Nice plant. I assume it came bare root. Once you begin to see new growth at the tips, you may want to consider cutting the ends back at a 45 deg and get it to branch more and not become tall and leggy.

The branches are only a couple of inches long. Why would I need to cut them now?

Nice Adenium by the way.

I've been cutting the left side back and as you see it has thicker growth while the right side is thin. I really should cut that long branch back. It is all personal taste and what you want. No, you don't have to prune it, but for me with such a great fat caudex, I would want a larger canopy.

Yours looks strongly like mine. I started mine as a wee plant 5 years ago. I did cut it back the second year. Strangely, it hasn't needed to be pruned since. It also has a tendency to be much more sensitive to root rot as it gets larger, And yet- its also very sensitive to not being watered enough by quickly dropping leaves even if its the middle of the growing season. They do need strong sunlight to bloom...but its not a long wait for them to bloom. By the second year I had it,it bloomed.

Just gave mine a repot and a lift this morning. Not sure which Adenium I have here, but it has white blooms.

Here's a better look at the branches. Should I trim off those little branches near the caudex? There is one on each side. Will that root fatten up and be interesting, or should it be removed?

Now I'll move it back out of the sun for a while. The newly exposed caudex will burn, won't it?

Hi -

Pruned mine back really hard 2 springs ago. I prefer shorter, branching growth to the long branches.

I also like to prune off the stringy roots, but I think that is a personal preference.

{{gwi:584845}}

{{gwi:584847}}

Tom

Couldn't agree with you more, Tom. Your plant is just beautiful!

Excellent, Tom. I'll have to try an adenium again at some point ... mine died several years back.

I trimmed off some smaller stringy roots, but that one is about pencil-thick, so I wasn't sure about taking it. I can see from looking at Tom's plant that I do need to prune back the long branches. I really like that look!

Is this the right time to whack the branches? (I can whack about any bush or tree here in Florida at any time of the year.)

Crenda -

You probably have another two to three solid months of growing season ahead of you, so I think you can whack with no problems...no?

T

This post was edited by tom_termine on Wed, Jul 10, 13 at 22:36

mmmm... I enjoy your Adeniums very much. Great score, Joe. Very nice plants, Tom. I mean... wow. Unfortunately, I've only succeeded in torturing and murdering these unsuspecting darlings. I'm not sure if I'll ever trust myself with one.

Great Adeniums everyone! I can't wait to see mine bloom!

Damn Tom,you got the eye. Mine right now is leafless. In a ugly pot,but the plant in times past has flowered. Its got a nice sort of ergonomic trunk? Or Picasso woman shape?. Indoors until spring. Its just a pest magnet indoors. Outdoors,no real problems except not as much heat as it likes. The bay area is not Arabia in summer.
I thought about using a lava rock hollowed out as a planter..maybe get the base to swell more.Anybody tried that? Or limestone?,what I see photos of them growing on in habitat.

This post was edited by stanofh on Fri, Dec 27, 13 at 19:08