Frank, we already did?: ;-) http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1652364/designer-adenium?n=34

If you want to prevent your braided seedlings from shrivelling and shedding all leaves keep them warm 24 hours a day in a sunny spot. Try using a heating mat to achieve this.

But there are no guarantees here. If they go dormant (and shed all leaves), do not water at all or keep them in a moist environment. Watering dormant/inactive (leafless) plants will lead to rot. The water uptake is almost zero.

It is important to understand the difference between dormancy and active growth. Even dormant adeniums can retain some leaves but they do not put out new growth (leaves) and watering should be reduced drastically. Leafless dormant adeniums should not be watered at all.

Martin thanks for the interest, and the link.

Frank

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Martin......Totally forgot that I asked the same questions. Sorry for the repeat performance. Thanks for the interest and patience.

Frank

Martin is right and they should overwinter fine. Though I would not put in a plastic bag as it might sweat. That may cause rot. I know a few have overwintered bare root because of space. That is not my thing though. I just leave them in the same pot. Let your plant dry out for winter it will also make it lighter to move.

some of my bigger trees I put on a blanket and pull it through the house. More leverage.

Marica-

Thanks for the advice. Maybe I am worried about nothing. If my other fat plants are surviving, I guess the Adeniums will also do just fine. Although I am still considering using a simple light set-up and heat mat....just for the Adeniums.

Frank

I don't want to pay for the extra power usage. So mine can go dormant, My house is heated even my storage area doesn't get below 50. They are so hardy. For better caudex or root growth the heat and light would help for those months. You can see how fast other's tree get wide caudex's faster using light. LED's are cheaper run. I have small tree's so they could sit on my DVR which is on all the time. That is where I start my seeds. But as I said Dormant is fine with me.

Frank,

We're in the same zone along the same coastline so my information may
be of use to you. First let me break down what your conditions are and
what you want to happen in winter, to wit:

1. Your plant is in the midst of being trained into some shape or the other.

2. It is in a big pot that you can not move inside when winter sets in.

3. You and the plant are in NYC.

First,
remember that unlike your typical bursera and other temperate trees
that evolved in areas with four seasons, adeniums will not survive
outside in winter, or sometimes not even spring and autumn. They start
slowing down when night temperatures drop to 16C and will start dying
when night temps drop below 10C. The stronger of these plants may linger
until first frost but all will certainly drop dead after that.

Adeniums also do not go truly dormant the way deciduous trees do in
winter. They just slow way down to barely awake. Even leafless, you can
see growth nubs developing and then failing. This means you can wake
them up easily but it also means you do not have that true dormancy to
take advantage of when you can put them in an unheated garage or a box
outdoors somewhere.

Having
said that, adeniums do survive out of the pot for a really long time. I
have done this to both seedlings, yearlings and adults. Their
subsequent survival depends on the rate at which you reintroduce them to
being repotted. In their desiccated state, especially if you kept them
somewhere cold and dark (basement closet, in my case), you can't just plop them back into the pot,
water them and put them outside. I had to wait for spring to put them
back in the pot, measure their water in tablespoons, then introduce them
to heat and ever so slowly, to light. The plants that I did not put
through this careful process either died or took all summer before ever
growing back leaves. By the time they developed a full head of leaves,
it was also nearing the time for them to go back inside. So I stopped overwintering them out of the pot because the trouble the process demands in order to jumpstart
growth and succeed is way more than I was willing to tolerate.

Moreover,
the plants you are planning to overwinter out of the pot are very
stressed plants already--i.e. adjusting to being braided, twisted and
what-not. If you add more stress to that by taking them out of the pot,
you increase the risk of them not surviving.

If I were in your
place, I will move them right now to a smaller, more manageable pot that
I can then move indoors in winter. One less thing to worry about. Also
this way, they only need recover from a light winter sleep, with their
roots intact in the pot, instead of having to recover from exposure,
then readjusting to being back in the pot while also dealing with being
braided, twisted, stretched, etc.

Pagan

Frank, this does sound like an exciting project you have going on in NYC.....any chance we can see a pic? I have an idea in my minds eye from your description, but I would like to learn if the real thing looks anything like what I can 'see'.

Gill UK

Many, many thanks for the input and for offering opinions regarding my project.

Fake/Pagan- Very happy I asked my questions to forum members. Your reply made me realize that I did not think things through. I was too anxious to get my braided "tree" going....because of my short growing season...and I should have given more consideration to how I was going to store my plant(s) for the long NYC winter. You also schooled me...I thought I could treat my Adeniums like my other fat plants. Now I know differently. Thanks. You may have helped me avoid a major disaster. So now, the braided Adeniums will go into a smaller pot, and I will bring the plant(s) into my warm kitchen for a less stressful, winter vacation. I'll sit the pot right near my glass patio doors where they can get full sun, or, I might just stick them in a light set-up.

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Gill in the UK...Over the years you have always offered me your help and suggestions. Thanks. I would love to post some photos of my plants and experiments, but....and, I'm embarrassed to admit this....I haven't a clue how to take digital pictures and get them all posted. I know next to nothing about using PCs and my mind just shuts down when someone tries to explain the process. I promise I will try to enlist the aid of a more competent friend. I feel like a old dinosaur in this high-tech, cyber world.

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Many thanks for all the interesting advice

Frank

Pagan, I agree but I can assure you that arabicums (grown in my geographical region) will not be forced into growing again after going dormant. ;-) Stem elongation and leaves, that is. Supposedly, arabicums have a built-in dormancy which cannot be changed by cultural means. They might retain some leaves but they will stop growth at some point.

I am more convinced that this is true - and for somalenses, too. Some of my seedlings under LED light are shutting more or less down, even shedding leaves. They want to go dormant. ;-)

It is possible to use a 2'x2' piece of plywood on a hand dolly to bring the barrel in?

Hm. Interesting, Martin. I'll try that next winter. Thus far, I have only seen one of my arabicums go dormant and that's because I shoved it somewhere in the unlit part of my plant shelf in the basement. The ones I had upstairs have been awake through several winters and probably suffering from plantsomnia by now.

In any case, if I'm remembering Frank's previous posts correctly, I think he's working with obesums.

I'd like to see photos too, Frank.

Thumbs up. And somehow I forgot all about the part about the 25 gallon barrel! Which made things a little more complicated... ;-)

Frank 25 gal pots you can do it I move 22 plumeria in 25 gal pots ever year to the greenhouse and I'm over 70 years old

Roger

: ))))

God bless you, Roger. More power to ya. Your plants are now....braided, planted, and sprouting. Can't wait for the flower show to begin.

Yes, my revamped barrel is much lighter now, and it can easily be moved and lifted. Not afraid of doing hard work, but I have a bad back, so lifting heavy objects is always a concern. So are hernias.

Thanks for the plants, and for the good wishes...and, I will do it.

Frank