Wow, that's a good one! If it were mine, I personally like to have a caudex that's free of those smaller roots. Providing there's some other fine ones left for food uptake, it should be fine. I would cut off the thinner roots flush with the caudex with a sterile blade, wiped with alcohol or similar between each cut.

Looking at the third pic, I would then bury it to the place just above where the main left hand root divides in two...level with the base of your thumb, kind of. Wish I knew how to draw lines on my iPad, but I don't, so hope my description of where I'm trying to convey makes sense! All roots above that line would be cleanly cut off. Those that wouldn't reach the soil would shrivel and die anyway. This is just my own opinion you understand. Don't place it in full sun straight away, the newly exposed caudex needs to adjust to seeing the sun, so do it gradually.

The plant looks healthy and I can't see any signs of rotting, but the current soil looks really dark and wet, the green algae is also another wet soil indicator, your plant would thank you for a better draining mix.

Can't really say for sure if it will fit back into its original pot but 'that wider than high style' suits an adenium that is shaped like yours rather than the taller regular plant pot shape. Just make sure it has at least one drainage hole in it though.....but I'm sure you already know that:-)

Gill

Thank you :) I love everyhing about your comment. I will change pot, soil and will cut smaller roots :) Thank you one more time :)

Nice plant, Ingrida. Nice big caudex. Gill gives great info.

Gill, Get "You Doodle" for iPad or "Photogene⁴". I really enjoy Photogene⁴.

This is using "You Doodle".

Rick

@ Rick, I'll look into those apps.

@ Ingrida, the plant would look great where Rick has suggested. I'm thinking of a bit more drastic raising up, i.e. to place the soil line even lower than that...just above that other main division of the main root on the left as mentioned above....so it looks like it has two legs plunging into the mix. Your choice!

Gill

Gill, I like your sugestion. Thank you :)

Tony Low, what will the white foam do?

Yes, I'm also curious as to the white foams purpose Tony. I would also carefully clean out any compost adhered to that joint, maybe with a child's paintbrush or similar so as it's clean. It should brush away easily when it's dried, if you leave it there it could suck up water by capillary action from the planting mix and cause problems. Tony's blue line is the level where I would plant it and I wouldn't cut off anything that's attached to the caudex below that line, only those from above it, but that's just me!

Gill

Will look nice planted at that level.

The white foam can be placed between roots to keep them apart as they grow for future raising. Would need to be especially careful when doing so with this plant with these thick roots. Roots need to be soft from letting it dry back or hanging to make them more flexible.

Rick

Ah, yes Rick, that didn't occur to me, duh! There comes a point in raising any plant when enough is enough and I've reached that stage with mine. Either they become too unstable, don't have enough roots below ground to take up water, or they just look just plain silly! Then, you never know what's going on below soil level till you unpot and take a sneaky peek do you? There have been several surprises shown on here by our members over the years ;-)

Gill

I am with you Gill on the raising and there is a fine line between looking good and becoming just 'Odd'. This of coarse is a personal choice by each of us. I like something that looks like it could happen in Nature with soil errotion or growing from between rocks.

Rick

Rick,

So from an aesthetic standpoint you want the separation of roots? Would this also cause the roots to put out sideways growth as well or is this just for the purpose of separation? If the foam was not inserted would the roots grow together?

jstropic,

I think with this particular plant that the Haddock roots (main heavy roots) are very thick and would easily split right up the center toward the caudex. Not worth forcing it and the foam would most likely get squished over time with the roots growing.

Most times when you use a piece of rigid foam, it is to keep roots growing in a desirable direction (like if they where crossing) then removed over time.

It seems that the roots would grow tight together, but not fuse and become one, as you see with some older Vines.

Rick

The white foam is what rcharles_gw has said, to keep them seperate as they grow.