Thanks for posting that video, Rob. It was interesting to see. I gasped when I saw how much of the caudex and roots he cut off. I can see it will make it easier to grow a big caudex in a small shallow pot. I'd have cut off the stringy roots coming from the caudex above the soil. By doing that he probably loses at least one season of blooms. I love my blooms so much that I hate doing such drastic pruning on mine.

Wow Rob great video I'm going to try it i have plenty to experiment on just gotta wait for some more folage

Rob just cut the roots off my DR dried it with a heat gun set on the lowest setting it works a treat i dont know if this one will survive it was in my hospital tent with the tap roots cut off all ready (root rot) it had no folage so its starting of behind the 8 ball from the start see what happens also i used old fish tank rocks painted ones which i hate but im not spending any money on it yet:×)

Rob, what an interesting video. Thanks for posting. I wonder if he gets any problems with rot as he's waiting for the new roots to form. I am very curious as to whether this would work for the rest of us here. I may have to try this at some stage myself, but not with a precious specimen. Maybe I will give it a go with a year old seedling that has a single plain flower as an experiment first. If this method works it would be a great way to save a plant with extensive root rot and get it replanted before the end of the growing season.

Pete, I am interested in how your plant looked after you dried it with the heat gun on low setting. To me, that sounds like a better way to dry it thoroughly then the hair dryer, that the guy in the video used. Was the cut completely dry? I think it would be best to place your plant in the shade/dappled shade for a week or so to give it time to start forming roots. I would keep it dry during this time and then water lightly once after this and wait for signs of new growth before watering too much. Pete, did you take a photo after you dried your plant that you can show us?

Rachel i will take some pics today laugh at the rocks when i show you i hate painted pebbles just a quick question Rachel what liquid fertilizer do you use :×)

Wished I had of seem this before I lost a beautiful double Pink & White to rot...I like the rocks haha Ive used the multi coloured ones

video is much quicker if you mute the sound and crank the speed …

Thanks Rob for link. I have some RCN seeds coming so might try this down the road.

Peter, thanks for sharing the experiment. I was wondering what setting was used. Thought it would be lower so not to damage cells that would grow. Also, how did you decide when it was dry enough?

- J

I just put it on the lowest possible it probably was not as hot as a hair dryer but i left it longer i did forget about it it was dry to touch. marry if it starts to grow roots the rocks go .probably after all this effort it will be common pink .

Pink is beautiful ;-)

Sloooooow lol

I almost cried when he cut those beautiful roots.

Hi people,

Sorry I haven't been active on my own thread, but I've had my hand's full lately.

Rachel - I think the whole idea behind that video; is to avoid having to wait a week or more for your caudex to callous. The faster it dries, the faster you can get it potted back up; and on it's way.

pmk & others - The amount of root material (caudex) that guy removed; is not unusual, especially with larger specimens. This is how "Centipede Roots" are created.

When I first began growing Adeniums, I really didn't like centipede roots, but I think I had only seen examples of the early stages. After they develop for a number of years, they portray a very elegant look (IMO). So after a while, they have definitely grown on me.

(-Dino)

Now I experiment with root training quite a bit. One of my favorite parts of growing Adeniums; is the repot, when you get to see the surprise of what's been going on beneath the soil.

Rob

I just use super glue on the bottom after cutting off the roots and then I can repot right away with no wait. So far it's worked great for me and I've done a number of them this way without loosing any of the seedlings.

About 6 weeks later, presto! New centipede roots. Being so small I wasn't about to let it lay around drying, though a hair dryer isn't a bad idea to dry a quick callus. The glue is handy though for plants that fall over easy that you want to glue to a disk to help spread the roots out if you aren't using a super shallow pot to do it for you.

Nice work i love the versatility of DR how long do you think it would take for roots to start forming on my DR it will be 1 week tomorrow

Hyn - How did you get the little disk off, does the glue degrade over time?

Rob

I have the same question Rob has.

How fast the roots start depends on your temperatures. Warmer it is the faster they generate on mine. If it's nice and hot, I can have starter root buds within a few weeks or a month. If it's cooler it can take twice as long and require less watering. I do use a rooting hormone just to give it a little help to speed it along.

The plastic disc pops off fairly easily. As the plant grows, loosing or gaining girth, and as the roots emerge, it all flexes the profile of the surface. With super glue, it is very brittle so it cracks and splits readily.

I've even found that sometimes I prefer to use a rubber based glue like E6000 so it'll stay on better, but then it is also harder to peel off later.

Thanks patty its been hot here so i will check sometime this week .it has also given me an idea if it works for me i lost over 30 plants last winter if i find i cannot control root rot i will lop the whole lot off and start the centerpead process :×)

Rob: how heavy is that pot in your first pix … it looks mighty weighty ...

Peter - I lost 3 rare import plants and now I found a cure for root rot. Simply, starve them of water, they will not die, they will bloom nicely and no root rot. I started to only use a spray bottle and spray the caudex and leaves lightly and thats it, no root rot.

Thanks Agartta my problem came when we had that cold snap last autumn with around 6wks of rain and my small greenhouse blew away it caught me out next year im going to buy a greenhouse like yours its the go ps the one's i lost were probably common old garden variety PINK :×)

Of course they were pink. Only the pink common ones get root rot lol

bragu - That pot is 12"W x 6"D. I just weighed it, and with the plant, and the soil being medium dry, it's a little over 10lbs. It's my second heaviest one. :-) As you can see; the soil is now mounded above the pot's rim, which tells me it's time for a transplant. The soil was level when I planted it, so this big guy is pushing it's self upward.

I love this part with larger Adeniums, I get to see the surprise that awaits me beneath the soil, and then I get to raise the plant; exposing more of the caudex.

Peter - Do you leave your Adeniums in your greenhouse throughout the Winter season; and let them go dormant? (How cold are your Winters?)

Rob

Rob I don't have a green house at this moment my small green house tore to shreds in a storm I kept my medium sized plants in it for years when the storm hit the temperature dropped to about 10 degrees c and rain wiped almost all of them out .the larger plants handle the cold I keep them under a veranda.seedlings are in my grow room .I will be getting a large green house like Aggartas this autumn . Some go dormant others keep going but do not flower.

Rob, Thanks for posting .

I'm trying with an 1200 Watts electric iron at full power.

I added an extra stuff to the process and will plant them right now.

I realize that most people would not want to try it being that most often you're doing this to a nice plant, but I have NEVER waited to replant after trimming roots, or any other procedure. I believe that a healthy and growing Adenium will resist rot, and worry that these processes may weaken the plants.

Yes i can feel the pain from the plant because I burneburned my finger. I hope they soon getting very well and stay healthy too.

The next day both adeniums were soft lik a sponge.

I will keep using my old method; superglue or wound paste and wait a few days before potted up.

I was concerned that the heat would destroy cells that would then decay, not simply seal them. So I'd stick to glue for a sealer as well. Cauterizing doesn't work as well in plants as it can with flesh and even then it's still only used for emergencies. Our bodies too respond much better to super glue than burning to seal wounds. But it was worth trying!

My plant i used the for this experiment is still dormant no roots nothing

Peter. Try Slicing some of the edge away. Maybe the callus is too thick.

Ok thanks will do that tomorrow

Stuart - Any news?

Rob

Rob I'm to scared to lift the plant yet I'm going on a cruise Friday i will lift it when i get back I'm also eager to see if i have the beginnings of a centipede plant.:×)

Update on centipede experiment it has worked yew im stoked i will not be throwing the ones with root rot away any more