There are very few plants that satisfy a significant % of their nutritive needs via nutrients dissolved in water that contacts their foliage. The primary pathway for nutrient movement into almost all terrestrial plant material is through the roots. Foliar feeding is used in agricultural situations where a scarcity of one or more nutrients has been identified, and the plant is growing so rapidly that nutritive (plant) demand is greater than the plant's ability to supply (take up) isolated nutrients. Rarely is a complete fertilizer sprayed on foliage; rather, it might be a solution containing Fe, Z, Mn, or any of the other nutrients in attempt to alleviate a deficiency of an already identified nutrient, or sometimes more than one. In containers, plants almost never grow at rates that find the plant's ability to absorb insufficient to support it's growth rate, so if you do see significant improvement in your plants growth rate or appearance, it's a fairly good indicator that something is acting to inhibit the primary pathway or the grower isn't providing all the essential nutrients at a favorable rate and ratio. If you DO provide nutrients in a favorable rate/ratio, and root function isn't inhibited by poor conditions in the rhizosphere, you should see virtually NO difference in growth rate or appearance after foliar feeding. Also, when applying fertilizer via foliar application, it doesn't necessarily correct deficiencies. Nutrients that are immobile in the plant cannot effectively be moved throughout the entire organism, so you really are only providing a stopgap remedy. Any foliage that grows after application of immobile nutrients is still going to be deficient unless that nutrient is taken up so it enters the nutrient stream. An excess of any one nutrient can be as limiting as a deficiency, so make it your goal to ensure all the nutrients plants normally get from the soil and that are essential to normal growth are in the soil at all times, in a ratio that closely mimics that at which the plant actually uses the nutrients, and at a concentration high enough to ensure no deficiencies yet low enough that it doesn't inhibit the plant's ability to take up water and the nutrients dissolved in water. Conceptually, that would be the perfect way to fertilize, and it's not difficult for the hobby grower to get very, very close to getting it just right, using only one fertilizer, if some consideration is given to its selection. Al

For my garden Meyers I would thin that cluster to 4; and later to 3 or 2 depending on the strength of the limb. Meyers do not do a good job of self-thinning until about 5 years; before that, if you leave too many fruits, the tree will "forget" to grow.

I use 'Grow' from Dyna-Gro (rather than Foliage Pro) on ALL my container plantings, indoor or out, foliage only or flowering/fruiting. And I use it at half strength (1/2 tsp/gal). To be precise, I dose all my containered maples and conifers with Osmocote at the beginning of the season and then supplement with the Grow periodically through the growing season but no more than once a month. And tht is primarily to supply any needed trace minerals, as the Osmocote covers pretty much everything else.

Marcia, This is a part of one of Dr. Mark Dimmitt's articles. There are many of them if you search on Aridlands or other sites. You are going to find many conflicting results in search for "what" fertilizer works for your Adeniums. I am not a scientist and try to understand and take in what I read. Dr. M. Dimmitt is world renown and he has studied and grown/hybridized many cultivars and most of the introductions to US and/ North America. His studies are based on proven and tried and true results along with his co workers and Authors of a Marvelous book. Adenium: Sculptural Elegance, Floral Extravagance. This book is a true inspiration and must have for people growing these. Feeding Adeniums also respond well to regular and generous fertilizing. I use slow-release fertilizer in my potting media and inject my irrigation water during the growing season with a balanced fertilizer such as 20-20-20 plus micronutrients at a concentration of 200 ppm nitrogen. Inadequate watering and feeding are the primary reasons adeniums have been regarded as slow-growing. Generous culture produces literally unbelievable results. (An eight-month-old plant splitting a six-inch pot that I entered in the seedling category at a CSSA show was disqualified by the judges because they didn't believe it was less than the limit of a year old.) Specimens several feet tall and wide in 18-inch containers can be grown in only three to five years (Figs.1, 2) and sometimes even less. Adeniums seem to require high nitrogen for both strong growth and copious flowering. For one year I used a low nitrogen fertilizer (2-10-10) on most of my mature adeniums in an attempt to thicken their stems while minimizing further elongation. Not only did the low-nitrogen plants not thicken appreciably, they also flowered poorly that year. (Well-fed plants flowered normally.) ................................................................................................................................ Talpa, has many articles within the Gardenweb/Houzz site and I would definitely search out his articles using the Search bar at the top of page. Use when in the Adenium Forum and you will find an vast amount of articles. I have always been of the understanding that Adeniums, Do not require high levels of "P" as you will see in many Bloom Booster fertilizers as with Orchids and many summer Annuals. I started using the Dyna Gro 9-3-6 & Dyna Gro 0-0-3 through Information from Laura and I have to say, I am definitely pleased with what I see from using it. Rick