Davgrow,
I was nervous when pruning my first Adenium also, but they are very forgiving.
I would leave the lower branch for now. It can be pruned out at a later date if you prefer. A lot of the pruning done is completely each individuals preference.
Many of the plants shown here are 'grafted' and No pruning can be done below the graft union.

I would prune yours about at the level of the little side branch. When you prune make sure that your blade is sterilized with alcohol.
Make the prune at a 45 degree angle, with the bottom of the cut about 1/4"
above an old leaf scar. You can seal the cut or leave it. Remember to wash hands after as sap is caustic.
I like to rotate mine every few days after pruning, as I find then that I get multiple branches from all around the pruning site. If you have it outside where it receives sun all around you would not need to do this.

With yellowing and brown edge on leaves. Could be from over watering quite some time ago or fertilizer. With it being the lower most leaves, I would not be too concerned, as it is normal for them to shed at bottom.

Rick

Davgrow :

I had several that were growing elongated like yours and I cut three of them (see the before and after in the first picture). I cut them about halfway down but you can cut yours lower or higher. If you cut low, just be sure to leave some stem above the caudex (see the second picture). Hopefully you will get a bunch of shoots like mine. Regarding the piece you cut off, I'd cut it in half and dip the ends into a rooting hormone and let them sit for several days. You can then pot them in a fast draining soil mixture, and the let them sit for about a week and then water them (see the discussion under the "Anyone Rooted Adeniums Cuttings in Water?". With luck, they will root and you will have two more plants!

Regarding the lower branch, it looks kind of neat. I'd leave it if were my plant. You could always cut it off later on.

The leaf browning could be due to a number of factors: age of the leaf, sunburn, mites, too much fertilizer or water, and so on. Perlite should have nothing to do with the browning.

Here is the second picture.

The deed is done. Thanks Rick and jjb for the courage to do it. I actually said, "I'm sorry!" when I was cutting and my adenium was bleeding. We are both in transplant shock right now.

He is back home now in the window. I'll remember to rotate every few days. I took your advice and left the small nub on --do you think it will help recover faster?

Dropped a little bit of honey on both cut ends, and I'll let the cutting sit for a few days before putting it in dry media for another few days.

Thanks,
David

This post was edited by davgrow on Tue, Sep 30, 14 at 15:23

Looks wonderful David. Who knows, you may even get it pushing out a branch or two at the same level as the little one on the left.
Will be a nice plant. Love the bottle bulbous shape bottom on it.
Rick

Rick, you are a walking information dictionary. Very good advice.

Davgrow, good prune, and I hope many branches come soon.

Marie

good luck!

Laurie

haha, "I'm sorry". I was the same way on my first prune. It gushed its gooy blood and felt sorta bad also. Makes you think how much flow those branches have huh? Many other species of plants don't bleed like Adeniums do.

Rick,
As for the 45deg cut. I've tried both straight and 45deg and didn't really notice much of a difference. They both seemed to contract back to something resembling the end of a banana or a shriveling baby umbilical cord. I did once do a straight cut on perfectly vertical branch and the goo did not drip but pooled at the top in a perfect half sphere bubble, turned black, and the last few mm didn't shrivel like usual. What is the difference again?