So I got this Adenium early spring and it was hard and plump. Two months ago I noticed a shrinking caudex. The plant is still hard so I assume it needs some water, but whenever I watered it a few leaves turn yellow. The soil is not soaked but moistened. So despite a few watering once every two or three weeks the plant caudex continues to slowly shrink, so my question is what could be the problem? Are the roots not absorbing water? Could it be root rot even when the caudex is not soft? It's hard to tell from the image but the top and side of the base area is starting to sink in.

to the Adeniums forum

Where are you located ?

Your plant looks okay .... but during the summer months adenium need a lot of water .....step up watering depending on outdoor temperatures

Adeniums have only 2 seasons > wet - and - dry

wet = the active growing season (summer months in the northern hemisphere) water adeniums like a tropical
dry = the dormant season (winter months in the northern hemisphere) treat adeniums like a cacti

~ water - at - outdoor temps

keep track of local temperatures ~

70's water once every 10 days or so
80's water once every 7 days or so
90's water once every 5 days or so
100's water once every 3 days or so

cut back watering if night temps dip into 50's / 40's

count any rainfall as a watering day

place plant where it can get plenty of sunshine

deepsouth said: to the Adeniums forum

Where are you located ?

Your plant looks okay .... but during the summer months adenium need a lot of water .....step up watering depending on outdoor temperatures

Adeniums have only 2 seasons > wet - and - dry

Hi, I live in Southern California with recent temperatures around 94-100 F. My plant is indoors and it is placesd next to the window with the most sunlight. It gets around 5 hours of direct sunlight. Also some new leaf growth comes out curled up before it straightens is that normal? I thought that if leaves yellow that means its over watered?

water to saturation - once every 3 or so days ...

leaf curl is from under watering ...i see it more during the "dry" winter months

yellow can mean under or over watered ..... feel the soil ...if it feels dry - it is under-watered - conversely if it feels wet - it is over-watered

adenium will do much better outdoors with 6 plus hours direct sun light ...water to saturation when hot ....

insure pot has ample drainage ....check for one or more drain holes.... also want fast draining potting mix ...

deepsouth said:water to saturation - once every 3 or so days ...

leaf curl is from under watering ...i see it more during the "dry" winter months

yellow can mean under or over watered ..... feel the soil ...if it feels dry - it is under-watered - conversely if it feels wet - it is over-watered

adenium will do much better outdoors with 6 plus hours direct sun light ...water to saturation when hot ....

insure pot has ample drainage ....check for one or more drain holes.... also want fast draining potting mix ...

Thanks for the help. My pot has a huge hole on the bottom, as for the potting mix I just use cactus soil, pumice, perlite, sand, and lava rocks mix together. Do you think it's a good idea to mix orchid mix? I was just thinking of that maybe it'll provide even better drainage ? I'm afraid to water them because of root rot, I killed one plant last year. 😑 I Have issues with my other adeniums too, the tip is turning yellow and brown, here are some of the other issues I have, the SECOND pic is the plant we are originally talking about notice how the caudex is now going inwards, and the other pics shows the sunlight they're getting, yellowing and new growth curls, I water all these once every two weeks:

I use orchid mix to make an already chunky mix chunkier - as well as faster draining ....the rocks, twigs and bark take up the space that would others hold water ...we dont want to hold any water ....on and gone

curled new leaves, yellowing leaves are all under-watering - and not enough direct sunlight - through a window is not direct sun ...

watering once every two weeks in the summer months are "starving" them ....

droopy leaves is another sign of under-watering

your plants caudex should be "drinking-up" water and storing nutrients - making the caudex grow outwards ...instead of "drinking it up" - the plants are "using it" to stay alive ...that's why you see the shrinking, yellowing, droopy

put plants outside and saturate them .... use a fertilzer

leave them outside to soak up the suns rays ...and if it stays in the 90's ...water again in 3-4 days

Wow thanks for the quick response. Very helpful gonna to go to home depot to get orchid mix and fertilizers. 👍 Is it okay to repot it with new soil or should I leave it? Will it shock the plant? Thanks.

yes ...adenium take forever to "recover from changes" like shock...a month plus is usual ...so dont expect anything to "happen" anytime soon

but ...its best to help out your plants long term .... with any luck you may still see flowers this season

but they need to watered asap and getting as much sun as possible

With James, your adenium is dehydrated but all the more reason you can give it a more frequent drink but not overwatering it. I think you still have to let it dry in between waterings to avoid root rot. They said if it is rubbery and bounces back when you press the caudex, it is dehydration. But if it is squishy/watery towards the base of the caudex or the root then it is root rot. (Disclaimer I have 2 recovering from root rot.)

My adeniums are blooming really well now in a covered patio where they get the direct morning sun but not the daily rain or the scorching 🥵 hot afternoon sun.

So if I put it in direct sunlight outside, the pot gets really hot under the dry CA sun, it's like a desert. Will the hot plant pot cause any harm to the roots?

clay pots are way cooler ....

water in the morning hours ....

if it rains - count it as watering day ..........

water late in the day or night may promote fungus, rot, disease and unwanted insects ....

never let plants sit in a saucer of water .....

adenium are desert plants .... they live and thrive in the most inhospitable places on the planet .... including SCal ...

been 99° here last few days and may have reached 100° today ....adenium think nothing of it and ask for more ....
remember they are desert plants

switch to Terra-cotta pots .... with a drainage hole .... azalea pots are shortened versions of regular Terra-cotta pots ...Terra-cotta has an advantage of all glazed or plastic pots because they allow evaporation through the pot wall

....the less h2o hanging around the better

adenium does not need a lot of potting media ....so azalea, or shallow pots work really well ....

a layer of rock pebbles on top of the potting mix may be helpful in keeping the heat down

adenium also like a deep drink now and then - but only in the summer months...the hotter it is, the more they want to drink ....but the reverse is true during the winter months ....when temps fall below 50° ... stop with the frequent deep watering ...to once a month to 60 days watering .... and then only a fraction of the volume of the pot

summer - treat like a tropical plant
winter - treat like a cactus

I think James use mostly shallow clay pots. And so I started using them too. And my understanding is that adeniums prefer morning sun as far as keeping the blooms longer. I used to keep them in full sun like my plumerias but the buds keep falling off.

James, we cross posted. My adeniums are definitely happier when I switched them to shallow terracotta pots. I did put 2 in glazed orchid pots but they have side drainage. I will repot them in spring.