75 day and night? That should be warm enough for active growth.

During the growing season you can keep a healthy A. obesum constantly moist provided air circulation is good, light is excellent and the soil mix is very coarse and well draining.

But I would be a little careful indoors - even if it is warm enough, transpiration is still reduced compared to outdoors so you may need to be cautious with watering.

It sounds to me like your plant is not quite dormant but not in full growth mode either. A slightly soft caudex could very well just be a sign of thirst.

My advice would be to continue watering with caution and wait until it is nice and warm outdoors to drench the plant regularly.

I'm no expert on Adenium though, so let's see what others may say.

x

72-75 at night, 78-79 during the latter part of the day in the hall outside of my office. Not to mention the sunshine and the radiator. (I should get a thermometer and see what it gets up to.

Don't even get me started- I'm the one guy in my office. I let someone know that I thought 80 deg wasn't really a comfortable working temp and she looked at me as if I was nuts.

I can relate... I've tried growing a potted Adenium in the warmest south facing window I have indoors, and it would sulk when the temps would only get into the low 70'sF during the day, and probably down to about 60F at night. I don't think you can have it too warm or too bright for an indoor Adenium, and where they thrive in habitat, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, they are accustomed to getting up to 125F during the day, and only cooling off to 85/95F at night in summer.

Bottom line, if you aren't losing new foliage from limited watering, stick with your current schedule and don't increase it until the season warms up. It is completely normal to lose older leaves at the same time you get new ones when the plant isn't getting all the heat it prefers.

I ultimately realized I couldn't grow this plant well in my conditions, because it is never hot at night here in Berkeley, even in summer, and it was a continual battle with mealybugs because the plant just wasn't happy. Good luck with your plant, and in my opinion, more heat is always better with an Adenium.

A few years ago I jumped on the Adenium bandwagon and since then I too have realized that they only bloom well and thrive during the hottest time of the year: July and August. The flowers are stupendous, but for me it is a little too much effort to keep Adeniums happy and healthy for a long growing season. They need real heat. Temps in the 80's F is a start but they do much better when it is hotter.

These are true tropical plants. Unless you live in Thailand, India or similar location where days and nights are hot practically all year long, a lot is needed to grow these well, with the help of a greenhouse. Hot areas in Cali and Arizona are great in the summer, but generally too cool in the winter. South Florida may be adequate. If you can grow a Coconut you can grow Adenium.

x

I am with everyone on this too..

I was able to provide FULL HOT sun and water once a week, even in the winter when it thrived..Here is the catch. It was in a small place, on a shelf, with glass on all sides, where it would get hot in there, even in the dead of winter.

It was always in bloom, especially, this time of year.

Once I had to switch work places, there was no where to put it, so I put it outdoors in the spring through summer last year, and it never flowered or looked the same after that, even in the hot summer sun.

In fact, I lost my plant just last week!!!:-((((

I was watering it exactly the way I use to before, only it was not in a hot sunny place, only in a sunny place where room temps were always just in the 70's, I guess cool by their standards...It rotted out from the stump and collasped..I almost cried.In fact my self worth, was almost bruised too..I felt I failed that plant I had an attachment to..

I learned that next time, I would rather hold back on the watering even though, even if I think the soil is dry, until I can give it HOT sun..

I wish you luck with yours! I wouldn't worry so much about undwatering since it is not getting the hot sun they love and thrive in..That could explain the not so hard trunk and stems..Mine always had a very HARD trunk, when it was getting the heat and sun..Then softened, once the ehat was robbed of it, but not the sun..Maybe they require more hydration when they get the heat and sun together, which could explain the reason for hardness..A well hydrated plant..? I wonder myself..

I am sure it will be alot better once it gets both!I did notice the ones at HD were loosing their firmness too. They have theirs in full sun also..They were stiff when they arrived, and the women told be they were use to growing in hotter conditions too..

I saw those beauties at HD this am, and I was hesitant to buy one, because I wish I could provide desert like conditions in which they thrive on..

P.s..I will say that the only time that my plant even came close to looking as good as it did in the past, was when I had it on the hot tarpped roof in full sun July, until the wind blew it right off..So no more hot tarp..

Wishing you luck ;-)

thanks.

just for full disclosure, i got a thermometer yesterday. On a sunny day, with the radiator on, it was 86 degrees on the shady side of the pot.

I got mine from HD too! and, while the soil was crap, it at least wasn't in glued down rocks.