Arnaut
Seedling
Some people may raise an objection that an Adenium, aka Desert Rose, is a succulent. They still can make interesting bonsai, I believe, and they are one of the very few native bonsai-able plants.
So here goes:
It's still only a little hot (35C or so mid day) and dry, which I am told is the perfect time for any potting and pruning work on desert roses. They are very susceptible to fungus and mold, so the idea is to have everything healed off and hardened before the humidity rises.
I've been letting this desert rose sit with no watering for two weeks in an attempt to make it go dormant (these hardy buggers can survive up to a couple of months with no water!). I've defoliated what did not fall off yet, then pulled it out of the pot.
The discoloration on the right hand side worries me a little - something to keep an eye on.
Cleaning the roots and revealing the caudex I found that the nursery left a piece of their pot in the root system - interesting! I chopped the bottom of the caudex and most of the roots. Adeniums are prolific root growers, and it should be fairly simple for this guy to survive even such a dramatic chop. They're also poisonous - hence the gloves.
I like the gentle curve of the caudex - planning to turn this into the actual trunk line.
I dusted the wounds with cinnamon powder (which is actually a great dry fungicide and does not give your plant weird colors) and hung the plant in a shaded area outside for a week or two - until the wounds heal. over. Fingers crossed!
So here goes:
It's still only a little hot (35C or so mid day) and dry, which I am told is the perfect time for any potting and pruning work on desert roses. They are very susceptible to fungus and mold, so the idea is to have everything healed off and hardened before the humidity rises.
I've been letting this desert rose sit with no watering for two weeks in an attempt to make it go dormant (these hardy buggers can survive up to a couple of months with no water!). I've defoliated what did not fall off yet, then pulled it out of the pot.
The discoloration on the right hand side worries me a little - something to keep an eye on.
Cleaning the roots and revealing the caudex I found that the nursery left a piece of their pot in the root system - interesting! I chopped the bottom of the caudex and most of the roots. Adeniums are prolific root growers, and it should be fairly simple for this guy to survive even such a dramatic chop. They're also poisonous - hence the gloves.
I like the gentle curve of the caudex - planning to turn this into the actual trunk line.
I dusted the wounds with cinnamon powder (which is actually a great dry fungicide and does not give your plant weird colors) and hung the plant in a shaded area outside for a week or two - until the wounds heal. over. Fingers crossed!