When you say prune out any intersecting branches, you mean cut down to the base? Also intersecting branches- meaning branches that intersect other branches? The large one I have only trimmed back every year. Ive never done any real pruning so it has grown wild over the years.

People usually prune either in the spring as the plant comes out of dormancy or in the summer when it is well into the growing season.

General rule of thumb with adeniums is to leave a few internode markings below the cut because that's where new branches will sprout. Bonsai people cut branches at a 45° angle so the damage is hidden and water doesn't collect on the cuts.

I wouldn't necessarily cut all of the branches the same length. Take the lowest/outermost branches and wire them so they spread outward and the tips are almost parallel with the ground at their final length. Those should be the longest branches with the exception of the leader branch (the one that sticks straight from the trunk to the top that the upper growth branches off of, that may or may not be the correct terminology). And you really only need one of those if you want a clear top part. If you go for the mushroom/globe style, it's not really important.

If you wire the outermost branches now, that will make the canopy wider and open the plant up to more light (the inner branches will get exposed to more sunlight). The trunk should get thicker. Remember with those outer branches that it's okay if the branch goes upwards close to the trunk, but it should sort of flatten out and plateu as it gets further away from it.

You're going to want to get the plant to branch as tightly as possible, so even if a branch is at a final length you want it, it still should be cut back so you get several endings instead of just one. This is especially important for adenium because only the end of a branch with a growing tip will reliably have leaves. If you want it to branch, you can just cut off the very tip without taking much length off, and if it has enough nodes, it should still work.

Intersecting branches are ones that will eventually cross a main branch and rub against it, causing damage. You can wire some of them to go in a different direction to prevent this, but others won't work or it won't be worth the effort.

Even if they don't cross, it's still considered unsightly. They're a bigger problem with vertical branches than horizontal ones.

For bonsai:

Think of each branch as part of a circle in a tiered cake.

Take 4-8 of the lowest branches and wire them outward. Each branch and it's offshoots will only occupy their 1/4 to 1/8 of the circle. Do the higher branches the same way, except wired at an angle to the ground increasing with higher circles.

Keep them in their space and growing outward, and that will take care of most of the problems. Keep the main branch of a zone at the center of it's zone. Wire or cut off branches that try to leave their area or go back into the tree. Branches should grow out from the center, not back into it. If new branches try to grow into each other at the outer edge of the canopy, wire one out of the way or only keep the one that looks best and works well with what you're planning.

Very nice thank you!

Can someone post a pic of wiring??

Wow! Had no idea you could do that! I just did a hard prune here in SW Florida--pics in a few weeks. What kind of wire is that?? I pruned for a canopy look.

It is an Aluminum Bonsai Wire. It comes in different thicknesses and is coated which makes it look brown. The skin is fairly thin so be careful not to wrap too tight.

One Piece of wire is bent somewhat like a "U" shape and placed at the base (where attached to the main stem) of two separate branches each half being wrapped around two separate branches. Wire held at a 45 degree angle to the branch as you wind it around to the end of the branch.

I took some cuttings after the prune. Hope they take!

I hope they do to for you, Vickie. It is a common practice, but one that I have yet to do with Adeniums.

Rick

Vickie, try with bottom heat. That helps a lot.

Good to know. Thanks!!

Vickie, as Martin says, put them on bottom heat. In pure perlite, and water them once every 2 days. I've managed to get 10 (out of 11) going that way so far.