Mr. Ortiz...

How was this technique accomplished? I thought that sharply bending turgid branches, into a corkscrew, would be almost an impossibility, often resulting in splitting/cracking. Did you wait for the plant branches to become soft, and bendable - much a like a dried out carrot- as a result of withholding water? I know, after seeing some photos, that Adenium stems can be braided together, but only after the stems have become very limp, and soft, by withholding of water. This photo reminds me of the wiring and bending techniques that are used to train bonsai.

Please explain your bending techniques. It's interesting to see what can be done with this kind of succulent, plant material. Approximately how long must the wires stay on, so the branches hold their new positions? Did you use Aluminum or Copper wires? What gauge? Just curious.

Thanks for the interesting posting and for sharing.

Frank

Hello Frank,

Thank you for reading my post and for your interest. I didn't use the withholding of water technique for this Adenium. It's true that bending an Adenium (or many other types of trees) too far will most likely cause the tissue to split, but it can be done with a little patience. The trick is to start with younger, thinner branches. Wire the entire branch and bend the lowest part in the direction you want, but not so much as to split the branch. You won't achieve the coiled effect in that first bending, but here is where the part of being patient comes in. After several weeks (maybe even a couple of months) again continue moving up the branch, slowly bending in the direction you want, then let it rest for another few weeks. Keep doing this, coiling up the branch slowly and allowing the plant to rest in between each successive bend, slowly bending until the entire branch is coiled. Once you've gotten your desired effect, leave the wire on for a few months, but keep an eye on it, watching that the branch is not thickening and the wire is becoming embedded in the tissue, this will scar the branch. That is why I always wire my Adeniums very lose (unlike they do in Bonsai.) I use aluminum wire for my Adeniums and the gauge I used for this particular Adenium was (if I'm remembering correctly) 2.0 mm. I hope I explained the technique clearly. Thanks again.

Hello sinha (10a),

Thank you for your kind comments.

Harry you're trees are amazing and beautiful!! Please post pics when leafed out and in bloom. They are simply stunning. I'm tempted to try this here but I'm afraid the aluminum might burn the tree in the hot sun. It's 86F/30C here today. What zone are you in and are your plants out in the hot sun?

I love it.

Mr. Ortiz-

Perfect answers! Just read through the complete explanation of the techniques that you used in training your plant. Truly a work of botanical art, and definitely not for the faint of heart.

Many thanks for sharing this information and for posting photos of your Adenium creations.

Best regards, and continued success.

Frank

halfwaythere1, thank you and I will definitely post photos when it leafs out again. I'm in zone 7b. It can get very hot here too in the summers. My plants stay out all summer, but I only let them have direct morning sun. The heat of the afternoon sun can be too intense, especially if grown in shallow bonsai pots like I have them in.

Cynthia and Frank, thank you both.

Awesome plant! I want an A. swazicum so badly! I think they would do best in my climate 9b.

I've had this one for over ten years. I like the flowers but love the fact that they bloom continuously. I chopped the top down to about 4 feet & am getting spikes. It's stayed out & become very tough; cuz the pot weighs a ton. A new pot is in the future. Flowers were last year