Adeniums...would you re-pot for max growth?

12 years ago

My four 'treasured' seed grown adeniums are growing away nicely now that the sun is shining (apart from it raining today!)and they are getting plenty of water and food. I was able to get them through the winter without them going dormant again but have yet to get them into flower. One has budded two years running but it fails to get beyond the small bud stage...any clues as to why that could be?. The larger ones are now just over 3 yrs old and the smaller one is 2 yrs old.

For max caudex growth would you repot them and I am also unsure as to which type of pot to use (deep, shallow, keep them rootbound or give them space)to get them to grow even more as I would like the caudex's to get bigger. I guess its give them a bigger pot whatever the shape, but I do know that some plants prefer to be rootbound especially if you want them to flower as in the case of my strelitzia. Any advice from the experts on here is always appreciated as I know diddly squat about these lovely plants.

Thanks in advance, Gill from the UK.

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Comments (10)

cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
12 years ago
Gill,

Like the jackass (great Scrabble word!) that I am, I shall have to ruminate on your questions, but I'd like to say your plants look great. A little slicing (shortening the root ball) and a wider pot would, IMLE, fatten the trunk. I hope the other Adenium folk here will answer - whereof is Adenium Randy?

And you do know more than diddly squat - that picture's empirical, don't you think? They're tropicals when it's warm, and not when it's not.
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
Original Author
12 years ago
Cactus, thanks for the reply and for pointing out that I do in fact know a little bit about adeniums having got them this far here in the UK.......with a bit more help I hope to get them further!
I was wondering if a shallower dish and a root prune would help fatten them up as you suggest. I did buy a bonsai dish a few weeks ago, but when I got it home I found it was way to small for any of the bigger 3 and was totally out of proportion in my opinion.
Yes, where is Randy these days?? Hope he is ok....we need his valued advice!!!
Thanks for looking in.
Gill from the UK.
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Well, I'm not a great believer in this don't disturb their roots business myself. Like Denise, if they're not thriving, I often turn 'em out for a look. Most of my older ones haven't bloomed, yet my newer ones & cuttings from friends have, which I don't quite understand. This question got me curious abt an old Carnosa hybrid a friend gave me a few yrs. ago. I've been taking cuttings & putting them back in the pot. They look fine, but I see no new growth anywhere. Sure enough, I turned it out & the roots were fine, but were compacting in the soil, so that the new cuttings had nice new roots, but the original root ball was too tightly clumped up in the mix. I separate the whole thing, fluffed out the roots, gave it all new mix & returned it back to the same pot. I'll give it some Superthrive tomorrow & will expect to see new growth in 2 wks or so. I too don't usually pot them up bigger more than a size at a time.
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penfold2
12 years ago
Have you read this article from the Cactus and Succulent Journal?

Adenium Culture: Producing Large Specimens Quickly

Basically treat them as tropicals during the growing season. Large containers and plenty of water and fertilizer. Use a very porous soil as with any succulent.
puglvr1
12 years ago
Those are four very nice Adediums greenclaws...I think you've done an outstanding job growing those from seeds. Awesome...best of luck with them and hope they bloom for you real soon. The only advise I can give to get them to bloom is lots of sun, water, and a little fertilizer...but definitely lots of sun!
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
Original Author
12 years ago
Penfold, thanks for the link to that article, it's very informative. My soil mixture is very gritty and porous as the water runs straight through it. Its got some orchid bark mixed in with it to hold onto a certain amount of moisture.
Pug, thanks for the compliments! I can and do give them plenty of water and fertiliser, but the sun is something I unfortunately have little control of other than placing them in the sunniest window we have!! I know a lot of you recommend growing them outdoors but I daren't put them outside here as I would mortified if they got damaged or nobbled by bugs.

Have any of you grown an adenium arabicum? I am on the lookout for some seeds of these to try as I like the shape of the caudex as they seem to grow very differently to an obesum.
Thanks for looking, Gill from the UK.
mocropot
12 years ago
Gill , your plants are just gorgeous! Here is couple of soco. I will try to make a picture of arabicum in a next couple days

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greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
Original Author
12 years ago
Well hi there Mocropot, I recall you posting back on the plumeria forum a couple of years ago, great to see you back on GW again!! Alas my plumies have bit the dust as I struggled to keep them going during the winter months and I was continually fighting the dreaded red spider mite on them. Now I am having a try at growing adeniums!! Will I ever learn?? haha! Its great fun though seeing what you CAN do though isnt it, I like this 'zone pushing'.
Thanks for the pics of the socos, and yes they and the arabicums seem very distinctive/different to the obesums don't they. Were yours from seed or did you buy them as plants?
I'll look forward to seeing your pics when you can get them online.
Thanks. Mocropot! see you soon! Gill from the UK.
Marie Tran
12 years ago
Gill, those plants are good looking ones. Do you give them sun?
I also had 2 smaller pots aribicums didn't bloom yet after few years. Arabicums took longer to bloom, but when they do, it is worth with all waiting time.
I hope they will bloom for you soon.
Marie
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
Original Author
12 years ago
Hello Marie, I do admire your plants by the way!! Mine live in the sunniest window we have, a south east facing one and if I remember I move them to a more westerly one later in the day to follow the sun round. I will soon be putting them in the greenhouse which is warming up very nicely on sunny days. The trouble is our growing season is so very short here in the UK, so I think that is why they fail to flower properly. Also we do not get those consistently high temps that I would imagine these plants need in order to flourish. The buds on the one that has tried to flower these past 2 years form in late Aug/Sept and then drop off without developing to full size.
I saw my first adenium in Bangkok and I fell in love with them, the rest is history as they say!! I have only ever seen one for sale in a garden centre here, and my, was it EXPENSIVE??!!
So....hopefully I will get one of mine to flower, but till then I'll continue to live in hope!!
Regards, Gill from the UK.
mocropot
12 years ago
Gill Hi, I am glad to see you too. I admire your experience and knowledge to grow so many tropical/desert plants in your zone. This winter I pulled all my plums and store it in a room. I cut all leaves and almost NO water. When the temperature got above 50@ night I just put it in a ground again. Two is blooming right now. I will not be able to make picture till Sunday.

Adeniums...would you re-pot for max growth?

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cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5

greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
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Adeniums...would you re-pot for max growth?

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cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5

greenclaws UK, Zone 8aOriginal Author

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greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
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