Adenium Repotting

The pictures show some seven-month-old plants being repotted. Some have had their tap-roots cut, some have been potted at the same depth as they were growing, and some have been elevated so that there is scant soil covering the roots. I will have follow-up pictures in the spring/summer and we'll see what happened with different re-potting techniques. You will also see a plant that has always grown far faster than all the rest. I call this my "Green Giant" Adenium and I did not repot it. It is growing in a 5" diameter clay pot. She has grown so well that I simply did not want to disturb her. This will be my "control" plant, so to speak.

The original soil mix was more like "Cactus-Mix," with plenty of sand and gravel. The mix used when repotting was 1/4 milled sphagnum moss, 1/4 Black Kow, 1/4 super-coarse perlite, and 1/4 (rinsed) cypress mulch. This mix should not only be very well-draining, but also retain some moisture. You can easily see the difference in the before and after mixes by comparing the pictures of those that were repotted to the picture of the "Green Giant." I also replaced the 3-4" clay pots with 4" plastic, semi-air cone type of pots. The soil medium that I used was slightly damp, and I will only lightly mist the leaves for a few days. Watering will resume when the soil looks really dry, and at that point I will attempt to keep the soil slightly moist.







Planted at the original depth Elevated


Same depth Elevated


Repotted "Green Giant'