Q: I have a Desert Rose plant as a houseplant. It gets a few leaves at the end of its branches, and before long they develop brownish yellow tips an fall off. Also some of the leaves are misshapen. They have a curl to them. I do not see any bugs on it. I have had it for two years, and it just keeps going through the same cycle. Sometimes it has no leaves at all, other times it gets leaves, only to drop them. I have tried less water, more water, everything to no avail. Please help, I love this plant and want it to grow.
Thank you, Janey
A: OK I will need more information to determine the possible cause of the leaves falling from your adenium plants. Since you have tried varying water schedules – when testing a problem you need to make the change for at least a month before you see results because desert rose plants are slow growers. How much light do you give it? Is it filtered light (through a w window) or is it growing outside. What’s it the growing temperature of the desert rose plant. If the nights get into the 40’s then it may be causing the problem. Do you live in the North where you have hot days and cool nights? Finally what type of cactus fertilizer do you use for your adenium plant. Too much nitrogen can cause problems. Also, between watering does the adenium plants soil get totally dry?
My Desert Rose plant lives in our sunroom as a houseplant. It gets filtered light all morning and sunlight in the afternoon. I let it go totally dry between waterings. I just ordered fertilizer and soil from you. I have never fertilized it. It spends weeks with no leaves at all, then gets leaves at the ends of all it’s branches, only to have them turn yellow and fall off. Some of the leaves are curled and misshapen. I see no bugs on it. What kinds of bugs attack them? What should I be looking for? After reading at your site, I have taken the plant outside for the day. It will come in at night as our nights are cool. I have no idea what color it is, as it has never even come close to making flowers. I would appreciate any help. I love this plant and so want it to grow. Thank you!
Janet
Cool nights are not a problem unless they are in the 50’s or 40’s during the growing season. It’s better to keep the desert rose plant in the upper 50’s and higher. Before planting dip the roots in super thrive for 5 o 10 minutes. Then plant the desert rose plant. Wait about 5 days before giving it any water and wait to fertilize it for 1 month. super thrive will give it a boost and help the leaves to grow faster!
2 indoor desert rose had them since March & May 2013 both are in my window (southern exposure afternoon sun full only). Indoors AC 75 daytime & 73 night. Live in Baltimore MD it’s summer here an extremely humid. Water all my plants when soil is completely dry, I check by sticking a chopstick in soil, and also lifting the pot. Some leaves slightly wilt so I really know its watering time. Adenium Desert rose leaves are now turning dry brown/yellow on some? I just moved it into south window and I think it needs more light. Or do you think I should water more? When I do water it’s tap (left out for 24hr) an i always add small bit of foliage pro/pro tek/super thrive/bloom booster for all my watering jugs to all my plants each watering. Just wondering why the leaves are Turing dried/yellow? No bugs I checked but hopefully more light will help. Any suggestions will be welcomed thank you and it has not bloomed yet either.
Every time yuo move a plant to a new location it will set them back a bit due to the climate change. They will adjust and start growing well again. the more sun light the better. Only use Super Thrive 1..2 times a year. Super thrive is powerful! It sound like you are doing too much to the plant. Adeniums like most succulents and cactus thrive in low nutrient environments. If yo continually give them nutrients they will not grow as well and the leaves will show it.
2nd desert rose that was a bareroot received in May 2013 is doing lovely. So many new leaves and in do the same care as my above comment. This one has 2 flower buds but 1 flower bud is big but it’s light brown and looks dried out? It’s in the same area as I’ve had it when I took it out of the box Southern window, water when soil is dry, but not sure why bud looks burnt? 2nd bud is still green an hasn’t developed yet but I did water my plants today so not sure if this will help. Thanks and all my background is in my above comment w/where I live
When you receive plants they go into shock and conserve resources. Therefore, many of he buds and leaves will fall off. Plant as disrected and the plant will leaf out and adjust to your climate
My 2nd desert rose is called white angel. The 1st is the regular with pink blooms
why do leaves start to turn dried brown on the tips/travel up to the middle part of the leaf? My older desert rose (pink flowers) potted indoors, I moved it yesterday to southern exposure *afternoon full sun* window because the leaves started turning dried brown an I know it needs more light. I only water when its completely dry, since all my plants I do the same thing, and the soil is grit based (extremely fast draining/dries out very fast). This leaf browning just started an I haven’t changed a thing except move it into more light. AC daytime 75 & 73 at night. Baltimore, MD and my white angel was going to bloom until that dried up, the bud fell off before opening, and its getting the same treatment as all my other plants. Water only when completely dry, souther exposure (sits on windowsill), same grit potting mix: perlite, orchid bark, bonsai soil, and top dressing with small stones. Caudex exposed and no draft from the vents since its closed. Had both plants between March & May 2013
OK – it sounds like your soil and watering is ok. You may want to water more often during growing season. Have you used any fertilizer? If you do make sure its low nitrogen (time released it best) and not between February – May when it buds/blooms. We add time release fertilizer twice a year. Once right after the blooming ends and and in Fall. Yes – late fall. We do this so the plants gets use to the fertilizer (does not shock it) way before the flowering season. The plants get less water during the winter months so the time release fertilizer seeps slower than in the higher watering period (Summer).
I recently purchased/rescued a couple DR they are doing really good used super thrive put on new leaves and are blooming like crazy used good draining soil except I put them in a ceramic pot which holds moisture. I am worried about wintering them over and root rot. I live in 5a so they will need to go dorment. I repoted them a month and a half ago would it be alright to use some super thrive and repot into clay pot after done blooming. It would be about a month and a half befor they come in doors or would it be better to let them winter over in these pots any help or suggestions would be great. Thanks for all your advice it has been so helpful in caring for my DR.
Thanks
Lisa
Yes you can use super thrive again after blooming or add the proper time release fertilizer instead. Glad to see you re-potted into a porous clay pot.
Hello, I live in Seattle WA and have had my desert rose for about 2 years, first year all the leaves fell off, then this spring it filled with leaves and the after moving outside during the hottest part of the day and then back in at night before it gets cooler…yeah, 2 branches had developed buds, I was thrilled, then I did the wrong thing apparently, gave it bloom food, while in bud, most other plants this is what you do…well as you can see then instantly became brown, question, do I now deadhead the brown blossoms? And any chance it might get more this season? I love this plant, even took it on vacation with us so it got good care 🙂 Appreciate any help. Robin Westbrook
I would appreciate directions on how to plant cuttings and how and when to transplant them. thank you,
I have many desert rose plants that have done well for many years. One of
my largest is rotting from the roots underground. A good tug and the stalk
and root comes out like mush. I think that this has been going on for a
long while but I did not notice because the plant was flowering and getting
new shoots. Then one of the major stalks feel over. Many of the stalks are
rotten and slimy. What causes this and can some of the plant be saved or
should I take it all out? Is this an insect or disease or something else?
I am in South Florida and it has been very hot and steamy this year. I
appreciate any help and insight you have to offer me.
Your plant has root rot and stem rot due to too much water and not the right soil for South Florida. You need to cut out all rot out of your adenium plant but sounds like your plant maybe almost a total loss. Too much water is not a problem if you are using the right soil. We are in south Florida and get rain just about every day. All out plants are outdoors not under any covering. We have approximately 2,000 adenium plants at any one time at our nursery AdeniumRose Company. Our loss due to rot is less than 2%. The soil it the key. You cannot use regular potting soil unless you strictly control the environment (indoor growing under lights). If you like to get frequent flowering then you need to grow it out doors in as much sun as possible.
You are in South Florida just like us so grow it out doors but use the right soil. When cutting out the rot you need remove all dark/brown areas that you see when cutting the roots and stems.
My desert rose is just finishing up blooming and now the ends are black and I noticed what almost looks like white mold. Is this from too much water? We are in Florida and it is on our outside patio facing west.
We are in Florida too. Sometimes the area where the flower is turns a very slight black due to the leaves/peals dying on the step and discoloring the plant. However, if you have white mold you may have spider mites. I wold cut off the tip including any traces of the white mold off the adenium plant. Make sure you protect the cut part from water for 5..6 days before letting it get wet.
Hi
I had inherited 3 potted Adenium plant from my Mother. I had absolutely no idea how to care for them except in watering and giving fertilizer.
Recently, one of the pot look weird to me as on one of the branches, its leaf are curling and dull looking and had turn yellow alot and drop off after. But, there’s also couple of new leaves going on another branch at the same time.
The country I’m staying in is humid and summer all year round and slightly cooler around Nov/Dec with frequent rains. Whenever it rains, I dont water the plant as I read somewhere if over water, the plant will rot. The fertilizer I got from store (recommended by the store owner) had to be mix with water.
Been told that I need to replace the soil by one of my co workers. However, I been told by another that Adenium soil no need to be change often and it can last many years. For one, I dont know when does my Mother last change the soil. How do I know if its due to soil problem? Or others? I have check for insert/bug, but couldn’t find/see any.
The 3 pots are place outside house corridor area (staying in public housing block), the particular pot had recently change place about 2 mths ago as I noticed that 2 of the stem been torn away. So I have placed it in the middle of the other 2 instead to prevent the pot stem been injury again. Will there be any connection to the move?
NO matter where you live adeniums will go dormant for a short period. Last year in South Florida we did not get any cold weather. A cool day was in the 60. Here is goes from hot/humid/tons of rain during the summer to warm and humid during the winter. You do not need to change the soil more than once a year and sometimes it can last years if you used time released fertilizer. The main thing is that it must be fast draining and not get hard. If your soil is hard then the adenium plant is not getting air around its roots. when yuo change to location of an adenium plant you can loose some leaves. But if everything else is OK new ones will sprout. The broken stems of the desert rose plant need to stay dry for 1..2 weeks to prevent rot.
HI,
Thanks for the advice.
I have couple more queries if you dont mind helping out 🙂
When you mentioned, if the soil is not hard, how does one determined its hard? I have noticed the surface soil of the 3 pots seems ‘hard’ to me.
Another query, one of the port seems to be having real problems (to me newbies). 1st, the leaves like a wave inwards past few weeks on those newly spurt leaves (which had already grown mature now). I have read in a blog that this shown signs of problem. I noticed yesterday that there’s new leaves grown among them too. 2nd, the soil that’s next to the main trunk curve inwards like quicksand. It left a ‘halo’ around the truck that soil or anything that’s flat/small can just be thrown inside. What problem is this pot having, do you know?
Thanks in advance.
Wendy
If the soil is hard – water accumulates on top them it’s not good. It does not allow air to get in whihc can result in root rot. You many need nutrients. Also, some adeniums have wavy leaves and some (ram horns) even curve (we are goring a few of these to offer in the Spring). “halo” not sure what you mean
Hi
Its normal to have wavy leaves? I was worried because I didnt see them grown wavy leaves before, all along its spread out flat nicely like what I see mostly on web.
As for the ‘halo’, hard to explain. I will try to explain => I didnt know much about plants, what I saw so far is the soil near the trunk of the plant is stick close to it. But my 3 pot of plants, recently I noticed that there’s like a small line (about 0.2 to 0.5cm) running around the trunk. Like a dry river running around the trunk. When I push the soil towards the trunk with the intention to have the soil stick close to the trunk, the soil will just pour inwards into the ‘dry river gap’
You had mentioned the root need air, is it due to the soil become hard, they need air, which result in this small river gap near the trunk to get the air in?
Thanks for the patience in my queries.
If the soil is hard you are using the wrong soil type – usually too much organic material. The same need to be porous and loose. We use a special mix of perlite (about 80%), coconut fiber (about 10%), soil (about %10 percent) with a time released fertilizer. We top the soil for he adeniums with small rocks. The halo in the soil is a mineral of some type leaching out or a white fungus growing on the soil.
Hope you can help. I have a desert rose which has never flowered in my home.
When I purchased the plant, it only had a couple of flowers which seemed
like they were at the end of their cycle. (That was 2 years ago.) The leaves
grow, then turn yellow, then brown and fall off. I planted it in a 50/50
mixture of sand and potting soil. Should I be misting the leaves? I water
thoroughly once a week; and the pot has good drainage.It has a sticky, white
sap; which I understand is poisonous. I do not detect any bugs. It is in a
west window and gets plenty of unfiltered light. As we are approaching
November, I have been told the plant will go or may be dormant. Should I
prune? Re-pot? Fertilize ? What do you suggest?
There are a few things you need to check. How much light are you giving it? Where in the USA are you located? The weather is different in the north (NY, Tennessee, Mid/North California,etc.) than the southern states (FL, AZ, NM, TX). Potting soil is a no no for these types of plants. It contains too much organic material and too much nitrogen. If you purchased cactus soil and then add 50% more perlite you will be close to what yuo should be using. The leaves do not like water and will develop brown spots. Adeniums are succulents (desert plants) – low water, low nutrients for most areas (unless you are in a tropical climate such as South Florida and fast draining soil. Desert rose plants bloom in the Spring and early summer. IF you are having problems blooming then give them a boost of phosphorous low nitrogen liquid fertilizer in late January/February. The rest of the year use time release fertilizer such as 6-6-6 or 6-6-10 (maybe 1..2 times a year depending upon your desert rose growing climate). Do not prune now unless you are in the southern states that get a very mild winter. Wait until June (after they bloom) to crop.
My Desert Rose is looking really nice! The only thing I don’t know about is these weird “arms” that are growing out perpendicular to the plant. They are growing at the end of each stem. I don’t know if these will be new stems are what the heck they are. Would you have any idea? It is flowering well, no bugs, etc.
These weird arms sound like see pods on your adenium plant. Usually seed pods have to segments on adenium plants. They are long and come to a point.
hi all!
I live in india and have 2 beautiful adeniums .i just wanted to know that once they have blossomed and dropped off do they require deadheading?
Thanks!!:)
No they do not
My desert rose is growing to one direction ( all stems ) that it is leaning out of the pot, like it wants to touch the ground. I am just wondering, maybe I am missing something about how the roots should be placed in the soil? or is it my pot’s size?
Are the branches soft? Send a image of the plant to our email address sales@adeniumrose.com so I can see the structure and size of the plant.
I have adenium plants , the flowers buds always dried off before bloomimg , why?
sorry for delay. I just back from knee replacement. If your plant is blooming now then it may be as simple as the plant trying to bloom in the wrong season. Adeniums are spring/summer bloomers. Other causes nutrients in soil, not enough water??
My desert rose is outside in a pot on the balcony, we live in a tropical climate all year round and it has full sun all afternoon until sunset. It looks healthy and I have an abundance of leaves but it flowers properly only once per year is this usual for an all year round tropical climate as most of the desert roses I see lack leaves but have flowers most of the year.. Should I change anything?
You may need to fertilize the plant. The nutrients in the soil get depleted over time.
Hello, I purchased my DR about 5 days ago (I live in Orlando, FL). What I did after purchasing…..
*I got the plant went to the store to buy a pot and soil. got: A clay round pot 1ft width 10in long and got cactus soil.
*Came home noticed it had aphids/milibugs took it out the container it came in, washed the roots and sprayed the leaves with water to remove as much bugs as possible. I was surprised to see the root (cortex) on this plant (studied me) I thought it was your normal root system. The cortex was 9in under original pot line…. mind you I had already gotten the pot!
*I potted the DR anyways at the same level it was originally added rocks to the bottom of pot watered it and put it in direct sunlight.
*The same day I got my DR I went to the store and purchased insecticidal soap ready to spray and sprayed my DR.
*About 2 days later I seen the plant had gotten more bugs, so i sprayed the plant again in the afternoon at 85 degrees temp. (both times it was in the 80’s).
*This Saturday and Sunday it rained all day the plant is on my porch, so it won’t get rained on. I watched lots of care YouTube videos and realized that I been doing everything all wrong. *NOW my DR leaves are turning yellow and falling off, the flower that did bloom looks sad and the new bloom before it bloomed turned black/brown and fell off.
*SOOO Monday came it was nice and sunny and I got the nerves to dig her up… I got my alchohol, scissors, and cinnamon, dug my plant up trimmed the roots that wont touch the soil when I lift my DR up…. Placed the plant in a big card board box (open) covered in cinnamon where i cut it and put it in my garage waiting for the 8 days to pass before I re-pot it the right way. I purchased osmocot fertilizer slow release for when I re plant her. So far this is the 2nd day in recovery.
*Now to present day…. she still losing levels and flowers no sign of bugs.
****Questions****
1. When I re-pot can I use the same clay pot as I described before? I did drill extra holes just incase I can use it.
2. Should I water after the 8 days when I re plant my DR?
3. Can she be in need of water?
4. please tell me what you recommend to save her? I cant sleep just thinking about how I’m not giving the plant what it needs. (yes, I said I cant sleep lol… i love all my plants and love to see them thrive).
Thanks in advance!
This was store bought adenium plant in Home depot/Walmart – I’m guessing. Based on your description the plant when purchased was in a pot oversize for it. Many green house mega growers do not raise the caudex above the soil level.
Many people treat all plants the same: same dirt, same fertilizer, same pots, etc. Different type of plants need different things. The fertilizer you are using has the wrong percentages and missing micro nutrients.
Make sure your cactus soil does not have sphagnum moss in it which retains too much water. Sphagnum will form crust on top of the soil after a few watering (stops are flow which causes root rot). If it does have the moss then you need to add about 50% perlite (50% perlite and 50% cactus soil).
Cinnamon is great for non desert plants but it does nothing for adenium cuts. Just cut the areas and let heal in a dry shady area.
Your adenium pant is in shock – you will lose all your leaves but they will come back in a few weeks.
Its summer in Florida so water the plant to prevent shrinkage of the caudex once a week. If left outside then let the weekly rain take care of the watering (make sure you pot has good drainage).
Thanks for your reply!
I will purchase the fertilizer you recomend. can I use the clay pot I described? or is it to small? It had 1 holes I drilled 4 more. yes, my soul does have moss, but I have perlite, so I will add it when I re pot her. I keep looking at my DR and she does look in need of water… i say that because the root looks a little wrinkly (I think). hope she makes it through the week, because after that I plan to give her what she needs to thrive.
Thanks again!
I got the plant at a nursery.
I have a desert rose that purchased like 6 weeks ago. I bought it with buds on it but they never opened into flowers. Noticed kind of a light brown color in the base of the buds. Plant seems healthy with green leaves. I live in hot and dry environment. Fungal disease or nutrient deficiency?
97% of the time when adenium desert rose plants are shipped with buds or flower they do not develop. The plants goes into water conservation mode and keeps the moisture to maintain the plant not flower. If you purchased from a local store them the plant was greenhouse grown so they can force flower plants (100% climate controlled). The greenhouse is not the same environment a buyer has so the same result – they plant goes into dormancy or water thrifty mode. Ours are grown in under a shape house not weather controlled. Adeniumrose Company does not force flower the plants which can slow the plant growth.