Rainbow said:Just found out what it is through the Gardening for Butterflies....forum.

So Adenium is the host plant for that butterfly? I spose all along you been squishing em?

Guilty as charged! Next time I'll remove them gently and place on another kind of lush plant.

Adeniums are not really the main host plant...I think the butterflies randomly lay their eggs anywhere and everywhere.

I squish some of em myself - I was just funnin with you a bit. I get these little green "worms" on my Brugmansia who chew hell out of the leaves. Next thing you know they are not so little and a leaf can vanish over night. I squish em.

On the other hand I love hornworm cats cause they make beautiful moths. One makes the lovely Hummingbird moth. I have allowed 3 to live on my pot of Datura and they have destroyed ~ 60 % of it. My last one just disappeared and I hope it went to make its cocoon.

At our Tomatofest the other night they had collected 7 hornworms. 3 had been parisitized and had fly larva crawling out of them. I flushed them down the toilet. I placed the other 4 on my tomato plants at home which have seen their better days. They were all gone as of today - bird bait I guess cause only 2 were final instar.

Back on track - I hope your plants are ok.

I feel better today about squishing the caterpillars...I just saw one of the butterflies hovering over a large bushy hot pepper plant.

The first year I started growing adeniums from seed I was battling aphids. So I used sprays and/or systemics. At the same time I noticed fine spider webbing over the young seedlings. No...they weren't spider mites. They were from tiny spiders that I eventually believed might be eating aphids. So I stopped using pesticides as they will harm the spiders, and let nature take its course. This past year I rarely saw aphids. I do not automatically resort to insecticides anymore.

Is the butterfly attractive?

I usually use nothing and when I do the strongest thing is Neem oil or Insecticidal Soap. On milkweed I never spray once I think eggs may be there.

It's finally cooling down a bit...but still having more rains due to tropical depressions forming every few weeks.

Found this 10-month old A. somalense seedling with flower buds a couple of days ago...hope the flowers buds open and not drop off.



A. somalense are supposed to have narrow strap leaves. Mine aren't very narrow, but they do have the characeristic white middle vein. I guess my seedlings are a variation. The flower petals are supposed to have 5 red lines, so we'll see when the flower opens. @RCanada Are your A. somalense trees strap-leafed?

There are a lot of A. somalense seedlings being shown in different sites and the majority do not have the true leaf shape. They have the white veins, but subsequently once the flowers open, they hold only a glimmer of somalense traits.
This is not to say that yours will not.

My most recent seeds started of A. somalense are A. somalense ssp. nova Tanzania & A. somalense "Fat caudex" ( not sure about this one ). Only 4 of the 10 seeds started of the ssp.nova Tanzania hold thin leaves. Time will tell. All others have the distinct white veining.



I believe that it is most likely genetics, then human intervention (hybridizing) which creates these differences.
Rick

Thanks, Rick, for your input and for posting a picture of your A. somalense seedlings! Your babies are nice and plump!

I know there are a couple of other members here who are growing A. somalense seedlings right now. Hope you all reply and post pictures of your babies.

Here are a few other photo's of A. somalense seedlings.







Rick

Nice growing there, Rick! The first one pictured has the narrow leaves of the somalense.

One of the flowers on my A. somalense seedling has begun to open...I'll take pictures tomorrow when it is fully opened.

Well...it's not true to parent! Just spotted another A. somalense with buds. It would be nice if I got at least one true to parent out of 22.

It is a nice flower, Kadie. Although I can understand the frustration and hope for something similar.
When I think of the number of seedlings that I have started on one hybrid, it is nothing compared to what many growers start.
They will start hundreds of one hybrid cross in hope to receive "that" special new bloom.
I do not have the space inside to house that many, so my odds are diminished extremely.
Rick

Hey, Rick, I am still happy to just have flowers on my obesum. I only have four of the seventeen plants available for sale (I am keeping the "Green Giant") and two of those are just starting to bud out for the second time this year. The Green Giant has been in constant bloom for two months.

I have just started seeing some germination on four new hybrids, so hopefully next year, I will see different flowers. Kadie was kind enough to send me those seeds. Three of the four varieties have started germinating. I planted the seeds about 10 days ago. Thanks again, @Rainbow.

Rick, now that know it is not true to parent, I'm going to use this one as root stock for grafting. But first I need to up-pot...the roots have outgrown the pot and it is also causing the tree to lean. I'll give it a month or so to grow in new container and then graft.

Ken, you're welcome! I have hybrid seeds soaking and will plant them today. Good luck to us!

My 8 seedlings are still just that. Seedlings. ~ 10 months old and spent the summer in the greenhouse and they are from 4 - 6 inches tall. At least they are alive. They are now in my garage for the time being under 1,000 watts of lighting. Will likely over winter them in my bedroom.

David,
Thank you for this update of your seedlings from seeds I gave you! Glad to know they are doing very well under your care! It's great that you can control their environment.

My adeniums live outdoors year-round. We had been having some very wet weather lately due to tropical depressions and storms that have been forming nearby back-to-back! Because of all this precipitation I haven't fertilized them in months...I do not want excessive lush growth at this time as this will certainly lead to a lot of stem rot.

BTW, once this adverse weather settles down I will plant more of your datura seeds...I was quite impressed with the growth and beautiful double flowers of the first batch I had planted. Thank you!

So we had no storms for over a year-and-a half. Now, though, we've got Typhoon Maria that will hit our island in a couple of hours.

I did not provide protection for my plants--it will be the fittest that will survive.


By the time this storm passes, we would have had 3 to 4 days of cooling rains, and my adeniums would have enjoyed the break from sweltering heat. So I am fairly certain the survivors will soon produce lots of flowers.

Be safe, Kadie

Thank you, Joseph! We're good--storm has passed over us with only 40 mph winds. 'Twas mild enough that we didn't lose any young papaya fruits.