Fall Transition: Clearing Skies, Clean Seed Starts (Gulf Coast — FL, AL, LA, MS)

Field Note, this week's forecast: Orlando is running highs near 88–89°F with rain chances near 50–55% through Wednesday, dropping to single digits by the weekend. Sarasota saw an 85% rain chance Tuesday, clearing to 5% by Saturday. Tampa shows the same pattern — 55% rain Tuesday–Wednesday, near-zero by the weekend. Biloxi holds slightly drier all week, 15–20% through midweek and single digits Friday–Saturday.

Dormancy isn't on your radar this time of year — heat and rainfall are. Nothing about your Adenium, Plumeria, or Pachypodium care changes with the calendar the way it does for cold-climate growers. The variable that matters right now is moisture.

The problem with sowing into this week's rain system: high humidity plus standing moisture is the single most common cause of damping-off in freshly sown seed trays. If you're starting Adenium arabicum or obesum seed outdoors or in an open-air greenhouse, the wet, high-humidity days through midweek are the wrong window.

The fix: sow into the dry stretch. Every market in the region — Orlando, Sarasota, Tampa, Biloxi — clears out by Friday and holds through the weekend. That's your sowing window this week, not the days before it.

Media matters more here, not less. In a climate that's already humid, drainage is doing more of the work than it does for a cold-climate grower who's controlling moisture indoors. A mineral-heavy, fast-draining mix reduces the margin for error substantially.

What doesn't change: watering schedules for established plants, dormancy timing, or overwintering prep. None of that applies here. Your season-long focus is consistent — clean seed starts, well-draining media, and watching humidity swings rather than temperature.

What We're Growing With

• Desert Oasis Germination Media — fast-draining, built for exactly this humidity profile
• Adenium arabicum and obesum seed — sow into this weekend's clear stretch
• American Adenium Modular Germination System + Expansion Kits — provides consistent bottom heat to help maintain the 85–90°F germination target when used in an appropriate indoor or protected setup

Full protocol: Seed Germination — Start to Transplant