Desert Rose transplant questions - Central Texas

12 years ago

Hi all,

I am a new DR mom. I bought three from a local Austin, TX guy that grew many colors from seed. They are all 1 year olds. My first three are supposed to be red, a orange hybrid, and kaleidascope which should be red & Purple. He did say that sometimes they don't come out the right colors though.

I just transplanted all three in Al's Gritty Mix this last weekend. I read on the old post in the Plumeria forum about bringing up the Caudex. Some of the roots are above the gritty mix. I was going to wait two weeks before adding fertilizer. Now I have several basic questions.

Do I trim the roots above soil level?

Is two weeks long enough to wait before fertilizing?

I have Osmocote Plus and was going to buy Foliage Pro and Pro tekt to start using on other plants. Should I use all three together or either Osmocote or the other two?

What concentrations do others use when using Foliage Pro and Pro Tekt together?

Should I water these every couple days for a while? The guy I bought them from said when they are most established, I only have to water every couple weeks but after reading some of the other posts on here, others water a lot more often.

Tina

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Comments (7)

Marie Tran
12 years ago
Hi Tina, congrats on your 3 new DR.
I give you a little info I know, but other DR growers with many good ideas out there.
I don't cut roots above soil level, unlet you want too.
2 weeks is good enough for fertilizer. Don't use 3 fertilizer together. I made that deadly mistake last year and killed so many good DR of mine. (I used only 2)
DR likes Osmocote very much. I also use miracle gro mix every 3 weeks during summer months.
Please don't hold your breath for the color you see on the name tag, unlet it is graft. (mostly pink from seeds)
Marie
tinamib
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks Marie!

Good to know what to expect from seed . The guy I bought these from is a local plumeria grower/seller. He also has some beautiful DR. I saw some of his older ones & that is what sold me. It so happened that I had recently found these forums and did a liittle reseach..... And of course fell in love after seeing some of other DR pics from all of you. He warned me they may not be the correct color so I will not hold my breath. Thanks for the info.

I hope someone in my area can also help with the watering questions.
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Loveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia
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I usually wait a few weeks after i repot my trees and dilute the Foliage Pro and Pro TeKt by 1/2. Then as the summer heat arrives.. i water them at least everyother day since then are in the gritty mix, i fertilize once a week full strength. I do raise my Caudex when i repot and sometime i dont cut some roots , but others that dont look quite right, i will cut them to make the Caudex look better

As far as watering in the summer, i dont hesitate watering everyday or every other day because my trees are in such a fast draining mix (gritty mix) it wont hold any perched water to damage roots , therefore i dont worry if i take the spray nozzle to them as i water the Plumeria. They seems to be easy to take care of in the summer and then became finicky about water during the winter months.

I hope this helps..

Take care,

Laura
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
12 years ago
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.
tinamib
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for the water information Love plants!

I took a picture of my DRs in the new pots last night. This is my first attempt to post a picture on these forums so here goes.

And the link to the same facebook photo
tinamib
Original Author
12 years ago
Here is the picture.

{{gwi:342949}}

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:342949}}
pcput
12 years ago
How cute Tina !!! Love the pots. Peg

Desert Rose transplant questions - Central Texas

Comments (7)

Marie Tran

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