Adeneum obsesum- talking point

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Ernie
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Adeneum obsesum- talking point

Post by Ernie »

I got this plant from Uhlig cacti, Germany in early 2019. Its big. The pot is 9 inches tall by 10 inches wide at the widest point. There's a massive root system hence the deep pot. For almost three years its sat doing nothing no growth and I wondered if it was dying. Temperature has never been less than 15 degrees. This last 4 weeks has seen a big turn around. Stems and leaves growing well. Maybe the old plant did not like being removed from its home and sent through the post.
Its the green caudex that puzzles me, I have not see an obesum as green? An ideas. Uh
DSCN7155.JPG
lig said the flowers are a very deep red so maybe its a cultivar?
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Re: Adeneum obsesum- talking point

Post by dragonadeniums »

There are some green-skinned varieties...but it's likely that yours has just (quite happily) turned out that way - perhaps because of its genetics, or because of some kind of environmental factor - or a combination of these.

Adeniums can vary substantially in skin colour - specialist breeders have been able to somewhat stabilise different colours - but if that's the case with yours I expect it would've come with a label identifying it. I've seen more arabicums with that green skin than I have obesums, though.

Sometimes they do just sleep...and can do nothing for extended periods of time, which can be a bit worrying ! For best results keep the temperature higher - minimum of 18C in Winter and as hot (and bright) as possible in Summer.
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Re: Adeneum obsesum- talking point

Post by Herts Mike »

I have Adenium boehmianum but it’s not very enthusiastic.
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Re: Adeneum obsesum- talking point

Post by dragonadeniums »

Herts Mike wrote: Sun May 22, 2022 4:30 pm I have Adenium boehmianum but it’s not very enthusiastic.
These are very slow growing and can go into prolonged dormancy...not really one for even the sunniest window here in the UK, this would probably need additional lighting and possibly temperature control to get the best out of it.

If it's not doing much I'd suggest more heat and light. Also, what medium have you potted it into ? :smile:
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Re: Adeneum obsesum- talking point

Post by Davey246 »

Take a look on YouTube for videos about the plant in the Far East - places like Indonesia. Many will amaze or horrify you. The nearest thing I could compare to would be something like willow Bonsai - indestructible and grow like weeds. One or two websites offer a proffusion of different cultivars as plants and seed.
They grow their plants in bowls as often as not and they do treat them like Bonsai.
Some US growers in the S states do likewise.

I have grown the plant from seed several times - a very odd, even quietly ammusing, happening if you have never tried. I was never willing to keep them warm enough in the past so they succumbed before making any real size.

I saw several seedlings for a very few ££ each in a local nursery last year, so I am growing the species again - I should have bought 2, at least!!! The seedlings had already been pruned and sealed to make them branch and I pruned one stem again. It is now 6-stemmed and around twice the height as when I bought it, so about 5 inches out of the pot.

It spent all winter, not quite dry, on a S-facing windowsill, so near certainly saw 10C (any lower and it would be not of this earth, I am sure). It lost about half it's leaves but has been actively growing again for the past 2-3-4 weeks. I ought to bite the bullet and prune and seal all the stems again to encourage it to make a broad rather than tall plant..

Ernie - if your plant was originally grown in the Far East, it may be surprising young. To maintain that compact and gnarled appearance, you will have to prune, certainly above ground, and quite possibly below.
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Re: Adeneum obsesum- talking point

Post by Herts Mike »

Re boehmianum I have just moved it to the sunniest spot in the greenhouse, it winters at 12c. Potted in standard mix. Drains quickly.

Biggest obesum I have seen was in Barbados which gives a clue as to best conditions.
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Re: Adeneum obsesum- talking point

Post by Davey246 »

Looking again at it, the majority of what can be seen seems to have originally been root, making it highly likely to be a plant raised (apologies for the pun) in the tropics, somewhere. Does root tend to stay green?????
They do the same with Ficus to achieve the same sort of effect - https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/ficus-pott ... -40432728/

Adenium pruning - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... um+pruning
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Re: Adeneum obsesum- talking point

Post by MatDz »

Davey246 wrote: Sun May 22, 2022 5:40 pm They do the same with Ficus to achieve the same sort of effect - https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/ficus-pott ... -40432728/
It's worth remembering that the common "Ikea" Ficus "Ginseng" is a graft of F. retusa onto F. microcarpa, which is cheating a bit, a rather good explanation here: https://adamaskwhy.com/2014/09/24/this- ... -subjects/

Also, would you mind sharing a photograph or two of the pruned seedling you have? I am quite curious how hard have you pruned it.
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Re: Adeneum obsesum- talking point

Post by Davey246 »

MatDz wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 1:19 amIt's worth remembering that the common "Ikea" Ficus "Ginseng" is a graft of F. retusa onto F. microcarpa, which is cheating a bit, a rather good explanation here: https://adamaskwhy.com/2014/09/24/this- ... -subjects/

Also, would you mind sharing a photograph or two of the pruned seedling you have? I am quite curious how hard have you pruned it.
The effect of the Ficus is the same though - swollen roots become part of the above-ground display.

I may look at trying to post a pic' - never done it before.
The seedling had been decapitated completely before I bought it so that the swollen stem had produced 3? 4? shoots. The scar in the centre has now all but disappeared. Since then, 2? 3? further buds have broken from the stem, slightly lower down, one this spring. I roughly halved one shoot only and that has produced one, now 5-leaved, side-shoot since. The caudex had swollen appreciably and is now around an inch across and tall, above the top-dressing. 5 inches tall overall, you should be able to get an idea of what it looks like.
If I do prune, I will reduce the 3 larger shoots by half, maybe more - (very) modest by YouTube standards. Another option would be to replant at an angle of 30-40 degrees or so.

If I can find some more decapitated seedlings, I'd try root pruning. This one will certainly never be in anything deeper than the pot that it is in now.

I bought it in a 2? 2.5? inch pot and now looks fine in a 4 inch clay.

If you view a few of the YouTube videos you will get a good idea of what is possible - basically total butchery, no holds barred. Some 20-25-28C bottom heat would be essential I would have thought, especially to speed thing along - in Thailand (or wherever), a full set of (short - 1+ inch) roots form in just 30 days from a totally rootless caudex.
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Re: Adeneum obsesum- talking point

Post by Tony R »

Davey246 wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 7:14 am I may look at trying to post a pic' - never done it before.
(tu) A picture will be worth a thousand words! Thanks.
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