Hello Friends! Today we will look into the Top 6 Adenium Tips and Hacks on How to get
a bigger and wider caudex in your adenium plant. These are sureshot tips, if followed
carefully can increased the thickness of adenium caudex to 2 fold or even 5 folds thicker.
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Before we begin with the tips � one point to remember is the thickness of caudex is
also determined by the genetic characteristics of a particular plant. Some plants willingly
develop a thicker caudex themselves, but others may require human interventions that is apply
some garden tips and hacks to make the adenium caudex powerful and thicker.
1. POT SIZE SELECTION: Select a pot that is wider than deep. This forces the root system
to become exposed to air as it grows and we call it Training your Adenium or Adenium Bonsai
Training. Well, depending on the size of your plant, take a wider container, roughly about
2-3 inches extra space around the existing caudex. And the depth of the pot of about
4 inches should be fine. 2. WATERING TIPS � ONLY water when your
soil is dry like 1 OR 2 INCH DRY � check by raking or dipping your finger. And whenever
you water it GIVE FULL WATERING � But in summer, you might need to give more water
perhaps daily. And in Dormant period � monthly twice should be fine and it all depends on
your local climate. One most important point to remember here is the SOIL must be a very
well draining soil with lot of sand. I ll make a separate video on this topic in detail
some other time. 3. CUTTING THE CENTRAL ROOT - perhaps this
is the tap root of adenium. The caudex is actually the storage organ of adenium � This
is an adaptation from mainly the stem and also partly the root. This cutting is very
important step in widening the caudex. Before carrying out cutting, try to wash or spray
the root with Hydrogen peroxide solution, about 1 teaspoon in 1 liter or water. Or first
wash the dirt in running water and then spray some h2o2 solution on the roots. Make sure
when you perform cutting, disinfect the cutting tool with a hydrogen peroxide solution or
even a household antiseptic like Dettol. Cut this root and leave the roots around the sides.
You can cut it carefully without cutting or damaging some side roots. After cutting apply
a Fungicide powder like SAAF or if you do not have this, you can use cinnamon powder
from your kitchen. SAAF is a combination fungicide with Carbendazim and Mancozeb. It�s a very
good universal fungicide. Then you can repot this piece and use one simple hack here. I
have placed a plastic lid below this root flat and then I am firmly potting this in
this container. You can see, I have already done a hard pruning to this adenium. Well,
Now moving to the next tip..that is tip number 4.
4. FERTILIZING ADENIUM: NPK 15 15 15 o4 20 20 20 about 5 crystals + DAP 5 crystals +
Micronutrient fertilizer powder if you have every 15 days should be fine and safe. This
will promote overall plant growth including caudex. Fertilize on all days of the year
except in winter � that is the period of dormancy. You can adjust the dosage of fertilizer
depending on the season, like if its flowering season, increase DAP cyrstals and things like
that. 5. PRUNING: PRUNING of branches helps to increase
caudex. This is because most of the plant energy is diverted to growing thicker caudex
rather than leaf and flower development. You can leave few branches or leaves for photosynthesis.
And one more point in adenium is, the caudex is thought to perform this task of photosynthesis
to some extent. The pruning will not only increase caudex size, but also increase branching
and flowering. Remember to seal the cut end with candle wax or a fungicide powder to protect
your plant from rot. You can see here already few new shoots have started from the upper
caudex. If it�s a grafted adenium, you should cut above the graft. IF its seed grown plant,
cut at the caudex, so that it will give out more branches from caudex itself. Ok, then
next hack is 6. REPOTTING and RAISING THE CAUDEX to Half
to One Inch, every 3 to 6 months. This adenium hack will not only increase the caudex size
but also give a beautiful bonsai look to the plant.
So there we have it folks, That was our episode on tips to make the adenium plant caudex thicker.
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