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Ugliest Caudex Ever!

As a relatively new grower of adeniums, I am learning what I like vs. what I don't in these. I definitely DETEST single root plants. I find them ugly and without character. I like roots that resemble legs and hips.

Here's one that has grown into an 8" pot. It's only a year old and hasn't bloomed yet, but has a nice canopy:

My apologies for the dark pictures. It's caudex isn't much and is, in fact, ugly. It looks like a large potato:
That's it! Ugh! I'm thinking of waiting until it blooms and possibly cutting off 3/4 of that potato, sealing off the bottom, trimming the rim of the base, and trying for centipede roots. Does anyone 2nd that?

Anyone else with a "potato caudex?" What does it look like over time? Does it eventually take on character?

Maria Elena

Comments (13)

  • 9 years ago

    Go for it its a personal thing what can you loose i dont like the common pink others do i always use them for experiments so i say go for it(:

    Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a) thanked Peter Newcastle Aust spider mite breeder
  • 9 years ago

    lol what a classic

    Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a) thanked Peter Newcastle Aust spider mite breeder
  • 9 years ago

    Ha, ha! Love the sweet potato! Would you cut the caudex, Rachel, to get some interesting roots going? That potato caudex is terrible ... There will never be anything interesting to lift & display. That smaller root you see in the 2nd picture is just the root tip that curled in the pot.

  • 9 years ago

    Maria Elena, I don't think I would cut it. I suspect that more roots will form and fatten giving you a more interesting shape. I have seen one's like this, grow massively large caudex's in a shorter time frame then other plants and they develop like - a hill and valley shape. Sorry, I don't have a photo to show you what I mean.

    If it was mine I would wait until the start of the next growing season to see what it looks like then. It may surprise you. :)

    (I would love to see a clearer photo of the caudex if you can get one.)

    Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a) thanked User
  • 9 years ago

    I will see if I can find a photo on the Internet later to show you what I mean.

    I have to go out for a little while now. (Morning time here.)

    Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a) thanked User
  • 9 years ago

    I third, or fourth, or whatever the idea of cutting it and root training. Centipede roots can also be thinned out in places, cross over each other to tangle, etc and thankfully do not have to look like spokes from a wheel. And if you remove some here or there later you can get more variety in the size of the roots over time, or trim them to make them branch more.

    Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a) thanked Hyn Patty, Western NC Mountains (USA)
  • 9 years ago

    I would be sooooo happy with this potato. Lol 'Beauty is in the eye of the caudex holder' :)

  • 9 years ago

    Maria Elena, I tried to find a photo to show you what I mean by hills and valley's. This is the best i could find to give you an example....it's not the right photo, but it gives you an idea of what I mean. If you ignore the roots below the white line and just look at the base above the white line - that is what I mean by hills and valleys.

    *Not my image.*

    #SAVE THE SAD POTATO :(

    Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a) thanked User
  • 9 years ago

    Got you ... I understand the "hills & valleys" form. Sorry, cannot take better photos because it's already potted up.

    I'll wait to see what blooms it presents ... should be soon. Then I'll determine whether or not it's a keeper. I do like the form of the canopy. This one branched really low on the caudex and I can see how maybe, in several years, it just may present those hills & valleys. It's only 16 months old.

    Maria Elena

  • 9 years ago

    I hope it has beautiful blooms. You know, if yours has branched low and formed a nice canopy, it could eventually end up resembling the photo above.

    I can feel the love growing. Chuckle, giggle, lol

    Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a) thanked User
  • 9 years ago

    Maria Elena,

    I have found that which ever roots you have now, just visualize them larger than they are now. Even the smaller ones. This is what you will have as a mature plant.

    It is all in the eye of the beholder. With mine, there are many obesum plants that have interesting and cool root systems naturally and others very lack luster.

    With the plants that I have received from Dino. Love them all, but now when I look at them, as much as I like the centipede &/or root decorated. My favorite are the Natural/Virgin root plants.

    We had a friend visiting and he is a establish Bonsai grower. He was looking at my plants. Really liked them and did not want to insult me, but he visualized and preferred the ones which had a Natural root structure, giving the appearance of tree type roots. Commented on some of them looking like vegetables sitting on top of the soil. I appreciated his candor and experienced eye and also his opinion.

    This is the nice part about having many Adeniums. You can chose to keep or change them as you may.

    Rick

    Maria Elena (Caribbean - USDA Zone 13a) thanked rcharles_gw (Canada)
  • 9 years ago

    Oh my gosh these are so funny!! Here's my Teenage Mutant Ninja Potato!