I'm not sure repotting frequency is relevant unless you drastically underpot. If you want a caudex I personally feel one should use pots wider than they are tall. Adenium roots fill the pot they are given. Deep pots just promote deep roots. randy

hopefulauthor I just wanted to add a few comments about what you wrote: "Never water a succulent at night, on cloudy days, especially if temps are under 50F." Never is harsh. There are many succulents that thrive if watered during cool nights, as long as days are warm. And not watering succulents at night I believe is a wild misconception. I prefer watering at night because I know that the sun's heat will not dry out the pots quickly, hence giving the plants plenty of opportunity to soak up some water. "I killed two Sago Palms (cycads) and a Madagascar Palm, (Pachypodium) by watering, then placing in a cool-cold spot at night.." Let me offer a different explanation to the cause of death: those plants were already so weak that they could not tolerate the watering. I don't know exactly what was wrong with your plants but my best guess is their root systems were compromised, making them susceptible to rot. One often reads stories about not watering dormant cacti or not watering during cool weather because the plants will rot. It's not the timing alone that leads to the plants' demise. It's a weak root system that is unable to deal with normal moisture levels. This happens when roots are desiccated: could be cooked roots from sitting out in small pots and hot sun, from not enough water, from a poor soil mix, or perhaps disease. If I told you what plants I have outdoors right now exposed to cold and rain you probably would not believe me. But that doesn't bother me. I enjoy growing my plants and I will stick by my methods because they work for me. I know my plants are healthy. I have little fear that cold and wet will do them harm. When plants are grown well, this should not be an issue. As for the Pachy - P. lamereii and geayi are very robust plants and should not die readily once established. But I don't know the exact circumstances - maybe you had young plants which are more fragile. Sagos are quite cold tolerant and survive outdoors exposed to the elements quite easily in many parts of the US. If you killed 2 of them, they were more than likely already diseased. Cycads are very slow to show signs of problems, so when they die it is usually after many months of "suffering". These are among the toughest of any member of the plant kingdom. You can rip out a sago, douse it in gasoline, burn it, throw it in a pile of trash, and 2 years later new sprouts will still grow. But they, along with any other cycad, will not tolerate a poorly oxygenated soil mix. Please consider some of the thoughts I have presented to you. There are many myths that continue to pervade our hobby and I think it is important to understand why they are false and misinterpreted. x

Jeannie, The greenish tinge that is apparent on the root portion in front of photo is nothing to be concerned about. The plant could be potted up into another pot with fresh free draining soil. A soil without Peat moss in it. If you repot it, go a pot that is 1"-2" bigger in width than what it is in and no deeper than about 2"-3" of from lower roots and bottom of pot. This plant could very easily lose leaves from the transition from store to your home. Repotting can also do this, but fresh soil of the right material will benefit it in the end. You can expose a little bit more of the caudex, if you want without any problem. Try to keep the widest part of the caudex at soil level. Rick

I took it out of the pot. The roots look super healthy. No rot. I did find more rot inside the caudex though. The small opening combined with the depth is causing a dark, warm and humid environment which is clearly not good. I went ahead and opened the opening wider. Upon doing that it had gotten so deep that I went ahead and decided to open in up on the other side through the healthy tissue. It was several inches deep into the caudex and only maybe half an inch from the other side. I opended it up to get some airflow and it allowed me to clean it out more. I heavily dusted the inside with cinnamon powder. The question now is how long to leave it unpotted, and where? I've been hearing a week. Should I leave it somewhere that it will get some sunlight? Or will that damage the roots? Can it just lay on it's side or does it need to be suspended in the air by string/twine? I think If I can get it to heal this could eventually add a lot of character to the plant as it callouses over and grows. Thoughts? Thank you!