Hello Tina, your new mix should be fine for a couple of weeks I would think. Sorry I can't help you with regard to the fertilisers you mention as I am not familiar with those brands being from 'over the pond'! The same applies to how often you should water them as my climate is so different. However, even here I can water them at least every other day during the summer as it's surprising how much water they will use in a fast draining mix as others have pointed out. I fertilise once a week spring to autumn. As for trimming roots above the soil...I do this when I raise the caudex each spring, but mainly they are those thin feeder roots that will dry out anyway when exposed. I have also been known to trim those slightly thicker ones as well, say just under pencil thickness if they have been sprouting randomly from the really chunky ones. As long as there's plenty of feeder roots left below, you are fine. The roots/caudex/leaves will bleed clear irritant sap so beware. Can you post a picture, it will make it better for us to help you maybe? Gill from the UK.

This is my first plant and I'm trying to do the best by it that I can. I live in Cincinnati, OH so it's clearly not the best desert rose climate, but once the temperatures began to drop I pulled the plant inside. I've been doing my best to keep it near sunlight or artificial if the clouds are out. However I noticed when I brought it inside, it was beginning to show a small patch on the base of one stem. This hole began turning black and eating in to the plant and leaves were falling off the entire plant. So I cleaned it off pretty well and it stopped and new leaves are growing lately. Two new stems have grown, but one stem has gone completely soft and part of it broke (not the one that had whatever it was eating it). The soil suddenly has some orange stuff all over it, so I'm repotting it. Any suggestions to make it through the winter? Any clues as to why an entire stem would be soft from top to bottom?

Can you put it some place where it would be warmer and drier? Of course you can trim off the brown leaves. Any time IMO.

Jeannie, If that is the soil (pictured next to green pot) it really should be a soil with more large particles in it. It looks quite fine in structure. Where you reside, you can get away with a different soil than where I am in the summer months, but in the fall/winter when temperatures get low and plants go dormant, It is imperative that the roots do not live in damp soil. I would leave it for now in the small pot and in Spring, pot up into a 6" - 8" pot. I like there to be about 1 1/2" - 2" on either side of the caudex (wide base of plant) to inside pot edge when finished potting up. Best to add some Perlite, Grit, Growstones or alike to the mix to make it more free draining. You can also straighten it up when ever you repot, now in existing pot or new one in the Spring. Rick