LOL, looks like a sumo wrestler Tarev!!

Mike, I live in the tropics and they grow all year here, they bloom all year as well but most have fewer blooms when the days are a little shorter. It's either the day length or the slightly cooler temps at night. We never get much below 65°F at night and usually it is closer to 70°F in the winter. Temps in the day are generally in the 80's in winter, 90's in summer but the humidity is much higher in the summer. Day length doesn't change as much but moves between 11 hours and 13 hours winter to summer.

I am so jealous of your growing conditions....here where I live I can count on one hand the number of days we get in the 90'sF during our "summer" of parts of July and August. And winter.....well, we can commonly have -30's (and lower) for days at a time from possibly late Nov. until sometimes early March. Last year we got several feet of snow during March and April. Yeah, all of my adeniums will be under lights, probably with supplemental heating, starting sometime in mid Sept.....at least all my seedlings--not quite sure what I'll do with my grafted obesums and larger seedlings.

Mike, I admire your efforts and dedication to grow these types of plants! I know how you feel about your weather..I used to live in Manitoba where our summer is just like a month long, two weeks of fall and winter once again.

When I moved here from California I thought 'oh, I can grow anything here, without any problems' LOL I discovered that there was another huge learning curve involved and I've had many failures. I am still figuring out the nuances of keeping things alive with the abundance of insects and the huge difference between the wet and dry seasons. Watering is a matter of divination even during the wet season. My friends joke that I must have a special connection with the Mayan rain god, Chac, because every time I give up and water in the summer we have a huge monsoon shortly thereafter. Plants die from too little water and from too much water, and in between they are consumed by bugs. In addition, the alkalinity of the water and soil is a big consideration. There are some plants that are very difficult to grow because they really need acidic soil. I tested the rain one year and it had a PH of over 8!! I don't know how but my guess is that the dust in the air is off the limestone and that is the cause. It also appears to rain algae in the summer, keeping the pool clear was another learning experience. As a kid who grew up with a pool in Calif and always had one as an adult I thought I knew something about that too. Heh! I'm happy learning new stuff though, keeps the grey cells busy.

Jonna, I grew up in Manila and the way we were taught, water your plants everyday. It works there, monsoon rains or not..our soil is so rich, like you can throw any seed on the ground and it will live. I never really thought of humidity then..it has always been muggy there so who cares really. We got so many tropical plants to indulge there. And we only have two seasons there hot summers and rainy season..or these days I heard they call it now wet and wetter, since the rains have intensified a lot over there.

Learned that big time here in Cali..especially in our area, where humidity is so low, and if I apply that water your plants everyday motto, it won't work in all seasons, the soil here is different, water is a premium, and the microclimates, another learning curve to understand. And that's when I try to understand the different needs of the plants..and the limitations of my area. A lot more effort for tropical plants..good for the succulents, adjust watering regimen as seasons change..etc. etc..but I like learning more about them..it helps develop more patience and resourcefulness.

Myself, I cannot understand why anyone would live in the far north. (anyplace where it ever snows) I have to have coconut trees all around!! Florida was too cold for me!

My weather is much the same as Jonna. The "long hot nights" make a huge difference in what will grow. Tomatoes expire, they are winter plants. Spinach doesn't even get the first true leaves before it keels over.

I started Adenium seeds in early May, and expect flowers by the end of September. I pay them a lot of attention, and feed a lot!

I really should have given those seedlings some fertilizer it appears. I'm with you Melissa on not liking the cold. I used to joke to friends back in the east that they were silly to live where mother nature was trying to kill them. I think we all have a happy zone for weather and they are all different. Which is good, there isn't room for everyone in one spot.

Tarev, I think the Philippines have a wetter tropical climate. We are what is I think called the dry tropics, it barely rains at all from November to March. Out in the jungle everything dries up to sticks and you would not believe it was the same place that was lush, green and overgrown in the summer. It is true that plants in the ground do better from the overwatering or monsoon rains than do plants in pots. I have very little room in the ground though so many of my plants are in pots and keeping them from drowning or baking is like reading tarot cards.

Yes it is a wetter tropical climate there. And when I went home 2 years ago, gave me full experience of what global warming is from their view point. The monsoon rains are just coming in much stronger than I can remember. For the first time I got scared watching the rain, so afraid of flash floods. When I got back to the US, I felt such a relief, back to dry ground. But felt sad for my family left there, because I know they will face such inclement weather systems again everyday.

Anyhow..I am learning a lot with growing Adeniums. Love these plants a lot! With or without blooms I am enjoying now watching the trunk of the younger plants mature, I hope it will manage to form nice caudices down the road.