piksihk said: Thanks, James for the detail instructions and bookmark it; and Glenn for the knee high suggestion. I may have some old knee highs:)
My plant was a freebie at a swap in 2018; the lady had many to give away. It was a seedling so I'm just thrilled I've kept it alive to see it bloom. This is the second year it has bloomed and it is such a pretty pink.
It has been so terribly hot; so how often you water? Fertilizer?
Thanks for all the advice.
@piksihk your plant looks pretty happy ...keep doing whatever you have been doing
adenium are desert plants, from some of the hottest places on earth -
they "know" only 2 seasons > wet - and - dry
wet = Summer (hot) = the active growing season - water adeniums like a tropical - a lot of water
dry = Winter (cool) = the dormant season - treat adeniums like a cacti - very little to no water
- Watering -
70°'s water once every 10 days - or so
80°'s water once every 7 days - or so
90°'s water once every 5 days - or so
100°'s water once every 3 days - or so
count any rainfall as a watering day
here it has been dry and in the upper 90's - with very little rain
but in the last 5 days - we have had over 10" rain ....last few days have been in the 80's hitting 90° yesterday....
using "guidelines" above, my next scheduled watering will be Thursday 31th ....assuming no more rain falls
water in several passes to saturate potting media from bottom to top
be certain water drains quickly and freely away from pot - if not, elevate the pot slightly using spacers
never allow adenium to sit in water
Do not water if night lows are predicted to dip into 50's / 40's
when in doubt about watering try this:
- The Push Test -
with finger - carefully / slightly push or press the lower portion of the plant .... not too hard as it might leave a dimple....
if firm and tight - the plant is doing great - no water necessary
if soft or feels like a sponge - the plant needs water - reject if plant is dormant
it is far better to skip watering than it is to catch-up with too much ....
- Fertilizer -
use 2 types ....
1) Osmocote 14-14-14 Slow release fertilizer
2) Miracle-Gro 24-8-16 All Purpose
at every repot, only once - will layer in 1 tablespoon of Osmocote, from bottom to top of potting media ...only once - next addition in 2-3 years-
Osmocote looks like little plastic balls ...with each watering, a few of these "plastic balls" dissolve the outer coating, releasing fertilizer -
every 2 to 3 weeks, water with Miracle-Gro All Purpose .... water to saturation - at least the volume of the pot ....
Miracle-Gro provides all the micronutrients (aka: Trace minerals): Boron, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum & Zinc - that Osmocote doesn't have .... boron for proper flower development ...iron for deep green leaves
Plus an added boost of nitrogen (that will help thicken the caudex and stems)
