Your little Adenium seed have matured into the living sculpture you had always hoped for or your grafted Adenium plant needs a trim. Our guide will steer you in the right direction to keep your beautiful plant healthy.
The Adenium needs very well-draining soil. It prefers dry soil over soaking soil.
Use a mixture of half potting soil (cactus compost) and half Perlite, which will hold some moisture but still drain nicely. If you live in a warmer climate where you can plant outdoors, you can use gravel instead of Perlite.
Water the plant every 2 or 3 days during the growing and blooming season if it is outdoors or in full sun. Otherwise, check the soil and when it feels dry, water well. If you over water, the plant will start to lose it leaves, so cut back some or your plant may die.
During the winter when the plant rests, it doesn't need much water at all. You may notice the trunk start to shrink a little but that's completely normal and as soon as you start to water again, it will come back and start to sprout.
Fertilise with a high quality fertiliser at half strength every couple of weeks during the growing season. We also recommend using Super-thrive to complement & bolster your watering regime thus offering extra nutrients to the plant at the times it needs it most.
Use a blooming fertiliser when the flowers start to bud. Do not fertilise during the winter rest period. Adeniums love fresh air and lots of light. Keep them outside as much as possible in the spring, summer.
They like full sun, but partial shade is acceptable. If the leaves start to fade or look burnt, move the plant to a place where it gets morning sun and is shaded during the heat of the afternoon. Adeniums DO NOT like the cold especially frost / icy conditions.
Pruning
Although the Adenium prefers to be root-bound, you can if you wish re-pot it every year or two if you want it to grow larger. Do this at the beginning of spring after it's winter dormancy. This is also the perfect time to trim the roots as well or any other type of maintenance below the normal soil line.
To keep your plant looking pretty and healthy we recommend doing some heavy pruning around the end of February / March to shape the plant anyway you wish.