How Do You Propagate Desert Rose Plants?
The desert rose, also called Adenium obesium, is actually not a rose at all, but a low-growing shrub in the periwinkle family. It is a succulent plant, which means that it retains water and can survive in arid environments, and grows best in USDA zones 10 and 11 where the temperature does not drop below 30 degrees F. Propagating the desert rose can be tricky if you do not know how to go about it. The seeds collected from an existing plant have not always been pollinated correctly and will not grow. Air layering is unpredictable and produces spotty results at best. Planting cuttings is the most effective way to propagate the plant. Take a cutting from a healthy, woody branch on the desert rose when the plant is not flowering. Measure five inches from the tip and cut at that point with pruning shears. Pluck the leaves off of the cutting and dip the bottom into a rooting hormone. Follow the directions on the package which will tell you if you need to mix anything with the hormone. Fill a
