (like eating soup, it all spills on my shirt so I have to drink out of a cup) . I'm not about to give up yet, just need to get a few potted plants to bloom, then maybe I can steady one hand with the other which I can't do with all my desert rose in the ground. Last week, sunday to be exact, I planted those seeds you gave me and so far 11 have broken thru, I'm sure more are on the way. I've moved the last batch of 6 into pots and removed them from ICU, thats what I call my seeding tray, and they are now in my recovery area which is in pots and hanging on my fence, I figure in about two months I will put them into the ground where they will grow to adulthood. I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying doing this and only wish I had two IN POTS already in bloom, but it won't be long now, then I can catch up to kareoke, can you imagine, a 14 inch seed pod, thats just great.

Hi Jim, I was starting to miss you, clad to here from you my friend. Sorry to hear you got essential tremor, must be a little frustrating to have it. I have to ask, do you take vitamin B complex, it miet help calm the tremor a little.
So 11 have broken through, that mean you should have lots more ready to pop out any time soon, be careful not to over water them at this time or let dry out nether, this is the critical point stage for seedling, just keep a wash on them. If you notice that the seed peel doesn't come of, just spray mist it and wait ten minutes to pull it off, remember, spray mist first, peel will just slide off easily.
Love that you don't give up easily, you'll get your pods sooner or later, hopefully sooner. BTW, seeds I sent you were from the 20 year old adenium that the blooms had a little purple around the edge of the bloom, hope you get something nice out of them.

Your Friend Wilfred

Wilfred, the tremor used to bother me, now, what the heck, it's nothing compared to what other people suffer. If I wanted to have about 5 hours of no tremor I just have to have an alcoholic drink, but I only do that if I'm going to a very nice restrauant, my fear of alcoholism is a bigger worry then a little tremor. But I can tell you B12 is of no help at all, been there tried that. A few of my D.R. have the pods attached, I didn't think it was anything to be concerned about. It happened with the last bunch also, but they fell off within a week. Gees, are you saying I just got lucky and I should be pulling them off?

Thanks for the info in this thread. I've got a few buds about to open and will be waiting with my paintbrush! My plant has already bloomed 3 times this summer. I have it under a grow light. I love the idea of saving seeds from it!

Hi Jim, not the pods, I'm talking about the seedling when they sprout and the seed peels sticks to the seedling, if its still on the seedling three day after they have germinated they miet need a little help. Sometimes it can cause the newly born seedling to rot before it has a chance. Now if your referring to the seedling as pods I'm misunderstood you since the word pods is use for were the seeds are encase in and I refer to peel to what covers the individual seed.

Hi echinaceamaniac, glad you decided to join the fun of pollinating your ADR, one thing I have to mention before you make a mistake and get frustrated with your seeds when you finally get them from your plant. Adenium Desert Rose seeds can not be save for long periods of time, you should plant seed as soon as they come out the seed pods to guarantee the germination, the longer you save them the less chances of the seeds to germinate, that why when you purchase seeds from certain sources they fail to germinate, seeds are to old, but how the heck can anyone know how long the person who sells them has had the seeds sitting on a self for a long time, I found out the hard way. you said you had a grow light, well you can use it to germinate your seeds as long as it gets enough warmth to germinate, besides you miet have a few more ADR by spring time to show us some. BTW, please post a photo of your ADR for us to see.

Wilfred

Good morning all, just want to check in and tell you my seed pods are getting BIGGER but no sign of them being ready yet, they are starting to fill out, but I can't believe how long they are getting.



Doris

Doris, I can't stop wondering about your 14 in seed pod, then I got to thinking, I know that they grow in pairs, did you measure the two pods as one? And these are the ones on the window sill right?

Wilfred,

Here's my Desert Rose. I don't know what the name is. The blooms look like a watercolor painting and they are big blooms. It was a plant I rescued from a local Walmart store. They had them sitting in standing water! I knew it would rot if I didn't buy it and it was too pretty to resist. LOL...

Oh Wilfred, I just wanted to mention that I check this thread at least two times a day, but don't often post!

Jim the seed pod is joined in the center, and yes I measure the whole thing, it now measures 71/2" on each half,
it has grown another inch.

Doris

echinaceamaniac

That is beautiful! What a wonderful save.


Tina

Wow, this thread is getting long! I'd hate to see a new one because I'm afraid we"d lose all the information at the top which I read and re-read. Wondering if that part of it could be cut and pasted on a new thread possibly called how to make your desert rose produce seed#2, , other then that, good morning all.

Good morning all, Doris, I just wanted to advise you of some new information. After planting 50 desert rose seeds and having only six germanate, and after nurseing those six putting them in pots and giveing them all my attention, I went out last night and found two of the six missing. The pots with the earth were still there, just the plants were missing. WQP (Wilfred) our go to guy, advises me that birds will eat seedlings, as will mice. I don't have a mouse problem, but have a bird feeder and bird bath close by my desert rose seedling. I will take down the feeder and emty the bird bath, and maybe even buy a B B gun today LOL, guess I'll go out today and by an Owl and see if that does the trick, any suggestions are welcome. Jim

No, No, !! Move the bird feeder! Or get some sticks and screen and build a little house for the plants. I'm thinking about that, I'll go to find glass for the roof, as I have the same trouble as you, Jim, with too much RAIN over-watering my DRs.

Poor birdies!

Could someone post a photo of the seed pod when it first starts forming? I'd like to see what they look like after the bloom falls off and the seed pod begins. Thanks!

Well I can have both as my plants are in my plant room *S*
I am amazed at how these seed pods keep growing, they now have a reddish color to them. Wilfred does this mean anything.

Doris

echinaceamaniac If you check this thread you will see my first seed pod picture,

Thanks, Doris.

Did you ever get seeds?

I think mine are going to make seed pods. I also have two blooms which should open tomorrow. I've got my paintbrushes ready.

I didn't have a paintbrush so I used a feather that my bird shed to pollinate my first few blooms. LOL.

Yes, I have 5 BIG seed pods. I have no idea when they will be ready, they are right at 2 months old.

Kareoke, calm down. It'll be another five or seven years before the pods are ready

Good morning to alll, Doris I think your getting there it they have begun to change color, hope you have the wrap around them, or all over the house the feathers wil blow. I now understand why these things cost so much, gee's out of 50 seeds six sprouted, out of the six 3 got eaten by birds,out of the remaining 3, the pots got accidentaly knocked over and had to be re-potted! I'll never complain about the cost of plants again. Jim

*LOL Jim you will have LOTS of new seeds once these are ripe.

Doris, I'm sooo looking forward to getting them, Wilfred sent me another hundred and so far I have 13 seedlings, now I'm paranoid about birds, and big footed family members! I got a clue to solve the bird problem once they are in pots, from another site, put plastic water bottles over the pots, sounds like that might work. Also, when I get your seeds I know now that not all seed soil is the same, I couldn't think of why wilfred mentioned "the hard part" watering the newly laid seedlings? My seed soil was like muck, thats the way in came in the bag, so I covered them with the same muck. Now I see and have bought a very fine dry seed soil that will require me to watch how I water them once planted. I'm a slow learner, but I get there over the road less traveled. Jim