Lorraine, You can prune at anytime of the year if you live in a climate where trees remain growing throughout the year. If they go dormant where you reside the most preferred time and this is when I do all of my pruning is in the spring. At this time the trees are beginning to grow. When starting into full growth.

I prune for shaping the majority of the time, not for rejuvenating a older, over grown tree. Depending on what you have.

Make your cuts at a 45 degree angle to the stem, 1/4"-3/8" in front of an internode. Keeping in mind that if you want the new branches to grow horizontally or vertically will determine where you cut. Most times the branching occurs at the ends of branches.

The amount you prune off is up to you, as to what shape you are after. It can be as little as 1/2" or more.

Mine are usually indoors at this time and receive East & South sunlight. I like to turn them 180 degrees every other day or so. I have found when doing this, it helps to get new branches from multiple sides. Not a exact science, but works for me. If you have them located outside and receiving sun 360 degrees, this is not necessary.

Some seal pruning site and others do not, this is why kept at a 45 degree angle will allow moisture to be shed off and not sit on pruning site.

Hope some of this helps,

Rick

Thanks Rick it does. I will wait until April to cut back when things start growing again. Will decide on that shape at that time.

L.M.

Hope one day to have the same kind of open branch structure growing from the top of my newly braided, "tower" Adenium. Very nice plant. Good luck with the pruning results.

****************************************************************************************

QUESTION:

When a branch is pruned back, will Adeniums break any back buds from the older sections of the branches, or, do these plants have a tendency to break new buds from the section of the stems that are just under the fresh, pruning cuts?

What's the best way to induce branch ramification? Hard pruning? Pinching?

Thanks for the help.

Frank

Frank, I speak only from my personal experiences.

A few of my older trees that I was reshaping, I cut back hard and they produced buds down the top couple inches of each branch. If they did any back budding on older stems. I would have just rubbed them off. Most times I find them pushing new buds a the top of each stem cut.

The only time I have done any pinching (w fingers) is on seedlings, otherwise pruning used.

The time in which the pruning is done ( active growth ), I find induces a lot of ramification along with very good sunlight and warm temperatures.

Rick

RCGW-

Thank you for the comments and observations.

Frank