hook-

There are a number of videos, on You-Tube that show the training process that's involved when making a "tower". Unfortunately, a few explanatory videos are from Brazil and most are from Thailand. I understand neither language....but, the videos tell the whole story.

Raise and support the caudex, allowing only the last few inches of the original tap root to be covered by growing medium. Your plant will resemble a big parsnip or giant carrot. I'm guessing that exposed tap root eventually gets barky, and fattens up over the years, from growing unearthed, and thus, eliminating the reverse taper.

Others have planted the caudex on top of a long PVC tube, and allow the tap root to grow downwards, and elongating until the correct length is attained. The, the tap root is exposed little by little.

I have never tried this method yet. But....I will attempt making a tower style by braiding the main stems of 5 individual plants together into one, composite, "trunk". Maybe they will eventually fuse-graft together and form one, fat, bumpy trunk. Then top branches will be grafted with a scion material that will bloom with a selected flower.

My guess is that in less than ideal growing conditions, it will take years to train these unusually styled plants, and should be thought of as a work-in-progress. New York is not Thailand :(( and regardless of the training methods that are used, the plant's cultural demands will need to be met, for any hope of success.

I do wish both me and you good luck. I should've started on my Adenium braiding endeavors 30 years ago, when I was much younger.

Let us know how you're coming along.

Frank

NYC/7b

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/braiding-plaiting-pleaching-fuse-grafting-of-adenium-dsvw-vd~1644529?n=32

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/adenium-towers-interesting-to-see-dsvw-vd~1652386?n=19

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/leggy-adenium-should-i-create-a-fun-twist-has-anyone-done-this-dsvw-vd~5320715?n=11

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O8IS5lIW0KE

https://m.youtube.com/results?search_query=Braided+adenium

After revisiting and reviewing all the links, videos, older postings, and seeing all the possible ways Adeniums can be manipulated, bent, twisted, trained, grafted, braided, etc.....these are amazing plants in the hands of skilled growers.

The woven, braided forms are not everyone's cup of tea, and I'll admit, the process can be a bit of a PITA to accomplish, especially knowing that the training of the plants is going to always be a work-in-progress. But who cares? That's what growing specialized plants takes. It takes hard work to make a nice plant.

My goal, is to grow a braided tower with a fat trunk, and then, after some branch training, to graft all the top branches with a single, selected flower. All those stems that were braided together will produce different flowers, and I am not a fan of multi-colored flowers, multi-style, flowers on one plant. It looks too busy....and reminds me of those 5 in 1 fruit trees. Hopefully, in the coming years, the individual stems that were braided to form the tower's "trunk" will fatten up and possibly fuse together into one lumpy "trunk" supporting a nice rack of branches at the top end.....like a Baobab with flowers.

If I had known about Adeniums 30 years ago....I would have tried some crazy training methods back then. Now, today, I'm happy just to see the plants alive and thriving. Long-term training experiments at my age are not too realistic, but I'm going try it anyway. The internet has opened to the world, all the many possibilities of growing Adeniums. Amazing! All you younger growers are very lucky.

Losing plants...that , I can do, easily. I'm really good at that. Orchids, died. Bonsai, died or were stolen, gloxinia, died, fig trees died......the list is endless. My growing conditions are terrible for the plants I want to grow, especially for fat-plants that need sun and heat almost year round. NYC is a tough town, indeed.

Frank

NYC/7b