But, it's taking so damned long...

Patience, Grasshopper, let the flower come to you.

yeah ...adenium take ** forever ** to do something ...

those flower buds you have now ...will get about an 1" long and about 1/4" in diameter before the plant finally flowers ...but its worth it

deepsouth said:
yeah ...adenium take ** forever ** to do something ...

those flower buds you have now ...will get about an 1" long and about 1/4" in diameter before the plant finally flowers ...but its worth it

Thank you. I needed that. Now I can judge when the time is at least approaching. We are still at the colored speck stage.

Bloom failure! One of the adeniums got a bit of sunburn and the buds shriveled up and fell off.

That happens ....and it happens a lot

Well, the other adenium is going strong.

Only thing i can suggest - be consistent with watering -

Have your plants been fertilized ?

I've bumped up the watering. I was watering every day when they got sunburned. They were in morning and partial midday sun at the time, so they also got moved out of even partial sun a couple days ago. I put eyes on them every afternoon since.

As for fertilizer, I'm using fertilizer spikes. I put in fresh ones every 4 months.

watering everyday is way too much - even if the temperatures are well over 100° ...

if temperatures are over 100° ...water once every 3-5 days .... max

need to cut back on watering or risk root rot .... the leading cause of death of adeniums -almost sure death ... saving the plant is hard to do but not impossible

Also ...be certain the pot *never* sits in water ...... that too will lead to root rot

Move to full sun if at all possible ... part day full sun is next best

I was checking soil moisture. Bone dry all the way down. They are in terra cotta pots with soil that is mostly inorganic and very loose.

I don't think I can move it to full sun again. It was in full sun last month. But, June hit and they really got scorched. No idea why other than the sun got really intense recently. I'd say about a third of the leaves are now mostly crunchy brown. I've currently got them sitting on the very edge of the shade to maximize the light. I'm looking for a spot where it will get only a couple hours of morning sun and dappled or full shade towards noon. Its a tough find, but I think I can manage it.

Hmmm. I could stick them in the eastern edge of the pine cone lilies. Or under one of the bougainvillea.

describe your potting soil ....

a shovel full of dirt taken from yard ?
is it bagged potting soil ?
bagged top soil ?
cactus potting soil ?

have you amended the soil ? .........added stuff like: pumice, perlite, rocks, pebbles, large grain sand ??

when you water ...are the plants watered thoroughly & saturated ? ....and does water drain freely out of the pot ?


reason I ask ...the weather where I live - is nearly the same as it is in S Florida ...minus the sea-breeze .... humidity and dew point about the same too ....

my plants are in full sun for about 6 hours a day ....and part shade in the morning ...then shade about 2 hours before sunset

and I water once every 7 - 10 days - thoroughly & saturated .... rainfall counts as a watering day

how much water is "thoroughly & saturated" ?
imagine the volume of the pot ...lets guess and say the volume is 4 cups ...no need for exactness & the actual size of the pot or what is planted in the pot doesn't matter ..what does matter is the volume ....

when watering, water at least 4 cups worth ...

My planters are 6in terra cotta standard flower pot style. So, just under 5 cups volume. I water with at least 3.5 cups of water in 2 stages a few minutes apart. Water drains freely both times. If I don't get a good sized puddle the second time, I add more water after a few minutes.

Sometimes I submerge the pot up to just below the rim and let it soak for 5 to 10 minutes, just in case there are stubborn dry spots. It's a habit I picked up from the few pots that still have sphagnum peat soil.

The soil consists of 1 part coconut coir, 1 part perlite, 2 parts mushroom compost (which had a large portion of coarse sand already, maybe 30-50%), and 2 parts coarse sand... approximately. When this soil dries out, it does not compact or solidify like some others I have used. The mushroom compost was from a local mushroom farm. It's too bad I don't live in that area any longer.

There's a chance my watering style isn't providing enough water, or that the soil doesn't hold water like it should to help the plant compensate for the intensity of the sun.

ya got me ...had no idea what mushroom compost was ... so I googled it

the coir should hold enough water short term, until plants are watered again .... but am not sure, about the mushroom compost ...am sure it too holds water - but it seems too "hot" or too rich for adeniums

am thinking there is too much organics ....and not enough chunky material ...

you're doing the watering right ... water ... let soak in ...water again ...let soak in ....but Water the entire 5 cups ..... and skip the "submerge the pot" ...... remember - too much water will kill adeniums ...better not enough, than too much

This mushroom compost wasn't anything like what the websites tell you it should be. Honestly, I was a little disappointed initially because of the sand content. That's why I added a little coconut coir, to up the water absorption just a bit. The whole thing was drying out, on average, every four days and then they spent a few days in dry soil before I watered them again. That's what I want because adeniums do so poorly with wet feet.

I'll start doing the entire 5 cups in 3 stages, I'm out there long enough anyways. We'll see what happens.

I'm still considering new locations. I'll snap a pic when I place them in their new spot.

had no idea about mushroom compost

but its okay if the soil is dry after 3 or 4 days ....that is ideal

the mix I use and would recommend ...

2 Part: Coconut Coir -
1 Part: Poultry Grit (chicken grit) /or Pea Gravel
1 Part: Perlite - coarse
1 Part: Sand - coarse Builder's Sand, or Leveling Sand, or Horticultural Sand (sift out fine silt)
1 Part:: Lump Charcoal - Break-up (crush larger pieces) (sift out fine silt)
1 Part: Lava-rock – (volcanic cinders or pumice) (crush larger pieces) (sift out fine silt)

optional -

1 Part: Redwood Bark
1 Part: Orchid (Phalaenopsis) Mix

having a batch of this mix ready is useful to have on hand when re-potting or lifting .... and especially useful in an emergency when adeniums break the pot its in - because of root expansion

Thanks!

AND...

My last adenium flower bud fell off yesterday.

I'll try again next year.