Hi everyone!
I have searched the forum and couldn't find any already existing queries, so starting a new thread.

My Adenium Obesums were flowering heavily and there were multiple seed pods too when I noticed that the new growth of leaves have some golden/white stuff on them, sometimes it looks like a drop of sap flowing down and drying up.

In initial view it looked like mealybugs' white residue hence I treated with insecticide spray.
It seemed the problems been tackled but
It made the plant lose all the flowering.

After a week or so the golden/ white residue is back.
Any Insights and suggestions would be very helpful.
Thanks😊

Note to mods: if there's any existing thread on the same matter, please merge.

to the NGA adenium forum

what is your geographic location ?

I believe part of the problem is nutritional - and part is watering

lack of sufficient water sometimes causes "wrinkled" leaves at emergence - leaves may appear like a "cluster", or a better analogy, like an "accordion", with folds stacked on each other .... sometimes the leaves unfold, and sometimes remain in a "folded / accordion" state -
this may cause cracks in the leaves & stems releasing a clear sap ...turning to amber, eventually to black

this actually pretty common for plants exiting dormancy

with regular watering that should clear up

nutritional -
Check your fertilzer -
other than the 3 primary nutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) ...
also having the 7 micronutrients: boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), chloride (Cl), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo) and zinc (Zn)

all fertilizers contain NPK ...not all fertilizers contain the micronutrients ...
consider using a second fertilzer on a occasional basis

lack of the micronutrient: boron .... will cause bud drop ....
yellowing of leaves is often caused by the lack of iron

As for insect control ...consider using an insecticidal soap -

deepsouth said:
to the NGA adenium forum

what is your geographic location ?

Thank You so much!
I am from India.
Central India to be precise. And the climate here is similar to California and/or Florida ( Similar Hardiness Zone )

deepsouth said:
I believe part of the problem is nutritional - and part is watering

lack of sufficient water sometimes causes "wrinkled"............with regular watering that should clear up

Yes I agree, the temp hits 40C so often and it will increase upto 48C till May end.

The Adeniums are in semi-shade and still the potting media dries up every day.
I am currently watering them thoroughly every Morning.
So we can rule it out as a cause in this particular case, I assume.

deepsouth said:
nutritional -
Check your fertilzer -
other than the 3 primary nutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) ...
also having the 7 micronutrients: boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), chloride (Cl), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo) and zinc (Zn)

all fertilizers contain NPK ...not all fertilizers contain the micronutrients ...
consider using a second fertilzer on a occasional basis

lack of the micronutrient: boron .... will cause bud drop ....
yellowing of leaves is often caused by the lack of iron

As for insect control ...consider using an insecticidal soap -

I can only think of the word "Repository" for this much amount of knowledge.
Thanks again for allowing me to post queries on this forum.
I will definitely try some Organic manure for the NPK and some foliar spray.
Will have to hit the market for macro nutrients rich fertilizer.
again for such valueable inputs.
Will update the thread!
_/\_

All are welcome here 24/7 - especially those that love plants

another big for the "Repository" comment .... that made my day

can you post a picture of the whole plant, showing the plant in pot ?

I still think watering may be an issue ...... those wrinkled leaves are a classic symptom ...a whole plant in pot pic may narrow it down further

if you can ...skip the Organic manure ...that may be *too rich* for adenium

I use a balanced fertilzer containing nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) .... a balanced fertilzer will look like this: NPK 13-13-13 ....
then a *secondary* water soluble fertilzer containing the 7 micronutrients that i use occasionally once every 14 days to 1 month

deepsouth said:

can you post a picture of the whole plant, showing the plant in pot ?

All these plants were repotted at the same time, after hanging them for 15 days, last May.
The soil mix was also prepared in a single batch, the mix being 40% river sand, 40% compost, 20% garden soil.





The hanging treatment surely made the caudex way more bigger than they were at the time of repotting.

This cutting was also potted at the same time from one of the above plants.
It produces bigger flower though, and there's one seedpod too.

I still think watering may be an issue ...... those wrinkled leaves are a classic symptom ...a whole plant in pot pic may narrow it down further

Sure, I'll see what I can do.

if you can ...skip the Organic manure ...that may be *too rich* for adenium

Oh, never thought of that.
But the problem is that we are currently under COVID lockdown, and no one other than us *plant lovers* consider plant nurseries and shops as "Essential items" .
I'll try finding the NPK 13:13:13 and micro nutrients online.


:Off Topic:
There was a pretty good if not massive Flowering in all my Adeniums a month back.
Should I expect a second flowering cycle this season?

Very impressive . ...some of the nicest looking plants I have ever seen ...
have to say I am impressed

when in need - I will ask you for advice ... on speed-dial

Fertilizer and micronutrients -

yeah ...with essential and non essential requirements these days - it may actually be better to source fertilizers and micronutrient fertilzer online - so its possible to compare values / concentrations in the comfort of home - without being rushed

also - the micronutrients have another name ..."Trace Elements" ....plants need these trace elements, only in very small quantities and only once in awhile ...meaning not a lot


Back to watering -

see the browning tips (sometimes 1/2 moon shaped) on a few of your leaves ?

those browning tips are caused by either watering too much or not enough ...
think back at least one month ...has the weather been dry or wet ?
has there been a lot of rain - or barely any ??

I always "count" any amount of rainfall as a watering day ....


Flowering -

have heard that some plants in some areas can flower all year ...areas along the equator flower the longest ....(and never enter dormancy)
in other areas - spring through early autumn (and do enter dormancy)

In my region, dormancy has just ended, and it seems there is one "massive flowering" in late June early July ...then sporadic flowering afterwards

seedpods form within 14 days (if fertilization was successful) and those seedpods will release seed in 70 days

might be wrong -

I think the amount of flowering & duration is related to the length of daytime sunlight & degree of warmth ....(like along the equator)
or
whether or not the plant enters dormancy due to cooler conditions and less daylight

deepsouth said:Very impressive . ...some of the nicest looking plants I have ever seen ...
have to say I am impressed

when in need - I will ask you for advice ... on speed-dial

Oh, that's flattering!
They really are beautiful!!
It's the fist time I have witnessed such an amount of flowering.
I developed my interest in Adeniums last year when I found some of them getting root rot.
That's the first time I hard-pruned all of them and hung them for some 15-20 days.
Even the weakest ones survived and they are in good shape now.

plants need these trace elements, only in very small quantities and only once in awhile ...meaning not a lot

👍 Will definitely keep in mind.

those browning tips are caused by either watering too much or not enough ...

I always "count" any amount of rainfall as a watering day ....

I first noticed those brown tips in January.
December to January is the time when plants get dormant here if they have to.
8-10* C is the lowest (Nights).
They must have not been watered enough, thought it's better to lose leaves then getting root rot again.
Maybe that was stupid. 😅

In my region, dormancy has just ended, and it seems there is one "massive flowering" in late June early July ...then sporadic flowering afterwards

I live 50Kms South of the tropic of Cancer.
Dormancy ends with January.
Have witnessed sporadic flowering (flowers here and there) throughout the year except Dec-Jan, but to be fair, there weren't enough branches to flower more, earlier.

Will love to see your plants in full bloom!!

seedpods form within 14 days (if fertilization was successful) and those seedpods will release seed in 70 days

Again, being here and having your replies feels like having an experienced botanist friend.
Thanks again for such an informative post.

I think the amount of flowering & duration is related to the length of daytime sunlight & degree of warmth ...

Well, I doubt about you being wrong.
Both of them are in abundance here.

I was wondering, after the seed pods open up and before the monsoon starts (June-August), should I prune them?
The branches are long and curved in most of the plants, and I'm looking for denser branches and more flowers in next season.

And if yes, should I just prune them or hang them again just like last year?

Here, August is also a month when Adeniums pace their growth after weathering the monsoon.


Thanks again Sir, for reading and answering my noob queries.
_/\_

Now I am flattered .... am now "an on-call botanist"

so one of the first things I learned about adenium is this -

Adeniums have only 2 seasons - either wet - or - dry

summer = wet = the active growing season = water adeniums like a tropical = water to saturation

winter = dry = the dormant season = water lightly treat adeniums like a cacti = water once every 50-60 days

(The reverse is true for the southern hemisphere)


More flowers -

Flowers emerge at the tips of stems

A bushier top - means more stems ...and a fuller looking plant ..... with more stem tips, you will see more flowers ...
to get more stems, need to "encourage" new growth

Cutting out, or pruning off stems encourages anywhere from 1 to 5 new shoots to emerge at the prune cut

once new leaves emerge - pinch out any leaves that cover or shadow other shoots / stems .....

Before making cuts or pruning off stems ...study the plant first .... remove stems that cross ...or grow into other stems

a long, elongated stem or branch with little or zero leaf growth can be cut in two or halved ....

to force branching along stems - cut the last inch or two off stems (or remove bunching of leaves that sometimes grow at
the end of stems

Try to keep all exposed cuts as dry as possible, or until it hardens over

It may take a couple of weeks for new stems to emerge .... but once established, new stems will take off

Be patient - adeniums seem to take forever to respond to changes

These initial cuts will heal over in 3-to-5 years -


Temperature -

here - I have to move plants indoors when nights reach 50°F (10°C)
that happens late November (sometimes sooner) ...after moving indoors - will stop watering ecept once every 60 days or so ... watering is limited
the fading sunlight and cooler temperatures induce dormancy ...then leaves fall off
leaves falling off is normal for dormancy

plants will stay indoors until temperatures are sustained 50° or above ....


Spring months -

Usually - i will:repot, lift & prune all at the same time - in early spring here that means April / June
....then the plant has all summer to recover ....
but that is about the "limit" I put them through for the entire year ....

Lifting exposes more of the root system ....the exposed roots resembling decades old Bonsai ... lifting once every 2-3 years and exchanging the potting media at the same time is always followed by rapid growth in both height and spread

Pictures below taken June 28 of 2020 ....

deepsouth said:


A bushier top - means more stems .....................to force branching along stems - cut the last inch or two off stems (or remove bunching of leaves that sometimes grow at
the end of stems

There can't be a better pruning guide than this.
The trick to get branching along the stems has just changed the whole game for me.

Yeah, the cuts have already started to loose the dried fibre and turn into the "normal skin"(lack of appropriate word) of the plant.
A learning- never prune before the monsoon/rainy season, the wounds trap water and become more susceptible to catch fungus/rot.

The plants are either in full sun all the time or in a balcony opening both East and South, where they get adequate sun.

Only once have I seen an adenium losing all its leaves, that too was not in dormancy. But it flowered like crazy then, zero leaves but full of flowers.

deepsouth said:
Spring months -

Usually - i will:repot, lift & prune all at the same time - in early spring here that means

I do the same. Agree word to word.

Your plants are really beautiful and well shaped/consistent in form.
Noticed the use of shallow pots.
Just read your post on a different thread that the plant requires only 1/3 depth of soil.
Will surely plant some of mine in similar pots.

Thanks again for your time. :)
🙏

Thanx ... my pleasure & you are most welcome

Pruning ...to make a plant bushy - we would cut the top off ....or .... to make a plant taller - we would cut the sides off

so a word of caution about pruning adenium ....

many of the exotic adenium have grafted on tops .... the exotics have the blacks, yellows, violets flower colors - including the solids and stripes (usually - if the plant was grown from *seed* it wont be a grafted plant)

you can prune to the caudex (the fat portion) ...but if the plant is a grafted plant .. you will loose the graft and the bottom will revert to whatever it was ...
a graft looks like a cut that circles the entire stem and has healed

Yes ...adenium do not need much potting media .... next step for my largest plants will be 2 inch high, saucer type pots with plenty of hole drilled in the bottom for drainage

the rocks are for looks - but also to anchor, or hold the roots down

Got it! 👍
In don't have any grafted plants, the most exotic one I own is a double petal pink adenium, that too seed grown.
5 of them were bought from a store about 5 years ago and the rest are seed grown by me.