After watching a video about treating root rot, I panicked and decided to take the worst of the 2 affected out of its pot.

As stated above, I watered them earlier this morning because I suspected thirst being the problem.

And when I removed the adenium from its pot, I found the soil to only be very slightly moist to the touch.

I washed and dried the root just to be sure that no blackness or signs of root rot were anywhere in evidence.

But the fact remains the soil was NOT water logged.

While I am now certain that over watering was not the problem, I still have no idea why my Adeniums caudex above ground have gone soft and squishy.

Is this the right forum to be asking this question??

From my experience whenever the caudex is caved in like that it means it needs more water. Where are you located? How is the outside temperature now?

Im in Africa - hot, HOT temperatures, desert like conditions with little to no rain. It's very dry here!

I did start mist/spraying the leaves a couple of weeks ago, when I read that they like humidity. But the whole internet says Adeniums love heat, and love the sun.

Now I've probably worsened the problem by pulling the poor thing out of its pot. The internet can be so misleading. It's near impossible to find any advice that doesn't involve warnings about to much water and too little sun.

Difficult to know what to do now!

It has virtually no fine feeder roots. No wonder the caudex has shrunk.

This plant looks like it was rooted with a cutting. Plants grown from seeds don’t like like that. If you are in Africa, then you need to water it every day. Water until you see it comes out of the drain holes. I water mine every day during the hot summer months here and fertilize every other week. Also, the soil has to be very well drained. Plant it back into a well drained soil pot and water it, then wait a week to water again. At that time you should water it every morning.

Thanks for your comments.

Tin N, perhaps you are right. How disappointing, especially as I was told it was one year old and that it takes a year to reach this size!

Martin, it did have some fine roots, which all came away with the (not vigorously) washing I did under a tap once I took it out of the pot as I was searching for any sign of black spots and root rot.

It is very confusing when a spongey caudex can mean over watering and rotting AS WELL AS dehydration...

I never found a single example of this problem.

From my experience, if the caudex is soft and the internal tissues are still holding together then it’s dehydration. If the caudex is soft and the tissues are deteriorating then it’s rot. If you want you can take a small knife and make a small insertion into the caudex. Make sure not to cut through the center core. If it looks brown then you have rot. If no brown spot then dehydration. Apply cinnamon powder on afterward.

I think I won't risk the knife yet. After everything you've observed it seems pretty clear to me that it's dehydration.

Also because the smaller plants with smaller caudex remained intact (perhaps because they didn't require as much water as the thicker ones). All points to dehydration.

We have experienced especially hot weather in the past month. I imagined all the sunlight was doing good and for a while after feeding and increasing the watering things improved.

But I was always concerned about over watering especially as this is the main cause of early death. I never thought the opposite would seem so similar. I read on the internet that it's almost impossible to under water these Adeniums, and if so all that happens is slower growth.

I shall be so disappointed is these are indeed cuttings, especially as I've read cuttings don't bear any flowers either!

Hi indigovenice, First....I think it's possible that the plant you have may be 'Adenium Multiflorum'. These plants do grow a carrot like root system when grow in taller style pots. If grown in shallow/wider pots they are more likely to grow a wider caudex/root system. Adenium Multiflorum tends to flower in Winter and also have larger leaves like yours.

Second....From what I can see, your plant is starving for water, but without the fine feeder roots it will be unable to drink up much water. You need to repot the plant into a free draining soil mix (eg:- cactus/succulent soil mix) and water thoroughly once and place in a shady or filtered light area to recover. (Possibly for about 2weeks) Do not water again until the soil feels almost dry. The plant needs time to grow new feeder roots before being placed out in the hot sun and then will need to be slowly moved out into more sun - a little bit each day, until it's used to it. If you have any rooting hormone powder or liquid, that would be useful to put on the roots when you repot, to help your plant grow new roots.

Third....I would use a smaller sized pot to begin with, while its growing new roots.

Fourth....The easiest way to tell if your plant needs water is to stick your finger in the soil. If it's wet or moist, no need to water. If it's dry or almost dry, then it's time to water. Watering should be done until the whole of the soil is wet thoroughly. I would not bother with fertilising for some time as your plant needs roots more then fertiliser.

Here's a link that might be useful for more information - Adenium Tucson cactus

If the link doesn't work then go to (adenium.tucsoncactus.org)

I hope this helps, Rachel :) And don't worry if your plant happens to be a cutting as cuttings flower just as much as seed grown plants.

Apart from all this useful info, many thanks for identifying the kind of Adenium that I have. The KNP nursery said it was an Impala Lily. I was inspired by a magnificent specimen I saw (quite old and living outdoors) at Skukuza Camp. Beautiful thick caudex looking very like a small Baobab tree.

So I shall do as you suggest and hopefully one day have a healthy flowering plant.

Indigovenice, I'm glad I could help. I cannot be completely sure your plant is an Adenium Multiflorum, but that's what it looks like to me. A photo of the flower would give us more information to help identify it properly. Hopefully you will get some flowers sometime in the near future that you could post here to update us. Either way your plant is an Adenium. These plants are sometimes also called Impala Lily, Sabi Star, or more commonly just 'Desert Rose'. And yes, many Adeniums grow to resemble mini Baobab trees, that's what makes them so popular for many of us. Here's a couple of photos of our Adenium Obesums flowering today. Very hot and humid here today, it is our Summer here now.

That website I mentioned is good at giving accurate information about Adeniums. If you click on the home button on that website, you will see a list of other pages with articles and more information for you.

Good luck with your plant :)

WOW your Adeniums are truly gorgeous Rachel!!! I dream of owning such a magnificent plant...

In the meantime, and the reason I do believe that you have correctly identified them as Adenium Multiflorum, is not only because of the observations that you made, but also because of the area that they came from, as well as that they told me these plants were an endangered species. I do know that you cannot find them plants in a usual nursery and as far as I know the Kruger National Park is the only place allowed to sell these as they propagate by seed.

Now I understand how mislead I was by the generic name 'Impala Lily' as this is sometimes mistaken for the Desert Rose.

Anyway I am pleased that I chose this forum to post my problem as I would have been doubly devastated if I had actually killing an endangered plant *GASPS*

This is the page where I got my info, very different info for a different kind of Adenium too.

http://pza.sanbi.org/adenium-multiflorum

Much obliged for your input! ;)

I agree with others that this is likely under watering. If it's a little spongy or rubbery feeling but not /squishy/ or mushy soft with blackened areas, and the roots look good, then you likely need to water a good deal more. Especially as you say it's hot and sunny where you are. Rot is more likely to happen if you are watering too much when temperatures drop. Depotting it was a good idea to check the roots and it won't really set it back if your growing conditions are otherwise good. Pot it back up and watering it more, you are likely to see them swell and firm up, and then start growing rapidly... just don't /let/ them stay soaking wet for days at a time. ;)

I agree with the above just to add you are in a very hot dry climate i dont think the gravel mix would be good it would over heat the roots as Rachel indicated use suclent mix even put half a handful of coconut coir in to just to retain a small amount of moisture for the time been best of luck :×)

Peter many thanks for this useful tip! As it happens, when I used to carry the pots into some shade towards midday, the pots often felt roasting hot to touch!

I did wonder about this, but the only info I could find was that these plants LOVE sun and heat... so I rationalized that there would've been rocks in a natural setting. But now I see that taking proper care of these plants needs to simulate ideal conditions as best as we can.

In the meantime I have removed all the gravel drainage material from the potting soil (which also created a bit more growing space for new roots) And I covered the pots drainage holes with porous cloth to retain the soil.

I have given all 4 plants a good soaking and set them in a window where they will receive bright light but no direct sun. They are standing on a rack so no pooling of water possible.

My big question right now is how long to wait before next watering?? I am concerned about those tiny roots which came away when I washed the root looking for black rot.

I made some pretty horrific mistakes, near roasting them alive, since I brought them home. I am of course a newbie to Adeniums and this sure has been a learning curve. Very pleased that I posted on this forum and hopefully this thread might save another Southern-Hemisphere-Adenium fan from making similar mistakes! ;)

Hi indigovenice me in summer i water every two days i get Temps up to 38/40c on accacions on average temp 30c and very low humidity i have never lost any plant through heat i believe if u have heat water more with good draining soil mix .water and cold kills DR i have lost lots in winter.Growing DR is all about adapting people's advice to suit your climate i do things a little different to Rachel and Agartta which live in different parts of Australia just because of the climate just adapt the advice for your climate its all very good advice good luck with the addition:×)

Yes all has been VERY good and helpful advice!

My temps in summer are much the same as yours, so I will start with every two days in mid summer. I feel sure I'm on the right track now and look forward to the results :)

Indigovenice - I think the caudex looks like it has caudex rot, and turning the leaves yellow as it starts to spread.

I had both problems, white wrinkled skinny caudex and brown skinny caudex, the white skinny caudex was healthy but dry so it recovered quiclky, the brown wrinkly skinny caudex continued to eventually kill the plant. Caudex rot can start from a fungus or a bug, not so much from water starvation. Here are some helpful hints in growing Adeniums.

http://www.tropicanursery.com/adenium/problems.htm

Good Luck !

A soft caudex, the yellowing of leaves, crisp leaf tips and leaf drop is usually a drought response. Yellow leaves on an under-watered adenium can usually be removed by hand without damaging the plant. Often the leaves simply drop by themselves.

Like Peter said, every single one of us take care of our plants differently just like how we take care of our children. You have to take advice from people and adapt it to your environment and climate. I’ve had over 100 plants and I am happy to report that so far I have not kill a single plant. I live in the NE region of the US. The average temperature here in the summer is about 80ish F. I water mine every day. I bring my plants in door in October. Last winter, I water my plants every 2-3 weeks and noticed that most were starving of water. I noticed their caudexes were shrinking, soft and they have wrinkles. They became fat and chunby again after I watered them. So, from that experience I water mine 1-2 times a week this cold season. Each time just 1/2 cup of water and it has been working great for me. I still fertilize it every 2 weeks and they are still giving me buds even though it’s like 30 F outside right now.

In conclusion, these plants are very hard to kill. Take some chances and experiment. You will know what works for you.

It's so fascinating to read and see all the different approaches and solutions. Those purple lights must be to replace the sun in winter Tin N?

As I am now quite sure that my plants are Adenium Multiflorum, I now have a better understanding of their needs.

And thanks to the valuable contributions on this subject, I'm sure this will be helpful to others too.

Thanks for the warning Agartta. But as I couldn't find any sign of rot, and because the dry climate is generally not very conducive to fungus, and I sweep off dust and or bugs with a soft brush as soon as they appear, before I mist-spray the plants. This the plants seemed to appreciate as the young leaves were curling (probably drying out too fast in the hot sun?) because ever since I mist-spray the leaves, the curled young leaves straightened out!

PS; for anyone else reading this who experienced a similar problem I added white vinegar to the misting water because it acts as a natural anti insect and fungicide. So far so good ;)

HI indigovenice what is your soil mix ? Looks like a grittie mix

roger

Hi Indigovenice, it is so easy to be confused with all the different ways we all grow our Adeniums. Most of us here on the forum are growing Adenium Obesum or Adenium Arabicums. You have a Adenium Multiflorum, that was grown and is native to your country. All of my plants (Obesums) have been grown from seed by me and as such are used to the climate in my country. It is my Summer here, with minimum temps of 30c and higher every day. Hot and humid. Although all Adeniums have similar needs, you have to grow yours according to your growing climate.

There are a only a few things you need to remember, your plants need feeder roots to be able to take up water. This needs to be your top priority. Your plant should start to firm up and look better once it has roots again. After that, check the soil by feeling for dampness before watering again. When it's almost dry, you can water again. By feeling for dampness in the soil you will be able to establish how often your plants need water, in your soil mix. Because you live in a hot, dry climate with very little rainfall, your plants will be relying on you for their watering needs. Remember your plants are still young and need abit more care until they are bigger/older. Once they are bigger they will cope better with the heat and will forgive a missed watering or two. Slowly move them into more sun, once they've recovered, and adjust watering as needed.

Tip - Always a good idea to ask the nursery when you buy a plant, how often they have been watering and how much sun they have been giving their plants before you take them home. Then you can replicate this at home. Your plants may have been growing in the nursery under partial cover from the hottest part of the day and watered accordingly. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck with your plants. :)

Once again I am very grateful for your input Rachel :))

I actually did ask the nursery when I bought the plants but other than the generic "they like sun and not too much water" they had nothing else to offer.

This plant is not at all common and perhaps because it's been put on the endangered list and it's illegal for regular nursery's to sell it or anyone to take it out of the veld, there is little into about.

I first fell in love with AM (before knowing it's proper name) as a child on a school trip to the Kruger Park, and have always wanted one ever since.

This thread has provided me with all the info I need, most particularly because I now know the proper identification.

A final concern I have is to do with the small feeder roots that you mention Rachel; because even after I purchased these plants (in blk plastic bags) and when I put them into pots, I remember that there were hardly ANY tiny feeder roots in evidence. And after watching several videos about repotting to aim for thickening of the caudex, I actually nipped off the few straggling feeder roots because I didn't know what they were and I thought I was helping to concentrate the energy on the main tap root *rolls eyes*

And now *deep sigh* after washing the root with a bristle paint brush (to remove the dirt) so I could be sure there was no rot lurking anywhere... I have once again lost the majority of those delicate roots!

At present, they are resting in a window with bright light, but no direct sun on them. I won't make these same mistakes again!!!

Rachel, is there a way you can tell if these plants (specifically Adenium Multiflorum) have been grown from seed or are only a cutting???

Katiedolittle, yes the soil is a gritty mix. I haven't changed it from the rather large bag that it came in because I imagined it would prefer its native soil in the early stages;)

Hi indigovenice I don't see any bark in your grittie mix if it was mine I would add some pine bark about 1/3 it will help on your watering look up al's grittie mix for a good mix

roger

Thanks for this excellent tip Roger! Is there a special reason pine bark is best?

I think these plants just need water . For me pine or fur bark is just the easy to find you need something in your mix that will hold a little water

roger

Dear Rachel, I am SO very grateful for your generosity and insightful help - for everyone's help!

Everthing you have explained now makes complete sense, with the bark not heating up as stone grit does...

My mix is full of grit and I even added more when I took them out the bags *rolls eyes* At last now I have a better understanding of my particular potting mix needs, and also why the pots felt so roasting hot when I carried them inside after a day in the sun.

All seems so much more logical now, and I won't forget this lesson!

Its with a sigh of relief that I read your observations about the cutting versus seed growth formations!!! I absolutely want the whole plant and not one of its arms or legs.

I think I must go and get bark and some new cacti/succulent potting mix. I'm also wondering about planting in new pots - as I had repotted into smaller pots after reading that this would encourage caudex thickening (but now I'm thinking bigger pots would help prevent the sun over heating and drying out of the soil).

I wonder what pot shape and size is best for Adenium Multiflorum's? And whether I sould go for something similar to those that you photographed your young Obesiums in?

PS: how old are these young plants of yours? I can hardly wait for flowering but read my AM's will need to be 3-4years old before this happens.

No offence but you really can't ID a small seedling with 100 percent certainty. The shape of the leaves and the small carrot-like caudex points to multiflorum but it could easily be an obesum hybrid. You will have to wait for it to bloom. The flowers are star-shaped and white with red margins always born on leafless plants during dormancy or in early Spring.

I have seen a wild-collected Adenium multiflorum standing 6 feet with hundreds of flowers. It was a spectacular sight.

Just some feedback: ever since I've dramatically increased the watering I've seen significant improvements.

All 4 AM's have noticeably fattened up around the base of the caudex, and the skin(?) has a smooth shiny grey appearance.

The one I was most concerned about (in the photos) has also shown some improvements and the collapsed caved in caudex has begun to fill out.

Since starting this thread I have drenched their pots three times; which is a massive increase compared to the 1/2 cup of water they were getting once a week. But because they are in such gritty soil the water runs straight through so it's OK.

It occurred to me that the Kruger Park gets summer rainfall and most certainly the plants themselves are responding favorably. So much so I think I pop them out into a bit of direct sunlight later this afternoon

photos to follow asap :))

Hi Indigovenice, my pink seedling in the photo is 8mths old now, grown from seed from our plants. (Obesums) As for pot shape and size, you will find many varied opinions on this forum. As a general rule you should be looking for a pot with good drainage holes in the bottom and large enough to fit the roots of your plant and some extra space for new growth of roots. Better to go up slowly in pot size while you are learning, rather then going too big and having your soil stay wet for too long. Slow and steady wins the race....Think like a turtle...Lol

Once your plants have established and are growing more, you will have more choices as to what size/shape of pot to pot them into. You just need a pot and soil mix that will dry out within a couple of days and if your weather is hot, water when almost dry. As for giving your plants some sun, do this slowly while they are trying to grow new roots. You could give them some early morning or late afternoon sun for an hour or two depending on how hot that time of day is. Gentle sun/heat to begin with, slowly increasing the time as your plant adapts.

Martin, no offence taken with regards to being able to 100% ID these plants. :)

Thanks again for more helpful tips regarding pots - I'm glad I curbed my enthusiasm yesterday and did not whip them all out of their pots into much bigger ones, as I don't want to disturb the young root systems more than necessary.

I shall remember your advice regarding sun exposure and wetness of soil. Do you think a bright window seat position (that doesn't actually get any direct sunlight) will be adequate for my young plants? Naturally it offers more protection from the elements but I don't know if the leaves need actual sun-rays at this stage, or if I can keep them indoors until they are much better established (which could mean months).

I'm so impressed by your beautiful young plants! I thought all Adeniums were very slow growing and would have guessed yours were much older than 8months. Perhaps if they have ideal conditions they can speed up growth?

I love Adeniums!

Rowena

Hi Rowena, if these were my plants, I would be giving them a little bit of sunshine every day while waiting for the roots to grow again. The trick is not too much at first, and not in the hottest part of the day. Each plant is different in how quickly they will grow more roots. In hotter climates they usually grow quicker. Filtered sunlight would be ideal. Here's a photo from the Internet to explain better what I mean.... (Not my garden)

The table in the photo above would be an ideal position for your plants to recover. The gentle sunlight, and bright light and fresh air would be perfect. See if you have somewhere at your place that would be suitable. It could be in dappled light created by a pergola etc.

Tip - I also don't like to place my plants on the ground/grass as ants or other pests can find their way into pots. If you can, place your plants on a small outdoor table or on an upturned crate etc. If you don't have an area like the photo, just give them a hour or two of gentle sun for one or two weeks and then increase the time gradually over a couple more weeks, keeping an eye on the plants to make sure they are still firming up and not getting soft again. You will know if your plants are growing more roots, when you can feel the caudex/base firming up and begin to get new growth/leaves.

As for our plants, my husband and I have over 15yrs experience growing Adeniums and know what is best for our plants in our climate. It was trial and error for us in the beginning, but eventually you learn what your plants need. In Brisbane/Australia we have about 9mths of good growing weather and 3mths of cool/Winter. I wish you the best of luck with your plants. Happy growing. Rachel :)