How old is your plant? My seedlings are going to be 2 this year.

I'm not sure how old that plant is, got it at Walmart a couple years ago. I have a few little seedlings that are about an inch high that are about one this year.

Wow! I'm in awe! I've managed to kill just every D.R. I've owned. maybe too cold, too wet or too dry. don't know.

It looks beautiful. I got a desert rose last year but since it was tiny I forgot to bring it in and a light frost killed it. Maybe Ill try it again this summer.

Good luck!

Hi there Lauri, nice to meet up with you again. So glad to see your DR is looking so good, well done. My biggest ones are now 28 mths old from seed and are doing well (at the moment). They went downhill over the winter, but with the longer days and the 'odd' sunny day they have perked up no end and are really hard and tough again, only one is still defoliated and rather wrinkly!! In fact, to be honest, I think its been dead for some time now but I just keep thinking it will miraculously resurect itself....somehow. One did have buds on it last year, but they never opened as they appeared rather late in our short 2009 growing season.
Meanwhile I still have 2 of my 4 plumies from your seeds. They all went down with black mushy patches during our horrid winter and Bill advised me to cut them back and wait. Well I waited and waited, 2 died completely and 2 are now pushing out tiny sprouts!! They're now 4 yrs old and a bit, so guess I will have to wait even longer for those elusive flowers having lost all their tips? Oh well never mind. So its fingers tightly crossed yet again for me and mine. My plumies and DR's certainly go through the mill and cause me no end of heartache!
Best wishes Lauri,
Gill in the UK.

That's just beautiful. One of my DR's has been in bloom since Jan. It took about 3 years from seed to flower. Gill I think this is one of the ones we had started about the same time. It's still pretty small and lanky, nothing like Lauri's but it has put out at least 100 blooms. A lot for such a little plant and I have a soft spot having grown it from seed. I have about 30 more from seed I got from Thailand. We'll see what those look like in a couple years.

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Hi Karyn! Yes, I do think we started some at the same time just over 3 yrs ago, but my oldest survivor of that group has since gone to that great compost heap in 'plant heaven' I'm afraid. I too have a soft spot for anything I have grown from seed, odd isn't it? I'm very tempted to give another batch of DR's another try, they are so cute and there's so many lovely types available. I'll take a pic of mine tomorrow to show you my 'efforts' so far.

All the best, Gill in the UK

Please let me share some of my pictures from 2010.

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This is second year and hope this caudex will be nice when it gets bigger.

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This is 3 years old, the bloom very dark at first, as it gets more sun, the blooms get lighter in color. It is still small pot so I took it into front port to get shade, and the bloom last much much longer.

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This is 2 years old, the flower named Red Leo. When in full bloom it could get up to 22 blooms. Even with this small caudex.

This plant is about 5 years old.

This is 4 years old and 2 colors. Red and pink. Could be better, but the rain storm before this picture taken destroy 1/3 of it blooms.

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This is 5 years old. I used new bug spray this year on this plant and was very sad few days later when so many buds dropped.

This summer will be 7 years for this plant. My most beautiful plant when in full bloom. Pictures of 2005-2006-2007-2008-2009 all had full like this one, even when it a baby and still carried full head of blooms.

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Each year in late March when moving them from either inside the garage or inside the house to the backyard. I cut all the branches down and gave them a nice hair cut.
I got so much more plants and pictures but not to born you all, so anybody want to see more, email me, I will send you links from previous years of photos to see the caudex developed into it shape.
Ltran54@hotmail.com

Wow, those are some beautiful plants, love the caudex's. None of mine are twisty like that, and my little babies have yet to bloom. Thanks for sharing those pictures.

Hello Everyone,

Those are all beautiful Desert Roses!!! I have never seen blooms like that before on a DR. When mine bloom, I usually have 8-10 blooms at a time. How do get that many? What type of fert. do you use and how often? I usually put mine in full sun...it that the norm for DR's?

Thanks for any info!!!

Laura in VB

Laura, I am no expert on DR, but if I can help I am more than happy to do so.
I used Osmocote slow release twice per year. (late in March, when growing season begins and once again in mid July). Miracle-gro potting mix, with perlite. Also once a month I mix miracle gro and feed them. (5 gallon bucket for 3 scoops, even though recommend 1 scoop for a gallon). Other than that, they need full sun. In the summer I water them almost everyday. Never get rot root in the summer, only in the winter. I had other tricks to care for them if you want more info. Marie

Hi Marie,
I'd sure like to know some of your tricks if you don't mind. I'm so glad I read your posts. I was afraid of watrering then every day. but mine is in the sun, so guess it does dry out more than when in my house. I'll check on it more often now. it's getting moreleaves everyday, I'm just waiting for flowers,
thanks for the info, Carol

I am not DR expert at all. Over the year I learned tricks from another lady who had a DR collection 4 times as much.
1-full sun
2-small pot (1 to 2 inches around it caudex)
3-water goes in and out fast...(summer I water almost everyday during those hot months)
4-DR likes Osmocote very much, so use generously.
5-cut the tip in the beginning of growing season to get bushy and more branches and more flowers.

More tricks to care for DR
1-If it in a smaller pot easy to carry, take it in the shade when bloom season. The bloom last much more longer when it's in the shade.
2-Pray for bugs in late afternoon. Don't do it in the morning, and sprinkle water on the leave first, so the bug spray doesn't in direct contact with leave. (water helps to save the leave). About bugs spray, I found out only (ORTHO) branch work best. Some how the can work better, but I don't find it anywhere this summer. (I still have some from last year).

Correction.....sorry for the typo
#2 spray for bugs....

Love all this info people are posting. Got a chuckle with the "pray for bugs". ;>)

Hello Everyone!!

Kevabear...your DR's are just beautiful, thank you for sharing!!!

Itran54...Thank you for the great tips!!! For some reason my DR's are leafing out pretty well, but the buds are dropping for some reason. I'm not sure why they are doing that, except that maybe inconsistent watering might play a part...do you sprinkle the osmocote on top? or do you try to mix in the soil. My plants are in the right size pots for the size of the plant So, I don't think that they need to be repotted. Maybe they need a good dose of liquid fertilizer?

Thanks for all the info and any advise!!

Laura in VB

Laura, try to mix Osmocote within top 2 inches soil. (I read that in the book).
Each year I add couple more small pots into the ones I already have at $10 each and take care of them until they are today. Each year in late March at the beginning or growing season, I lift the plant a bit, so the upper parts of roots will be a little exposed. (Time to give it Osmocote)The plant will form more roots that will go down.
If you want, at the same time, you can take it out shake out the soil and bend the young roots into the shape you like and next year you see them that way. Try it, the plant will not die.

Your plants are absolutely GORGEOUS!! I have been wanting a DR since I discovered them last year. They're very hard to find here but I came across some in an Asian market the other day. I bought 2 and then found a little one in Home Depot today for $10.98. It was very odd though... they had glued the gravel covering the soil together and to the caudex so it formed a solid mat. Maybe that's something they do with DR but I felt sorry for the little thing and immediately came home, removed the gravel and repotted it. I have a couple questions...

1. It gets very hot down here (100+ degrees) in the summer. Does the DR need ALL day sun or will it do ok with just a few hours full sun and filtered the rest of the day. The sun here is brutal and I'm afraid I'd bake them.

2. Since repotting the first two I bought (I potted them with cactus soil mixed with perilite in well-draining pots and raised the caudex about 1/2") the leaves are turning yellow and dropping. Is that normal transplant shock or did I do something wrong?

Thanks so much!!!

I really love desert roses. I had a tiny DR last summer but it had a huge aphid infestation and a temp just below 40 degrees killed it off in early november. Ill probably try them again but maybe as a large plant.

soonergirl1968, I think getting rid of the glued gravel was a good idea. I think in the end a plant really wants good soil and not glued rocks. I think its best in some shade during the heat of the summer in areas that get that hot. I think the yellow leaves are transplant shock (it happend to mine and it got over it, that is until the aphids took over).

I definitely dont know a lot about Desert roses so maybe someone with more experience can help more.

Also, I like the pics above alot!
-Alex

Soonergirl1968, I lived in South East Texas and the heat here also brutal during June-Oct. DR like full sun. Those pictures above were about 2/3 of all DR I have plus 120 babies. (4 inches tall)
I bought so many different kinds of insect spray and now learned to experience of homemade insecticidal.
I used soap (kitchen liquid soap)3-4 tablespoons of liquid dishwashing soap to a gallon of water. It work..it work...Just remember to spray the leaves with water first, and insect spray. So the insect spray not in direct contact with leaves. I tryed it with and without water first and noticed the one without water leaves got burned.
If it didn't work for you just repeat the applications more than once. It worked first time for me.

Thank you so much! I guess I'll start giving them more sun because if yours can take the heat in South Texas. I'm sure they'll do fine here, too. I hope someday they grow up to be as beautiful as yours!! Thanks again :)

I'm in south Texas.My DR is about 20inches high starting to get new leaves everywhere. It is still in a pot but I would like to plant it close to my house. Is that a good idea and how do I get it thru the winter.

Marie is very knowledgeable on the DR's. She is a major contributor in the DR forum and gave us all a grafting tutorial last year.

Thank you Marie!

Lonnie

Thank you Lonnie.

Blondie39, I am still learning new way to take care of my DR collection each winter. It is good idea to keep it in the pot so you can take it inside when cold weather comes. DR doesn't like the cold or too wet.

Marie