Nice, may I ask what the pieces of what looks like charcoal are for on top of the substrate please?

Actually I also don't know, hahaha people say it drain out water faster, so I just put a few pieces. And after putting the charcoal there was a lots of flower buds coming out, so I just leave it there.

Chris Ho

I know it gets mixed into composts when you buy it premixed off some sellers but don't know it's purpose.

Normally the premixed soil have very little charcoal in it so each time I did buy another packet of small charcoal to mix in to let the water drain out faster.

Great collection Chris. If you have weeds growing in the pots, just pull them out.

Pagan

Holy smokes Chris! You have a CRESTED Adenium! Where did you get this and where have you been hiding it? I'm going to ask you a huge favor now. Please pull the plant away from the crowd and snap a photo so I can see it with clarity. I apologize ahead of time. I am an avid crested succulent collector. I have never seen a crested Adenium. I am raising seedlings that were bred to have the potential to become crested. If you would do me this huge favor I would be grateful.

Tracy

Chris, about your trouble with weeds in your Adenium pots. It sounds like you must be using a heavily organic soil which is prone to weeds. I wouldn't suggest to change all your plants out. However I would recommend that you experiment with soil to find one that doesn't produce so many weeds and keeps your plants happy. If you can do this with one plant and find the right recipe, perhaps next spring you could begin repotting into the new media.

I use course coconut husk as my primary ingredient and then add a number of gritty substances to improve drainage and speed up drying. I do not have to pull weeds out of my Adenium pots.

Just an idea!

Tracy

Hi Chris,

Lovely blooms. Please do post a few snaps of the crested adenium separately (closeups and long shots) of the pot. Looking forward to it.

Thanks Tracy, I ve changed some to 5 in 1 soil already, now already one passed I still did not see any grass grow on it. I think u r right, maybe the soil too organic and regarding the crested plant I will take a photo individually for you and post up tomorrow.

Chris Ho

Hey tracy when make a compost mix for your adenium do you add any type of soil or organic matter or is it just stuff to aid drainage and aeration, like pearlite and grit....

Very nice trees!

Phil I do not add any soil or organic matter. It is only larger gritty pieces such as coarse perlite, pumice, and growstone. I sift the dust particles out of the amendments before I add them. I like to put chicken grit (Cherry Stone #2) on as a top dressing to stabilize the plant if is repotted. It is really a matter of what I have available at the time because it does change just a bit every time I make a batch of media.

Tracy

Cheers tracy appreciate it. Funny I accidentally found growstone the other day for sale here in the UK, not heard of it before then.

Phil I didn't know it was available outside of the US. That is good news, because it adds tremendous aeration to your media. It helps to offset the water holding properties of the coco husks to help the media dry quickly.

Tracy

Sounds good stuff tracy. There seems to be two types, one advertised as a soil areator the other an improver I think it says, either way I can get it over here so will get a sack :)

The aerator is the size you want in the orange and blue bag. Sorry Chris for hijacking your thread. At least we are on topic :)

Yeah apologies Chris I have a habit of jumping in on someone's thread, apologies and tracy thanks for the info :)

Chris, is the crested DR a crispum or even a Somalense? It doesn't look like a regular obesum as the leaves are longer and thinner?

Gill UK

Gill, the nursery owner told me it is a grafted arabicum.

Chris I am admiring your nice collection. What kind of Adenium is that in the 3rd and 4th image, it is a really nice tree? The leaves remind me of Rick's A. swazicum seedlings.

I am very sorry, I really don't know because here the nursery like to graft all the adenium plants like salads, it mixed.

Tracy,

Here are the photos that you have requested yesterday. I don't know you want to take from which angle, so I took a few more so you can choose from it.

chis Ho

Awesome, seems to have two types of leaves, so is definitely a grafted plant. Seems to be fairly mature too ( 5-6 yrs old) by its huge caudex size. thanks for sharing with us Chris

Interesting plant.

I believe that Charcoal is added for anti fungal, bacteria purposes and some say for drainage? There seems to be a some debate on it.

Rick

interesting rick, assumed drainage but wouldn't have thought anti fungal - anyone heard of colloidal silver, or maybe called ionic silver these days? This is anti pretty much everything and is very beneficial not only to people for animals, plants, basically any living thing......

Chris, thank you so much for taking a nice array of images. This plant is marvelous, I have never seen anything like it! I appreciate you taking the time to post the many images for my indulgence. I believe everyone else is enjoying them too.

Tracy

You are always welcome Tracy

Chris Ho

nice collection thanks for sharing

Chris, I love the crested form. I'm glad you singled the plant out and took a photo of the entire plant. I planted up some flatbella seeds a few years back hoping for a crested form and did not get one plant showing signs of that. :( You have a beautiful plant there.

I had to come back and look again, this plant is fantastic. The flowers are too, they look like they are hand painted. Ladylotus I too have sown the Flatbellate with no crested joy. However Jericson did get one crested form out of his batch of Flatbellate seedlings.

Chris you are so lucky to have found this great tree.

Tracy

Hi Chris,

I love the flower color of this one, your tree:

I really like the single-petal flowers of the Adenium obesum. They are so simple, yet elegant.

Here is my white single:

Another single-petal, pink flower clusters:

Kadie

You gotta love the white flowers Kadie - they are just pureness on a branch :-) I will get a white flowering one next time I order seeds which will be pretty soon I reckon.....

All very precise blooms, Kadie. Ido like many of my Dbl's/Trpl's, but I have to say the singles do always impress.

You know, I think Pink's got a bad rap, because that is what the majority of plants produced years ago. Now with all of the hybridizing, there are fewer.

Of all the seeds I have started. I have to date only one Pink bloom come from a seedling and even from ones I have given away (they sent me photo's).

So something is definitely happening with the hybridizing efforts. One day, we might be in a situation similar to that of Roses.

Roses have been so inter bred to create stunning blooms, disease resistance, etc., that many do not have that heavenly scent which was a traditional and desired part of owning Roses.

Although we do not have scent with Adeniums. Time will tell.

Rick

Well put, Rick. Doubles and triples are a novelty and are in demand. I acquired 8 multi-petal Adeniums to use as stock for grafting. As you know I had been culling my adenium trees and selling at the night market and flea market. Many customers had asked if I had doubles.

Kadie