I had selected some Adenium obesum trees to receive bonsai training. Here are three of them.

They are all stunning trees, Kadie. I like them all, but I particularly like the caudex on the second one (photo).
You have such wonderful growth, just wonderful.
Rick

Thank you, Rick! Thirteen months since planting the seeds seem to have gone by so quickly! But I do remember fretting over these guys within that time. Will be posting more pictures of others that had not grown as fat a caudex as those above. Soon I will try wiring to shape...wish me luck!
Kadie

Kadie, I just bought some Bonsai wire and wrapped my cascading adenium. The wire scared the skin and I am hoping that it will grow over. Will be fine, but not sure if wire was too thick? They state that the wire should be approximately 1/3 the thickness of branch wiring.
I think I am going to redo with wire around container and hold down branches to this waste band wire around pot.
Rick

Interesting stuff here, guys. Bonsai is an interesting endeavor. Like growing orchids, it teaches one patience.

Rick, thanks for the heads up about wiring. Maybe I will practice first on those trees I did not choose for bonsai training...then wait and watch effects. Anchoring down branches to a band around the container, as you are going to do, sounds like a good way to train too.
Kadie
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Ken, I agree about learning patience...I have this mainly with my plants.

You and me both, KD.

Lovely candidates there KD! Will watch your bonsai project. I do not have enough humidity nor consistent temps for these guys to be trained good. So will just view your project as it goes. Good luck!

just found this thread and they are gorgeous! I have a 2 year old bought with blooms and the Caudex is nowhere as great as these ones.

tarev said:Lovely candidates there KD! Will watch your bonsai project. I do not have enough humidity nor consistent temps for these guys to be trained good. So will just view your project as it goes. Good luck!

Thanks, Tarev. You have a gorgeous adenium with a large caudex and that looks promising as a bonsai candidate. But you know your own climate and the micro-climates at your home, so I understand your reluctance in trying the bonsai form.

Bonsai training is new to me, so will be learning through research, trials and tribulations. I will be glad for your input...it was you who kind of pushed me into finally putting my toes into the waters. (In another thread about soils you mentioned akadama and kanuba...so I looked them up and well, there she goes...)

GigiPlumeria said: just found this thread and they are gorgeous! I have a 2 year old bought with blooms and the Caudex is nowhere as great as these ones.

Thank you, Gigi!

Is your 2-year-old a grafted plant? I recently potted up bare-root grafted plants ordered from Taiwan. I am eager to see if their caudex will fatten up fast in my care. Adeniums are unpredictable to some extent, yet predictable in certain treatments.

Not really sure, I have to look at it closely.

Hi KD..oh yes, akadama and kanuma..they really work very nice on bonsai set-up.

When I was in Manila in Feb 2014, I saw these three Adeniums in a local garden nursery there. I was curious how they are planting it since it rains too much there. They use a lot of rocks and they kind of allow the plant to grow in reckless abandon
Reminds me of typical bonsai growing as if it is a windswept look of sorts.

She's all prepped: roots pruned/trimmed, some leaves cut, and re-potted into a gritty soil-less medium.

Good job, KD.

they look bonsai to me already.

Looks great, Kadie. Looks like she is going to walk right out of that pot.
Like the way you have the trees branches flattened out like a 'Table top' similar to a wind blown tree here on the oceans edge.
My friend from South Africa commented on my Bonsai Adenium and mentioned to redo any wiring frequently as the impressions from the growing/thickening of the branch will remain, even after removing wire.
Mine, I think I may have used too thick of a wire, but with these Adenium. Their skin is a lot softer than per say a heavy barked tree type.
I am using the string pulled down method with mine now.

With mine, when first starting it. I snipped all the leaves in half and repeated this another time.
Something that people where doing called "Ballooning". I hopes to promote a larger caudex.
What I did like about doing this is that the leaves grew back only half the size and in doing so, made the branches more visible.
Probably will do again to mine, as they are growing back larger now.
Looking forward to seeing your progress.

Rick

Interesting, Rick!!

Not quite ready for Bonsai but still growing nicely. Will morning lows of 48 F going to bother these seedlings?

Thanks, guys!

I did snip/cut some of the leaves in half of this one. When she was about 5 - 6 months old I decapitated the terminal apex which resulted in the branches growing laterally and giving it a "table-top" look. (This is unusual as branches normally grow vertically.) Then lateral branches grew way long so I decapitated those.

Note the newly exposed white roots on one side. Over time the plant had leaned over somewhat so when I lifted and straightened the caudex, the branches on one side are now pointing skyward while the branches on the other are now pointing downwards. I'd like to maintain this reclining S shape so will wire her when the roots are established.