picture here

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3114/2793832231_1b6024b50b.jpg?v=0

Not an expert, I only have two...but if it were mine I would trim it, so it would branch out. Of course it's up to you, depends on what you like. Personally I like it with a fuller,shorter look as opposed to tall and leggy. Either way, good luck...

mine is that size and i pinched the tip,
it has many new branches growing,
i hope it will get chubbier trunk,

yours look very healthy, nice,

good luck

You should really wait until next year. Like, maybe right before you put it outside. Pretty soon (since you're in zone 6A) you'll be bringing it in and it will most likely drop the leaves. If I were you, I'd wait til late next spring. IMHO

kelly6780, yay i made mistake because i live in a cold region and i have to bring in my adeniums and does it mean they will loose their leafs.
i don't intend to put them to sleep to go dormant.
i intend to grow them on the south side window of course it is not going to be like outside and winters are long in my zone .
well i guess i will learn.

thank you very much,

thanks everyone, I had three, I pruned one and left the others, see what's the difference the next year.

After pruning, should the desert rose be put back out in full sun or stay in the shade for awhile? Thanks!

Hey nude gardener!
I have a huge directly south facing window and ALL my desert roses drop their leaves. To be honest, I DID leave them out when it got a little too cold last fall...but...they will most likely loose their leaves unless you provide artificial light and heat. I did buy a desert rose once DURING the winter and it didn't drop its leaves...but...it was used to this environment. Try and see :) But, in my opinion, the leaves will fall like rain.

my desert rose has a big cubby trunk all the branch's are short but one its getting long can i cut it back and how far[can i go to thr trunk] & the pc if i can cut it back will it regrow if i plant it in some pot soil ?
wardawg3916@bellsouth.net

Mine has a nice thick trunk, and the top growth was getting leggy. A squirrel nibbled all the top growth back to the trunk. Now the top growth is coming back. Looks pretty good actually. So I guess squirrels are good for something. I believe the squirrel pruning was done in June or July. Apparently you can cut these back hard during the growing season.

I am sorry I must disagree - squirrels are not good for anything! They wreak constant havoc with my plants. Sorry to vent - I feel like Bill Murray with them sometimes...;-)

But, I was under the impression that a squirrel would have difficulty walking away from ingesting adenium - not so?

T

I heard that the are more poisenous than Oleander? Is this so, I don't believe what I hear, I need to look it up. I would think the rodents would leave poisenous plants alone. Rats do not, they are stupid. They ate a whole flat of Euphorbia obessa, you would think they would die, they didn't, we needed to use poisen,
that was a new rodent proof green house. Just courious, Norma

Well Norma, it coulda been a rat. There are some fooling around in my cactus area at night.
Whatever it was, it did a good pruning job for me.
I agree tom, squirrels are just rats with bushy tails. Useless animals.

If you are in zone 8-9, you COULD cut it off now. I still wouldn't. I guess in somewhere they stay out all winter and don't drop leaves, it would probably be ok. Legginess will still be there in the spring. My duck ate some leaves from a pachypodium (a close DR relative) that I was under the impression were MORE posionous than DR, lived to quack another day(s). Didn't even faze him. Them being more toxic than Oleander...I doubt it...but am certianly no exprt! Just an opinion. I would say Oleander tops them all. I guess if the squirrels puked them up, it wouldn't hurt them? I have no clue about the digestive system of squirrels.
But back to pruning...I'd just leave things alone. When you do prune you want to pune at an angle...like make it look like the tip of a brand new lipstick. I hope that makes sense. When you make one cut, three new sets of leaves will grow around the cut. Usually. I've had just two before, but generally three. That's a whole lot of energy the plant puts into growing right at the end of the season and then it will just wilt and die when they have to come in for the winter or whatever. I think it's all an energy thing.
All said, these are tough plants and can take a lot...during the growing season. They are a lot more fragile when inside during the winter. And about the poison thing, I wouldn't on purpose feed this plant to anything and will continue to keep my cats away from them!!

Here's a great video I found on You Tube on "Hard Pruning Desert Rose...Its a little blurry but...you'll get the idea. I think it will help some of us who are not sure if, when or how we should prune them...

Here is a link that might be useful: Hard Pruning Adenium(Desert Rose)

What overnight temp is safe for keeping DR's outside?

Also, my cat ate some pacy geayi leaves, with no ill effect. But, she throws up cat grass. Go figure.

I'm not real sure exactly what the temps they suggest to bring them in is...but I usually bring mine in when the temps dip below low 40's. I'm sure they can take it colder than this, but I have a tendency to overprotect, better safe than sorry, I've had mine for several years and I just love the caudex, I don't want to take a chance!

I just "Hard Pruned" mine today...we'll see how it looks in 6-8 weeks...

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:505183}}

nice plant puglvr! How old is it?

Thanks blutarski...I think I've had it for about a little over four years?

VERY nice, Pug!

I agree with you on the caudex -- too nice to risk! Did you buy it like that or did you entice it to grow that way (and if the later -- how?!)?