yes.. the pots are perfect.

Thank you very much both!

This is what I found this morning: the cats had been checking overnight if I'd left enough roots I guess...

Aaaaargh! Naughty cats.

Conny, have these lovely looking pots got any drainage holes? As they're sitting directly on the wood, I'm thinking maybe not............ If they have all well and good, if not, you will have to be so careful with your watering.....

Gill

Hi Gill!

No, the pots have no drainage holes, but I use a water meter before watering any of my plants, and then only very carefully water the adeniums.

Thanks for your concern nevertheless. I really like these pots that the bigger arabicums are in. Got myself another 5 of them yesterday (at GBP 4 a piece it's a steal I think), and I've ordered a few of the next size up for when the adeniums grow bigger :-) (thinking ahead, no wishful thinking I hope).

Hi Conny,

Nice plants I like the arabicum ! May i ask you where you bought them in the Nederlands ?

Greetings Dennis

Conny, you are going to lose your plants that way. The potting material looks like it is mostly peat which retains way too much water---this is manageable only if you live in the tropics or dry desert. Without drainage, it will take even longer for water to dry out of that material and in the meantime, the roots are sitting in the wet.

You can water 5 ml at a time so that only the top will get wet and evaporate quickly. But adeniums need way more water than that and they need it all the way down to the bottom roots.

If you are planning to fertilize, salts will eventually settle and build up at the bottom of the pot, killing the surviving roots. Because there are no drainage holes, you will not be able to flush the salts out.

You can just skip fertilization but after a few months, one of several things will happen: leaves will turn yellow, or red or curled or stunted or deformed from lack of nutrients. And they will not bloom except to signal the stress of death throes.

Pagan

I like the pots but no holes is no good!!!

We could really do with stickies for these forums for some basic care info re pots, compost etc. So many ppl are making the same mistakes over and over again. Cacti&succ forum is bombarded with plants in glass jars, peaty mixes and rotting plants.

Anyway, back to the Adeniums above....Oh Conny, I can't believe these pots haven't got holes! Sadly, Pagan is correct for all the reasons she stated, and I totally agree your plants will soon struggle. Maybe you can get some holes drilled in them?......it's a real necessity, and is therefore one of the most important rules in Adenium culture, honest! I'm glad we've asked the question and bought this problem to light as none of us would like to hear of your plants demise, they are really good looking plants and we want them to thrive for you.

Gill

Thank you all for the warning and your concern, much appreciated!

The problem we have is that to our cats saucers mean food, even though they have a plant in a pot on top of them. Guaranteed plant on floor... will ask hubby if he can think of a way around this. He can drill the holes, that won't be the problem.

The cats have access to the entire house, so I have nowhere to put the plants where they don't interfer with them, other than in the shed but then we don't get to enjoy the plants ourselves....

As for the medium used: definitely not peat! A mix of c&s mix (50%), perlite (30%) and sharp sand (20%).

Will keep you posted on the outcome, thanks.

Conny

Hi Dennis,

I got the arabicums from Intratuin at Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht. Couldn't quite believe it myself when I first saw them there; sort of the last place where you'd expect to find them really :-)

But as mentioned above: no healthy ones left there anymore.

PS: this afternoon I collected the 3 adeniums I ordered yesterday. Straight from the nursery (no garden centre in between to ruin them), all in bloom: yes, red, white and a beautiful pink and white, and all 3 with amazing and above all rockhard caudexes! The red one seems to be grafted...

I got home to late to take good pictures of them, will post later this week.

Looking forward to seeing those new plants, they sound really nice and in flower too! Good to learn they are indeed the colours you mentioned earlier. Sounds like yo have discovered a reliable place for even further supplies of adenium. You will return there, I can tell!

Conny, have a look at the ingredients on the c/s mix bag please and let us know as I'm curious as to what it's make up is, thanks:-)

You mention sharp sand, mmmmh, how sharp is sharp sand I wonder, can you post a pic of a good sample of that too? I hope you don't think we are being overly picky, we just want to keep those beauties going, and going, and going.......

Gill

Those pots are nice they are smallish and need drainage as others said. That's for any plant in my opinion not just adenium. More holes are better. You can use copper wire, run through the holes on bottom to secure a small root ball. Common practice when repotting bonsai

Hi Gill,

Will look up the ingredients of the c&s mix (and take the pictures of the new children) when I'm back home on Friday. OH is looking after all the kids now :-)

With sharp sand I mean masonry sand. Will post a picture of that as well tomorrow.

Thanks so much for your help!!

Conny

Hi again Gill,

The ingredients of the c&s mix are not specified on the bag:

And a picture of the masonry sand:

And the guy who I bought the 3 obesums from earlier this week, emailed me this morning with pictures of other varieties he can get me. Oh boy.....

Here are pictures of the flowers of two of the plants I bought from his at the beginning of the week:

I think I might be busy again this weekend :-)

Still working on a solution for the pots though, will keep you all posted!

Thanks

Conny

Nice Conny ! What kind of varieties can you get from that guy where you bought the Adeniums ? And can I Olso get in contact with him or is this Intratuin ? Greetings Dennis

That sand is too fine and will pack. Soil will stay too wet. Better to use something like grit, Pumice or med. perlite.

Rick

Hi Dennis,

I thought you might want his contact details :-)

It is Flora Store, Jaap van den Dool. Website: www.planten-kopen.nl. his phone number is on the website.

As you will see he doesn't have his own greenhouse or nursery. I was quite apprehensive at first, that's why I went to collect my first plants this week (rather than have them sent by mail). But as mentioned: the quality is superb and prices are reasonable.

In the meantime Jaap has gone out of his way to find me more adeniums (doubles, other colours etc). He emailed me pictures this morning of the other plants he can get for me, and I've already put my next order in :-)

Anyway, get in touch with him: there's every probability he can get you what you're looking for!

Thanks Conny !

In Europe you might be able to find a french product called chabasai that is a zeolite used for bonsai soil which would be great. Coarse zeolite is a superelative container substrate. Otherwise, calciNed clay, granite chips, etc. Etc. All great

Hello Conny. Glad I asked for a pic of the sand....I agree with Rick's comment though, it appears to be too regular and fine for what you need and you would be better off with something more akin to aquarium/chicken/alpine grit or gravel. The sand will compact, stay wet, and force out air in the mix. I've googled 'Cultiva Cactus' soil in many ways and can't find any online info...other than tons of useful help on how to grow cannabis, lol :-/

Cant recall if Ive already mentioned, but I use reptibark, pumice, horticultural gravel and bagged c/s mix in equal amounts. I find it drains well whilst retaining some moisture, and is weighty enough to stabilise plants and doesn't compact thus driving out air. I personally find c/s mix and perlite alone when mixed 50/50 is too fluffy for my liking, but that's just my choice.

The plants you recently got look lovely, even the pink one! It's a colour that is often disliked by many of us here, maybe because it's the default colour, but that flower is attractive. Sounds like you have really got the addiction, hope your plants on order turn out as good! Show us when you get them please?

Gill

Thank you Gill, Rick and Tod, will look into other ingredients to make up my mix.

I know some don't care for the pink adenium. The funny thing is that I really dislike pink in general, the adenium flower being the only exception.

I could have ordered 12 different (coloured) plants today, all looking very nice, but I only ordered four... that still makes it 9 in one week OMG. Pictures will be posted when I've collected the plants.

Dennis: I made a mistake with the URL, it's www.planten-kopen.com.

Good weekend to all

Conny

Apologies, my recipe above should say perlite....not pumice!

Gill

The Netherlands is known for its horticulture, ornamental and uh... recreational ;) Try a bonsai shop. Or a hydroponics store.