Adeniums back to ‘bare bones’

8 years ago

As things are a bit quiet here on the forum during these winter months I thought I’d post a few snaps and comments on my three seed grown adeniums, known as the ‘big guys’ to those that know me!...For those that don’t know me, it’s my tongue in cheek title for them as they’ve never grown that much since sown back in 2008 and have been through many trials and tribulations thus far. Flowers have opened on all three, not in any great abundance, but at least they’ve bloomed again. Two pink and one yellowish white.

Anyway, for the first time ever, all three of them have dropped all of their leaves and this has given me the opportunity to see the really branched one completely ‘naked’ so to speak. They have only ever been pinched out once when I took the leading shoot off each one quite early on. A few branch tips have dried up over the years so have been cut off, apart from that no other pruning has taken place.

...this is a top view of the very branched one, rt hand plant above....

...this is the middle one in the main pic, you can see the scar where it’s tip was removed.

...the left hand in the main pic isn’t that exciting from overhead as has never made many branches.

Their caudexes never cease to amaze me...right hand plant...very stout and sturdy, like a baobab tree.

middle plant, all twisted and tangled up, not been manipulated, just natural...

left hand plant, nothing that striking is it?

I need to get the paintbrush out and give them their annual wash to get rid of that staining, it comes off easily if you are careful and don’t scrub harshly. Looking forward to repotting time, can’t decide whether to raise them up again a bit more, will see what’s going on down below first, then decide.

Happy new growing season.

Gill

Featured Answer

User

8 years ago

Hi Gill, you have three beautiful adenium specimens there. All have a unique caudex shape and look very healthy. I would keep doing what you're doing with them and trust your own judgement on whether to lift them a bit higher in Spring. You should be proud of what you've accomplished. You know the saying "good things come in small packages".

You've probably seen this photo I posted on another thread showing two of my Adeniums both 3yrs old this Xmas. The yellow one on the right refused to grow bigger like my others....but the funny thing is I like the compact growth on the yellow one better than the larger one. The shape is more interesting and there is a delicate bonsai look about it. I actually hope it stays small and compact now, as it is one of my favourites. This plant has never been pruned, but I plan on pruning it to keep a small canopy from now on.

Btw - I love the way your three Adeniums look on the windowsill. They seem to be waiting patiently for the first sign of Spring. I hope you have many blooms in the coming season. :)

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Comments (10)

Martin (retired viking from Denmark)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Hi Gill. Considering their age, they are small BUT they are small beautiful specimen with very compact growth! Look at those "stacked" leaf nodes... Even in your adenium unfriendly climate, you can probably push your trees to grow a little faster, but I think that this will ruin them, their great looks. Continue growing them hard!

Cheers,

Martin
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a thanked Martin (retired viking from Denmark)
Martin (retired viking from Denmark)
8 years ago
Btw, in my similar adenium unfriendly climate, one of my leafless arabicums standing on a windowsill has begun growing flower buds.
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a thanked Martin (retired viking from Denmark)
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rcharles_gw (Canada)
8 years ago
They are all very compact and good form, Gill. Soon the weather will begin to warm and new life will merge from those branch tips.

Interesting how some years they retain their leaves and others will shed them. Mine do the same and I find that the ones that have shed their leaves seem quicker to gain new ones and usually reward me with a good number of blooms.

Looking forward to the Spring and getting my plants started.

All the Best to everyone.

Rick
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a thanked rcharles_gw (Canada)
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
Original Author
8 years ago
Cheers Martin :-) So...small but beautifully formed eh? Lol. I’ll take that! Much easier at this size to deal with on the indoor windowsill x365. Didn’t realise the nodes were so ‘stacked’ as you refer to them, goodness knows why, they have certainly not been pampered in any way. In fact they've been grown hard...cool temps, lack of sun due to short growing seasons, all kinds/brands of fertilisers for several years but now finally I’ve found a more suitable one and I’m sticking to it. You do famously with your plants in what must be a similar situation, now THAT IS good growing!

Do you still have plants in your grow tents...how are they doing?

Gill
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Hello Rick! Yes, I’m looking forward to the new growing season as it will be here sooner than we think. It’s grey, foggy and gloomy here again today, I have almost forgotten what the sun looks like.

Lets hope your observation about ones that shed leaves are leafing and flowering better is true for us all.

Longing to get out and into the garden and greenhouse again.

Gill
rcharles_gw (Canada)
8 years ago
Sure love the look when they are full of blooms and few leaves. Such a grande display of color.

Rick
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a thanked rcharles_gw (Canada)
Martin (retired viking from Denmark)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Gill, the leaf nodes are "stacked" because you have grown your trees hard. If you push them with more water and fertilizer, they will most likely stretch out. Under your growing conditions, that is. So there's no need to change anything. You master the growing perfectly. :-)

And thanks! I have one of my grow tents running. With a few seedlings. And I also "circulate" my bigger adeniums between windowsills and the tent. Some of my adeniums go dormant even in the tent. When they do, I remove them and put them on the windowsills or store them until spring. Other adeniums never get to experience the hot sunny vacation in the tent. They'll just have to cope with the Danish weather year round. ;-)
isde02(zone5b)
8 years ago
They're beautiful Gill! I would be proud to own either of them. You must be doing something right over there ;)
Agartta
8 years ago
Gill - nice shapes on those lovely Adeniums. Well done.