Finally got my Desert Rose!!

[Tlaloc]

i don't know if it counts as a succulent, but i just had to share this! after waiting a year, my local nursery FINALLY got some desert roses in! and here's my beautiful little plant <3 . oh and (as always) i have a few questions. do yall think it'll need a bigger pot anytime soon? what about soil? half decomposed granite/half standard potting soil sound okay? and i figured i should just water it every other week or 3 once i have it out in full sun.

[Jo]

It does count as a succulent!
I think the current pot suits it enough now. The soil you use is good. Adeniums, when in leaf and kept in a warm/hot, sunny spot, love almost continuous watering.
Say maybe 3-5 days - depends on your substrate. Watch how quickly the upper layer dries out.
Btw. wonderful plant with lots of branches!

[majcka]

It does count as a succulent!

Doesn't count as... It is. And nice one too.

[Harriet]

When you do decide to repot it raise it up some in the new soil, when you get it out of that pot you will probably be pleased with the cool caudicform base on it.

[Tlaloc]

ive read about raising the base, isn't it like you leave the bottom inch exposed so the roots will harden and turn woody so over time you get a bigger, prettier base? and sweet, i'll repot it in a year or 2. and that makes me happy, i get to water it more, all my other cacti pretty much get enough water from the rains. it was expensive too, well for me. i'm used to buying little 4-10 dollar cacti and since we have bright, HOT summers i can just throw em out into full sun and they double in size over the summer, and then this one cost me 30. totally worth it though , it's already beautiful and i'm super excited for this cold spell to pass so i can put it out in the sun and watch it really take off!

[cortez753]

http://www.tropicanursery.com/adenium/cultivation.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Very informative site on adeniums

[Cool Potter]

Oh Wow! I'm impressed! I wonder whether I could get one of these in Australia, and whether it would cope with the winter here! Such a handsome plant! I'd follow the advice about revealing the 'bulb'. They make great objects for admiration and discussion! Everyone seems to like the terracotta style pot, but as it has a Chinese look, you could consider a Chinese squat bowl to enhance the exotic aspect! Maybe you could get a Mexican pot that would do the same thing!

[Tlaloc]

if i can some, i'll probably get a mexican bowl for it, but it'll be a while since it,she(i've decided it's a she ) won't need to be repotted for a while.thanks for the like cortez, that's all really helpful. and what do yalls native desert plants look like cortez? we have cacti here in the americas, aloes and such in africa, what grows in the outback?

[hendryterok]

[quote="Tlaloc"] i'll repot it in a year or 2

When you decide to repot it make sure you dont water until the the wounds healed. In my tropical country Indonesia, I water it 7 days after repotting, sorry I have no idea about your climate. The caudex will get shriveled but will turn to normal couple of days after watering. I use shallow pot to expose the caudex.

[Tlaloc]

thanks for that. the leaves are kinda looking werid on mine. they have pale and dark splotches and they're symmetry is off. some stems have normal leaves but the rest are all funky looking. anyone got any ideas whats up? i mean it's ruining the plant, it's just irking me.

[cortez753]

you should be happy that it even HAS leaves

[Tlaloc]

when's a good time to prune the leaves guys? i'm assuming during a period of lots of growth?

[Jo]

Why? To encourage more abundant branching? If so, start of the growing season is the best time to do so.
Adeniums are full of energy and are willing to grow very fast.

[Tlaloc]

some of the limbs are getting kinda leggy so yeah, i want to prune the branches so they'll grow back denser. and i'd rather nip the problem in the butt before my plant start's to look weird.

[GreenThumb]

This might be a very silly question from a newbie but how does one identify a real desert rose (Adenium) from the rest of so called "bonsai" plants?

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/loa ... 27.html?29" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sp ... _in_bonsai" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't want to buy a ficus that I think I recently saw being sold as a "bonsai tree".

Any advice is much appreciated!