I guess keeping roots underground will not change them much, just make them "invisible". Some of adenium species in the wild have all or most of the caudex below soil level!

Aggie

An adenium nurseryman in India had said that only the portion below the soil is able to grow larger. I like to have a short, fat and complex caudex rather than a long and tall one. I follow his advise and use the pot that has the height proportion to its diameter and keep the caudex below the soil level for a few years. Time will tell if the nurseryman is right.

jlgarden I've also heard that the underground portion of the caudex of most caudiciform plants is the only part that will grow. Once it's hardened off by being exposed to air that part will no longer grow. I don't know if this is indeed a fact but it does make sense.

OK....here's a question:

If you grow a plant in a tall, but narrow pot, and do not replant it into a larger pots as the plant gets bigger, will the roots grow towards the wall of the pot, and then eventually grow, and take/conform to the shape of the pot?

Here's why I ask...I want to try to grow an Adenium with a relatively thick but columnar shaped trunk,... to "suggest" the African, "Baobab Tree". I have a straight-sided, pot that is twelve inches tall, and 8 inches in diameter. I would like to plant the Adenium in this pot, and let it grow until the roots fill and take on the shape of the pot. Then I will gradually expose the clump of roots, which have now, hopefully, taken on the cylindrical shape of the pot, and grow/train the top end, above this clump of roots, to mimic a Baobab Tree. Of course this is all speculation, but have any growers noticed if roots do, in fact, take on the shape of the pot's interior?

Thanks for any thoughts, suggestions, and help.

Frank

Frank

Probably not. Adeniums have notoriously strong roots. When they are too rootbound, they tend to break their pot wide open.

Frank I did just remember A. socotranums naturally grow tall and straight, they can be cylindrical. Try bottle form or tower form (look up how they train them).

That's probably your best bet.

Frank, I've been trying to get the Baobab look in an Adenium as well. From the table the pot is sitting on to the tip of the upper most leaf is 24". It still needs more training but I think it's coming along decently.

Sure it does Harry

What about this Thai Soco?

I have a few seedlings that will be similar to it. Maybe i will graft some tripple flower obesum on top of the Thai Soco's and Thai Soco on top of the obesums.

This bit about the roots getting larger if you leave them below ground is interesting. I'm going to try rooting a cutting and doing that, hoping for some nice roots to expose later. I wonder, if you put it into a large pot, would the roots grow faster and fatter? Might be interesting to experiment with cuttings in several size pots to see.