Link to Old Post from when adenium fell into pool. You can see pics of the size of the long roots. http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3277304/im-so-upset-pray-to-adenium-gods-for-me?n=37

Such a wonderful plant. I am so sorry! It does not look good to me.

Are the lower roots that have concave lines in them, pliably soft or mushy?

This appearance can also come with the roots being too dry for a long period of time. They become dehydrated in appearance, but not mushy.

Sometimes the concave areas can fill back up, but if left like this too long. They can firm up and depressions remain.

If they are in fact rotting, them removing rotten area would be necessary.

Rick

The upper caudex with the greenish hue is solid. The lower portion with the concave lines are definitely soft, but not mushy. Very pliable. About 4 months ago I lanced off one of those long roots and it was all white, but I think it's because I cut up high enough past the soft section. It healed up nicely, all solid and scarred over and is suspended in mid air. Looks weird. I really want to just slice the whole bottom off far enough past the soft section to be on the safe side. What do you think? How long should I let it dry out for? It's still warm enough down here for another month or two. I'm afraid if I wait until spring I'll lose it to rot.

Oh how sad. Such a nice plant... it seems salvageable, plant definitely has reserve. I've never done any root pruning myself, but I'd definitely slice the whole bottom off too... Let's see what our experts advise and pls keep us posted... :(

Now you have me wondering. If the roots are NOT mushy, and rather just pliable, have you been withholding water?

Not really. it was a dry spring and early summer though. I gave it a weekly weakly when I remembered. I admit I forgot a few times during dry season. What do you think about cutting it low on the long roots to check for rot? I'd probably be better off checking to see if it's from dehydration rather than rot.

And if it's not rot will it plump up again? It's pretty ugly the way it is. For aesthetic reasons I think I want to cut the roots and get it in a shallow pot anyway. I've been looking at threads here on root pruning and when successful the plant looks fantastic. I'm just afraid of killing it. I've decided to go for it though. Any advice on how to go about it?

Hi Halfwaythere,

I have a similar plant the caudex of which has shrunken on its own but because its putting out new growth I have not disturbed it. Here is a picture of it before and now.

A year ago it was nice like this.

Now it is...

The other sideYou can see how the caudex has shrunk but since it has put out new growth below graft I have left it alone. Very difficult to tell which part of the root is supplying which branch and hence cutting the wrong one might kill the growing branches.

Sorry, I cant advise you what to do, but if I was you I would let it be for a bit and once the rotted/dead part becomes dry, you can cut it away if you wish.Or if you cut it then hang it for 2-3 weeks so that the surgery cuts heal nicely prior to planting

Nice looking plant, hope it recovers!

I agree with Christine. This plant can not be compared with any adenium half its size. Over 70 percent of the plant mass is above the soil---that is the mass that the roots have to hydrate. Based on the size of the pot as well as the location, I would be watering this at least two times a week and full drench, too. So water and feed weakly weekly but a mid-week drench of just water may be necessary in summer. Maybe even more if it is below 40 percent humidity.

I recommend shaking out about two inches of the soil to peek under the soil line instead of completely unpotting it.

I also think the aesthetic modifications you are planning will be major work on the roots that, without a hot house, is better done in summer.

Pagan

Thanks everyone for your input. I bought a new shallower pot a week ago and I'd really like to get these roots cut shorter to make it fit. It matches other pots I have. The lesson I've learned is that an adenium will grow roots as long as the pot it's in. I probably should have lifted it more often so it became caudex. So now I'll be slicing through all those long individual roots. I hope it survives.

Here is the new pot. It is 4 inches shorter

This is what the roots look like under the soil. It's an old pic but you can see it goes all the way to the bottom of the pot.

I would repot it in good mix of coconut husk chunks w added Perlite or Growstones. Give it a good soak prior in Kangaroots and/or Vit B and keep moist for a while. Get it back to thicken roots and when the roots fill back out. Repot into new pot you have. Lifting it up and repotting it in your new pot would mean no major root pruning (into the haddock roots) at all.

No matter how frequently you lift and repot a plant any and all roots newly exposed will be called "it's Caudex".

This plant could very much like puglvr's (Nancy's) beautiful specimen which used to be the head of the Adenium forum. It is amazing and used obsessively by users all over the globe. Cannot find a photo.

This plant in the photo above belongs to Nancy of Florida (puglvr) and I am posting to show it's style. She had some wonderful photo's of it later than this and it is a piece of art.

Rick

We miss Nancy and her plant, where are you Pug?

Gill

Alright you've all convinced me. I have other adenium I can put in the new pot. I try and get this one back to plump before I hack at the roots. I was scared anyway LOL. I'll see what happens in Spring. If it still has these concave roots I'll revisit then. Puglvr's tree is amazing. I looked through old posts of hers and was shocked at that branch pruning job she did. Maybe I'll prune a few branches to kick it into gear. I promise more watering. It's been so dry after the hurricane that I gave them a good drench today. Thanks all. I'll update here every so often.

I cut one root today to check for rot. White all the way through! Very comforting to know. I cut another one a few months ago and you can see where it healed over nicely

That's great that's great news. Now you definitely know you are on the right track with increasing watering. Keep us informed how it goes.

Just wanted to share a before and after. You all were right! She just needed water. All of the shrunken ridges have filled in after increasing watering. Here's to a Spring full of blooms. I'm still going to do a root pruning to get it into pot more suitable. This one it too tall and is a tip-hazard in high winds here. I have found it on it's side too many times. And the roots have grown as long as the pot, so in addition to it's huge caudex, it has 12 inch carrots under the soil line. Any root pruning advice is appreciated! And thank you!

Gosh, it looks to be such a lovely plant I think I'd be afraid of inducing root rot and killing it. That would be such a shame. Any reason you can't put it in a pot large enough to accommodate the plant rather then cutting the plant to accommodate the pot? Also, a lovely pot, by the way.

Tyler

HWT, considering the size of this plant, I think it is time for you to learn how to make your own pots with hypertufa. Also considering the size of pots you will need, look for the recipe that uses nylon concrete fibers.