Hi,

I like the caudex.

Where do you keep your adenium? How many hours of direct sun on the leaves that you can't keep does it get? I would think in zone 6 sunrise to sunset would work just fine.

I personally would avoid high phosphorus. A well balanced fert with some micros would be just fine, just go easy on the stuff. 1/2 to 1/4 strength about 1/2 the time they recommend. Any more than that and you get leggy ugly plants that can't support their own weight. Especially if you can't provide adequate sun. Half day of direct sun on the plant would be the low end of acceptable in my opinion.

How porous is your mix? If you take a mix soaking wet and squeeze it into a ball and it holds form, it's crap and needs to be adjusted. Soaking wet mix should fall apart after being compressed in your palm. What does your mix do when pressed into action?

randy

Id say it gets about a half of day of direct sun. Its the sunniest spot I have right now. The soil I was told is a mix of coir, orchid bark, traction sand and perlite maybe or pumice i cant remember. As for the leaves, they would start getting larger and then turn black in a couple of days. But it continued to shoot leaves. They all seemed to do this. When I hacked back the stems I left one that had a bunch of leaves. It immediately began growing vigorously. Then to keep the symetry I cut that one back. I have that stem rooting right now. *fingers crossed* I dont think over watering it has been the cause. I watered it maybe every 3 weeks to a month and sparingly during its dormant period. Would a lack of water lead to prolonged dormancy?
thank you
PJ

PJ,

I'm rather direct in a logical kind of way when trying to figure things out, so don't feel picked on. It's not done to be mean or thoughtless, just trying to help.

I didn't ask what was in the mix, asked how porous it was. It looks very organic and compacted. How fast does water run through the pot? Does it stand a while before draining? If so, you have a problem that should be dealt with. Some more inorganic material in the mix would help a lot.

Most of my adeniums in summer are watered every day. Some bigger pots can go for 3 days. Think of adeniums as you would a tropical plant like hibiscus or banana or a palm in summer. They want water. It's fall, winter, and spring where you need to watch them closely. They don't like cold wet soil in cold wet weather when growth has just started in spring or slowing down in fall.

randy

I checked using your test and it clumps but falls apart in larger pieces. It doesnt stay clumped. Probably could use more traction sand. Something I notices was fine white sand in there. Maybe white silica sand. I know thats bad for mix gets compacted and smothers out the larger pores in the mix. What would you recommend for a mix. Also, so I trim the roots while its out of the pot or wait until next year.
PJ

I'm not fond of fine sand. It might be great on the beach or in a box, but adds nothing but problems to a mix.

There is no one great answer to your question. You can ask 100 talented succulent growers what they use and you probably won't get two identical mixes.

You might do a search here on this forum at the bottom of the main page on "Soil Mix" and see what pops up. I bet you will find quite a few things that will be helpful and easily accessible where you live.

I use composted fine pine soil conditioner, a quaility pro mix, and Turface MVP.

randy

Thanks for your help. It has been quite informative. One question is still unanswered. What are these black resin like spots on the stems? How can I get rid of it and what causes it.
Thank you
plant_junkie

Well the previous owner telling you that the plant had honeydew would suggest that the black spots are sooty mold. Honeydew is a sweet substance secreted by pests that feed on the plant. Then sooty mold often times grows and feeds on the honeydew, creating black spots. The mold and honeydew can simply be washed off, but the pests that created them must be eliminated in order to stop the cycle. Cutting the plant back so heavily may have eliminated any pests, but I'd give it a close look and wipe any remaining pests or cottony looking areas (mealy bugs) with a q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol.

PJ,

That looks like sap that has pooled on the stem and dried. I tend to take a paper towel and wipe the sap off the plant after pruning so I don't get those spots. You have have to lightly dab the spot with alcohol to get it to loosen up.

randy

My last sentence should have been "You might have to lightly dab the spot with alcohol to get it to loosen up."

randy