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Cacti & Succulents

When will my dessert rose start to grow leaves? its all bare stems!

7 years ago

My dessert rose that i brought last year lost most of its leaves. About 10 days ago i put it outside and watered it. It has not done a thing. The stems are bare. Is it dead?

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greenclaws UK, Zone 8a

7 years ago

Did it go into full sun? When did it lose the leaves, after the event you describe or before? Had you watered it before or was this the first time this season? Your info is rather vague for anyone to help, we need lots more info please!...and a pic.

Gill UK

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Comments (10)

TaraMaiden
7 years ago
A picture would definitely help...
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Are they in pots? Is the water used for irrigation at all salty? Have you applied a lot of fertilizer? These questions aim at the possibility of excess salts in the soil preventing uptake of water. The cure would be flushing the soil with a lot of water. I see that your winter/spring climate is cool to mild with some rain. Has there been unusual rain that would encourage fungus diseases? The ring spots with tan centers-- do the centers sometimes fall out, leaving a hole? This would be spot anthracnose disease. However, it does not cause wilting. The dead areas on the edge of the leaf-- I have seen these in my garden. There is no recognized fungus here that causes this symptom. I have suspected it is caused by excess ammonium from fertilizer. The dark shading on the woody stem-- this could be a fungus that is keeping the stem from transmitting water and causing the wilting. Are there any symptoms that do not show in the photograph, such as different-looking dark spots on other leaves, yellowing, black streaks on the bark, oozing sores on the bark?
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Nicholas C.
7 years ago
Mine that I have in the house under grow lights seem to hold their leaves pretty well, but the ones I have outside almost never seem to have leaves on them, or not many. They do flower like crazy though. I'm not sure if it's the heat (I'd assume they're subjected to worse where they naturally grow), but they're not in direct sun so that may also be part of it. As the others had mentioned, a picture would help a lot. Check to make sure the caudex (trunk) isn't squishy at all. if it's firm then it's fine and probably just hasn't decided to grow leaves yet.
tlbean2004
Original Author
7 years ago
It lost its last leaves i think back in January. It was in front of a south facing window. I have watered it maybe twice this winter. Now it is outside and get water when it rains which it has been doing a lot lately. I just went to get it from outside. Here are some pics.

I also noticed new growth on the tips just now.

The leaves that are dried up are dead. I need to pull them off.
Nicholas C.
7 years ago
Looks fine to me. As long as the caudex / exposed root right at soil level there isn't mushy then it should be fine. Stick it back outside but keep an eye on how much water it's getting especially after having a dry winter the roots may not be as effective as needed to deal with lots of water.
tlbean2004
Original Author
7 years ago
Will all the stems be covered in leaves eventually or only new growth from the top?
chuckerfly
7 years ago
I think the leaves will only be at the top. Mine (which are outside) look this way:
Nicholas C.
7 years ago
Only the new growth. They can be pruned pretty hard if you prefer it to be more compact. You can search the Adenium forums here on GardenWeb for more information on pruning if needed.
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Mine loses leaves in the Winter, too.

They really love hot weather, which is why I don't leave mine outside until night temp's are above 50F. Even so, it can take a while for the new growth to return.
Progress pic below.

With enough light, heat, water, and fertilizer, they will certainly backbud and re-leaf along formerly bare stems. Rather than deal with gangly branches, though, I prune mine to keep it compact and promote branching.
postpunkgirl
7 years ago
All of these pictures are awesome! I bet the plant in question will look beautiful with new growth and blooms. I just purchased a 6 inch seedling coming from FL... Any pointers on soil preference? I have most of my succulents in a gritty mix of sifted bark/decomposed granite/perlite/granular clay. I have a south facing yard and west and south windows for winter.

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