Now is the time to start your summer adenium plant bonsai training. Ideally you adenium plant is beyond the flowering period if you are in the Southern USA or near the end of the flowering period further north in USA. Yes, some adenium pants flower more than one time per year depending upon your growing environment, plant treatment and weather. Making you adenium plant flower more than once per year will be another topic in the near future. One of the great benefits of growing adeniums is the ability to train them into a adenium bonsai plant.
The plant shown above is an adenium plant already in bonsai partial form. Adeniumrose company started to create this bonsai when the plant was 3 years old by cropping the top of the plant to force large caudex formation and many branches. the caudex is approximately 8″ across and 6″ high. You will notice this adenium bonsai has the beginnings of a canopy. Now would be the time to start wiring the branches as they grow out words (not up) in all directions to form true canopy adenium bonsai plant.
When you wire the branches make sure you use thick bonsai wire and do NOT WRAP the branches tightly. You want room for the branch to grow without impressing the wire marks on the branches of the adenium desert rose bonsai plant. As your desert rose bonsai plant branches grow extend them to cover the caudex in size. One they are as wide or wider than the caudex crop them so new branches will start to grow.
Look at the image to the left and notice the canopy extends outward beyond the adenium plant caudex. This plant is 6+ years old and just needs a little more cropping to make the adenium bonsai canopy fuller. The first image will grow a thicker canopy faster than the second adenium plant image because of more branching at the caudex. Sorry both of the above plants are already sold to customers.
What does the term ‘cropping’ mean? Do you mean to cut off the tip of the branch? I have one desert rose plant which is just one single skinny stalk 6 inches high with leaves at the top.(It was given to me when it was one inch high three years ago.) I live in subtropical Australia, the plant gets afternoon sun, and only now there are some root tips coming out of the hole at the bottom of the pot . Should I cut the top of the stem off to force branches? Before or after repotting?
Thank you for your advice.
Yes – cropping means to cut long branches shorter to force multiple branch growth on adenium plants. Usually when you cut branches of adeniums two to three new branches will start to grow in a couple of weeks. When we grow desert rose plants from seeds we usually do the first crop of the plants when they are 1 year old. Yes, they are still very small but you need to start young to make the adenium plants caudex to grow fat. Since you are in the winter time I would re-pot the adenium plant so you can spread out the roots (shallow) to make the caudex develop fatter and wait to crop the top off in your spring time when the growing season starts.
thank you, I’ll do that. Margo
great!
Hi.
My children picked out a lovely fat desert rose from walmart. I would like to make it a bonsai. its very root bound in its little pot. Please advise. Thank you. I will try to send you a pic.
Answer; You will need bonsai wire so you can form he shape of the branches of the adenium plant. The branches need to be around 3″ long and not too thick so you can bend them.
Mike
I have The same Question can some one help us up please
Whats your question?
i have 2 desert roses. one in a big pot ,another in a small pot.
bigger one i purchased 1.5 yrs ago and it has 2 well flowering branches and its caudex is not so thik…..i want more branches and a thik caudex from the bigger pot plant.
the smaller one i recently purchased,,,it is small n a thin branch…pla guide me to take care of it….
i live in india..
You need to use a shallow pots to force root growth outwards. Your need to fertilize. Adenium, Desert roses, are not fast growing plants. In first month of spring crop the thin branches to force growth of more branches.
I have a desert rose with only one stalk and few leaves. Please help me to develop its dense canopy. I purchased it a month ago during springs. Now , it is recieving 4-6 hrs sunlight a day.
You will need to crop the plant. There are many articles on cropping adenium plants. Put the word CROP in the top search area of this blog.
Thanx sir. But it’s raining since 3 days daily in the afternoon. So, are the conditions favourable and should i bring it in shade or leave in moist conditions.
(Sir i also wanted to send you a picture of my bonsai, but how. Shall i send it on your email id ? )
Adenium plants will take tons of water if you haev the right soil. The soil must not retain water or crust over! use perlite to make sure air can get into the soil.
In July, I got a desert rose from Lowes, (Florida) it was in a deep plastic pot. I put it in a shorter ceramic pot, trimming off some roots, I also put pebbles at the bottom of this pot for drainage. There is little dirt around the base..which I built up into a hill. My husband cut holes in the pot ( one made for violets) so it will drain quickly.
I waited to water it for a week after re-potting and root trim to avoid mold. I has been 3 weeks, now I see some small new leaves have turned hard and brittle, and the two flowers have fallen off. Is my rose in shock from root cutting. too much, too little water.?? How much water does this succulent get per week.? I have it in bright sun. I now think I must find a wider shallow pot..when can I repot. ? Ann
the blog has tons of information on when to water, how much sun,. etc. Just put in a keyword in the search area such as water and it will bring up many articles. Yes, you plant sounds like its in shock.
Hi I bought a desert rose today but the branches are somewhat falling down. I used wire on the branches to keep it firm and upright. How long do I have to leave the wire on the branches. Thanks.
The branches should not be falling down. Have you check the roots to see if you have rot on yruo adenium?
Hi. 2 questions from me. 1.Will thecplant automaticly make all those branches at the same point after the fat trunk? Or must the grower do something there? 2. If you start with seeds do you need to remove the tap-root like roots to get spreading roots to grow?
I will answer in reverse order. Adenium plants do not have tap roots. If you grow desert rose seedlings in long thin containers the roots will get long and then fat. If you grow them in proper short but wide containers they will get fat and interesting.
When you crop plants branches will grow below the cut point. You need to prune the plants to force lower branching on most adeniums. Some types of adeniums tend to grow more branches from the caudex than others.
I’m having a adenium. it’s not bloomed ever since purchased last year.I cropped only a small part reading your article that it would give branches within weeks. The result was that it’s leaves almost dissappeared in winters but now they are coming after a year. so, please help me what to do.
I am also unable to understand wiring, means the wire to be used for wiring. Actualy I live in a small town so people here dont plant these costly plants and the seller also didn’t advice me to do so.
Climatic conditions are mostly warm and moderate from march to October and cold in november and decembers.
please help me……..
waiting for reply………
During winter we loose 98% of all our leaves during winter and we are in a tropical climate. Winter is the dormant period for adenium plants. We crop/prune the desert rose plants in early spring many times before they flower because we are more interested in good growth than the flowers at first. Unless you are in a tropical climate or a climate with very mild winters (temps above 60 degrees) then you do not crop before winter. If you are having flowering problems try Dyna-gro Bloom for two months.
Hi Sir,
If i want to buy a desert rose to then turn it into a bonsai what would be the ideal size of the plant and what maximum size could i buy.
Thanks and kind Regards
We start them in all sizes depending upon the style of bonsai you desire. I start may of ours with grafted ones that have a caudex size of 2″ to 3″ and 3 or more branches.
I have 3 different adenium plants that were started from seed this last spring. I am wanting to turn them into bonsai plants. When is the best time to start their training? They are approximately an inch to an inch and a half tall with a few leaves at the top. I have searched the internet to find info on this young of seedlings but can’t find anything. Do they need to be in specific pots already? Do they need specific soil now? When do I start cropping them?
Do not start training until you have at least 2 branches 5″ or long on your seedling. Once the adenium seedling gets about 1/2″ thick and over 6″ tall crop it to force branching and thick base. Do not crop until next season unless you are in SE Florida.
Bonsai follow up
Thanks for all the info. So am I correct that if we live in a tropical climate like South Florida (Broward county) it is still all right to crop/prune desert Rose plants? Is it preferable to wait until early spring? I have a Desert Rose that got wired into bonsai pot all branches cropped back in April. all the branches grew nice leaves n flowered, then put out a seed pod around May (which I just harvested–my first!) Should I defoliate all the leaves now? What should be the next steps to help train and prepare for wiring and proceeding with next steps for bonsai? Thank you in advance
In SE Florida you can work on the plant year round. Crop branches from spring through fall in our area. Make sure you do not put the wire too tight.
Also, do you have someone you recommend to help with styling Desert Rose into Bonsai treatment? Thanks again
Hi there, I live in a tropical rainforest climate (Singapore) where its always sunny out here. I bought my adenium about 3 months back, it flowered and then wilted in a space of 2 weeks. What could be the reason for that?
Secondly, as of today, the leaves are falling and I’m unsure what to do. The roots are growing out the pot and the branches are about 5-6.5 inches long. Could you give me some advice on how to move forward from here?
Thanks greatly appreciated!
Possible nutrient problem or not watering at regular intervals.