Hi,

I'm new to this forum and quite new to growing plants and am helping someone can help!!!

I went away for 2 weeks and the lady who watered my plants severely overwatered and I lost several of my succulents. Worse than that I found rot in the caudex of my Adenium (it was very squishy). I immediately took it out the soil and checked the roots which seem OK to my untrained eye. Before I went away the plant was acclimatising from a move to the outside and seemed to be doing well.

The rot was on the soil line and quite deep. It wasn't black but more of a grey/green colour and very mushy. I cut out all the rot from the caudex to the healthy flesh and covered it with cinnamon and have it inside in the air conditioning to dry (it's uncharacteristically rainy and cloudy here in the UAE right now).

My question is what do I do next? How long will it take to develop a callous and what do I do then? I'm worried it will rot again given that the hole I cut out is at the soil level.

This plant was a gift so I'm really hoping I can save it I've seen many Adeniums in the wild and they seem very robust so I'm hoping it can recover.

Any advice for a newbie appreciated Many thanks

Bellisperennis!

I have recently treated a similar problem in one of my Adeniums. I hung it up to dry for about 3 weeks, after which I planted it again. It now sports an attractive hole the size of a tennis ball right in the middle of the caudex and I am planning to make a feature out of it!
Just be sure to let it dry and callous completely and your plant has a good chance of recovering from the drastic surgery.

I agree with Hetty, and you must not try to hurry the "getting better" period, it takes a ;long time.
Good luck.

I had one with a hole like Hetty described.I found a little rubber frog that just fit.The frog turned out to be the star of the show.Here is the hole without the frog.These are really tough plants.

ouch!!

I agree with all the above but want to add that you can raise the caudex up above the previous soil line when you do repot it.