What's up with this one?

8 years ago

I'm not sure what I should do next, so this will be a picture heavy post. I've had this red flowered desert rose for several years. I really like the flowers - such a deep red.

But the leaves have always looked a bit funky. They have a mottled appearance and are a bit curly.

I thought it looked like a pest munching on it. I asked my neighbor (who tells anyone who will listen that he has his PhD in botany) what he thought. He said it is a virus, but won't spread to other plants. Now I'm not so sure he is correct.

Additionally, I have now found some of the branches rotting. And I've thought these branches look weird, too. Like the leaves were too close together. It lost all it's leaves when we had that colder weather and they are coming back now. BTW - my other plants did not lose their leaves.

The plant is grafted and I found out that this branch is below the graft. It has a dark pink flower.

So I did some cutting to see if and how much rot there is.
Below the graft - looks good.

Center branch - not good!

And another branch that looks iffy to me. You can see what I mean about the branches looking different.

So now I really need to look at the roots and see what is going on there.
Cont'd . . .

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Comments (2)

Crenda 10A SW FL
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
This was a shock! For some reason, I had planted this in a mix of 50/50 soil and perlite. You can see it is quite wet, and this is my dry season.

Not only is there a matte of algae, but it's fuzzy looking, too! It has been in the same plastic pot for about 3 years.

So I rinsed to get to the roots. They actually look pretty good!

I'll need to look more closely to see if I got all the algae off, but I didn't find anything soft or looking like rot.

There are several things that I think I need to do, but I don't want to go overboard.
1. New potting mix is a must. I generally use a soil-free gritty mix.
2. Prune branches back to area free from rot. Should I prune hard during this repot?
3. Do some root pruning. Should I remove the roots wrapping the caudex?
I also want to know if I should be treating the plant for pests - or something else. I have never had mites and that was suggested to me. I have neem, Bayer and rubbing alcohol and soap. I can spray or drench.

This poor plant needs some serious TLC. I welcome your suggestions! Let me know if you need more or better pictures of something, too.

Thanks!
isde02(zone5b)
8 years ago
Beautiful red flowers. I'm fairly new to adenium but personally I would do as you suggested, change the soil and hard prune. You have to get the rot off or risk losing the plant, and you have to change the soil or risk root rot. As far as the small roots, I would trim if you plan on raising it up.
Crenda 10A SW FL thanked isde02(zone5b)
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