Hi everyone, this is my first post in the forum - I am a new member and loving the vast wealth of knowledge that can be found on this forum!
I would like some advice / help on the following:
Early in the year I bought a large Pachypodium Lamerei via Ebay, its over 6ft tall and overall is fairly healthy - it is one of the largest I have ever seen so was over the moon! However the lower branches seem to have suffered some bug damage - I had to treat the plant when I first got it for both spider mites and mealy bugs. The bugs are gone but the damage seems to be long lasting. Is there anything you can recommend - I would rather not cut any part of the plant if not absolutely necessary, but also don't want any damage to potentially spread.
The other issue it seems to be suffering with is that I suspect it is very root bound. The pot is absolutely solid and water barely passes through. I refrained from repotting as it felt a bit late in the growing season and it had just started to flower!!! But the tips of all the new leaves turn black and curl under - something I read somewhere is related to root issues. I think I will leave it until next spring to repot and investigate further then.
The fact it flowered leads me to believe that although it looks a bit unhappy it is fairly healthy overall - but I would hate to lose this plant so any advice would be hugely welcomed!
Hello
Pachypodiums love heat and light, put it in your warmest brightest spot. It does look like it has been kept in too darker position and has etiolated. Reporting really depends on your growing conditions. If you can give it enough heat and light repot in a well drained mix preferably with half molar clay or similar.
Good luck
It has had a check in growth lower down where the stem has branched, not the result of flowering. It looks like it could do with a general feed, the leaves should be larger. It has terminal flower stems so will branch where it flowers. If it's clear of any bugs and red spider then there's not much to worry about. It looks to have been grown in poor light, the stem should be fatter but it's alive and flowering so just give it good light and feed. The Dutch nurseries grow this to 30cms tall in 4 months from seed with high humidity and feeding. Once in normal conditions, the amount of growth and leaves rapidly reduce.
It took me a while to get the care right with mine. For years mine would spend the summer in a sunny spot in the house with about 10 leaves at most and no leaves in the winter but once I started growing it in the greenhouse in the summer, and watering and feeding it more it really took off. Obviously I caution the amount of water and feed to suit the situation the plant is kept in, and you need to be careful not to overwater at any time but treating them like a cactus doesn't get the best from them. Mine is now kept in with the tomatoes all summer and gets a splash of dilute tomato food now and them as well specialist succulent feed twice a month in the growing season. It still only grows about 10cm a year but it carries a lot more leaves now.
In the winter watering is harder to balance. It needs some water to retain leaves and any cold draught will cause it to drop the leaves very quickly. Better too little water than too much though.
I would take it out of the pot and check the roots just in case there's more bugs hiding down there. Brush of any loose soil and repot into a clay pot that's not much bigger than it's in now. Once you get it growing well then you can think about more root space but it's not the best time of year to repot now and you might do more harm than good by going up a pot size.
fero wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 9:30 pm
Hello
Pachypodiums love heat and light, put it in your warmest brightest spot. It does look like it has been kept in too darker position and has etiolated. Reporting really depends on your growing conditions. If you can give it enough heat and light repot in a well drained mix preferably with half molar clay or similar.
Good luck
Thank you for your reply - I am not sure of the conditions it was grown in prior to me picking it up, the seller had inherited it from a family member who had passed and was unsure of how to care for it - hence then putting it up for sale.
I am giving it as much light as I can and will repot in the spring - Fingers crossed it can grow to be healthy again!
wildedges wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 10:02 am
It took me a while to get the care right with mine. For years mine would spend the summer in a sunny spot in the house with about 10 leaves at most and no leaves in the winter but once I started growing it in the greenhouse in the summer, and watering and feeding it more it really took off. Obviously I caution the amount of water and feed to suit the situation the plant is kept in, and you need to be careful not to overwater at any time but treating them like a cactus doesn't get the best from them. Mine is now kept in with the tomatoes all summer and gets a splash of dilute tomato food now and them as well specialist succulent feed twice a month in the growing season. It still only grows about 10cm a year but it carries a lot more leaves now.
In the winter watering is harder to balance. It needs some water to retain leaves and any cold draught will cause it to drop the leaves very quickly. Better too little water than too much though.
I would take it out of the pot and check the roots just in case there's more bugs hiding down there. Brush of any loose soil and repot into a clay pot that's not much bigger than it's in now. Once you get it growing well then you can think about more root space but it's not the best time of year to repot now and you might do more harm than good by going up a pot size.
Wow - yours looks lovely! If I had a greenhouse I would do the same, at least for the summer months and then bring it indoors again to go dormant for the winter. Yours looks great though and so leafy!
I will increase the watering slightly and give it a good feed, but I think I will wait til spring to repot it and inspect the roots then. And no sudden changes until then!
Thank you for your reply - I am so pleased to be a member of this forum now!
fero wrote: ↑Wed Aug 18, 2021 9:30 pm
Hello
Pachypodiums love heat and light, put it in your warmest brightest spot. It does look like it has been kept in too darker position and has etiolated. Reporting really depends on your growing conditions. If you can give it enough heat and light repot in a well drained mix preferably with half molar clay or similar.
Good luck
I had thought it might be etoliation, but I also thought that it could be bug damage where they have sucked the sap and fluids out of the plant at those growth tips. All the spines are damaged in those areas which is what led me to put the two together. But now it is bug free I will just give it as much light as I can and keep an eye on its progress.
But the tips of all the new leaves turn black and curl under - something I read somewhere is related to root issues. I think I will leave it until next spring to repot and investigate further then. 
