My dessert rose which I have had for about 20 years and is a very large, heavy plant was transplanted in early summer into a bigger (Clay) pot which was new as it had always been in a fiberglass pot but the roots split it and this was the suggestion of a garden expert.
Recently it has been looking worse every day and now it is losing leaves that are turning brown and some of the stem tips are also withering and dying! It has only a couple of blooms (it used to have millions) and just looks sick! I have tried systemics and water soluble fertilizers, but nothing seems to help!

annettegutk
That is certainly sad - to risk losing such an old plant.
If you don't believe it could be transplant shock, I would take it out of the pot and let the roots dry out very well. Then repot it, and make sure you have a very well draining mix - cactus mix or a good light soil mixture amended with perlite to improve drainage. These plants HATE having wet feet.

Did you change your watering pattern when you changed the pot? Is that pot sealed, or does moisture pass freely through the sides?

Hello annettegutk, I think it is still acclimating to its new set-up and then the seasons changed, and it went into dormancy. You did say you even tried giving fertilizers, but it is of no use at this point if plant has gone dormant. It may have been adding more trouble to it, since it is still recovering from the transplant stress it had.

I do not know where you are located, but to me it looks like it has entered dormancy. I would probably change the media since it is dormant anyways, just to remove the excess fertilizers it does not need at this point, and respect the dormancy part it is undergoing. Cut off dried out branches, dab with a little cinnamon the cut off end. As long as the rest of the caudex is staying firm, it should recover. Give it time, keep it warm and dry, and wait patiently for the plant to wake up on its own pace.

I remember my plant did the same thing before when I did a transplant around the end of summer. Cooler fall temps came in a few weeks, so it just went dormant. Came back nicely again in late Spring. Just have to wait patiently.

Also this plant can be in bloom but still categorized as dormant. Or hold on to older leaves, but still considered dormant. Got to wait for the new batch of leaves to actively grow again as a sign it is waking up from its slumber, then you can resume your watering regimen and fertilizing.

I have lots of dessert roses but 2 of them has died at the top, they are all in the same area in the garden can you advise please

dazzles53 said:I have lots of dessert roses but 2 of them has died at the top, they are all in the same area in the garden can you advise please

Hello, I would suggest first, open your own thread, then post pictures of the plants in question. Then provide us with more information, like where your garden is located, what growing regimen have you provided for it. Did you repot recently...did you apply fertilizers while it was showing stress..etc etc.

Annettegutk, unfortunately a garden expert is NOT an Adenium expert!
These guys are famous for growing huge plants in small containers. I would agree that it needs adjustment time.
Fertilizers are meant to support good growth in my opinion, not create it!
Systemic, I guess you are talking about insect control is not a good idea. There may not be any insects involved. I see loads of new green growth coming. That is encouraging!
I would follow the above suggestions.

Tarev and Baja have impressed me with their knowledge on numerous occasions! I would take their advice!!