Overwintering adenium

I know adenium need to be kept above 50 degrees overwinter when they go dormant, and that water should be withheld during their dormant period or else they will rot.

My question: Do they need any light during their dormancy, or can I stick them in a closet until February? I assume my garage (where the cannas, etc. overwinter) will be too cool, but would like to have them out of sight unless the darkness will kill them.

Happy,
I store mine in a closet for the winter. I totally withhold water and start waking them back up in March or April.

Oh I am delighted! I so didn't want to keep them in a window and worry about my cats chewing on them. Thank you so much!

I have questions about my 2 adeniums. One seems to have started to slumber cuz it's not putting out any leaves but the other is producing alot of new leaves. They are both in my greenhouse and getting plenty of sunshine. I hate not to water them and for it to die. We are still having some warm days and cool nights. Is it too early for them to go dormant?

Anaid...mine is still quite leafy as well and is still in the greenhouse. I actually leave mine there all winter. Last winter it got a tad too cold a few times so I had some minor damage, but it bounced right back and now you would never know. I would recommend just reducing your watering until they start to drop their leaves. We aren't quite cold enough yet for them to think it is winter.

:) Kim

thanks Kim!

I have two Euphorbia milii Thai hybrids. Do you happen to know if they can overwinter the same way as the adenium (that is, in a dark room temperature closet)? I know I should post a separate thread, but on the off-chance you might know . . . .

Hi Nat. Do you treat them just like plumeria? Mine still has leaves and is in a semi-suny kitchen window. It did not bloom last summer. I tried to keep it very dry.

What is the secret for getting blooms?

Thanks
Kay

Hi there Kay!
I do treat them just like my plummies. In fact, I don't exactly follow the treatment that others recommend for adeniums. Once it warms up I water them daily, and feed them weekly just like my plummies. Mine are potted in well draining soil (same mix as I use for my plummies) and mine are placed in full sun on my concrete driveway. This year, my adeniums bloomed all summer long. In fact, even the seedlings started in summer of 06 bloomed. But others say that neglect brings blooms.

Mine do stay dormant almost 5 months with zero water - - maybe that's the neglect that they need. I have two that have seed pods and I am going to keep them growing to see if I can harvest the seeds. I have had problems with mealy bugs in the past with ones that I keep growing inside - - but I WANT seeds!

Another thing - - don't be afraid to prune your adeniums if they get leggy. I took in two "rescue" adeniums that were long and leggy. After pruning them back, both developed a much nicer full form and are blooming machines. Just be careful to avoid getting the sap on you.

Nat

Thanks, Nat! I'll give your method a try! 'Sounds good to me.

I've been plagued with mealies for two summers now.....on EVERYTHING! Malithion is supposed to get them. It didn't work this time. If you know any good solutions, please let me know. Wiping off with alcohol is not feasible because I have so many of them.

I think I'll try to get my adenium to go dormant. That long winter rest might just have a lot to do with your success, too.

Kay

This message was edited Nov 10, 2007 8:40 PM

Bayer's Advanced Tree and Shrub works on everything...........

My adeniums bloom because I leave them in clay pots and water just like everything else during the spring, summer and fall. They are still blooming sitting on concrete to absorb the heat. They love the heat. Some have told me they keep theirs on a black topped driveway to get more heat. I feed them weekly just like i do all my outside plants with a 12-36-10 fertilizer that gets mixed in a gallon container after the plants are already wet.

Mine rarely lose all their leaves as I keep them on a heating mat during the colder months on the front porch..........

I'd use a bit of caution with the Bayer Tree & Shrub...first of all, it's called tree and shrub for a reason--those are the things they tested it on and know it works on. For other sorts of plants, it's a bit more of an unknown, and there's no guarantee that it's good to use on every sort of plant. So if you know someone who's tried it on your type of plant and it was fine then you can probably feel good about it, but otherwise I'd be a bit cautious, maybe start out with a really dilute dose of it at first. And if you read the directions on it, you'll also note that it only gives directions for using it on plants that are in the ground, not in containers (unless they've changed things since the last time I looked at the label). I know some people who've used it successfully in containers, but again, anytime you're using a product like that differently than what the manufacturer directs on the label you may end up with unexpected results so I'd ask around a bit first before using it.

I should have said that I use 1 oz to a gallon of water and make sure that all my container plants have been thoroughly watered before I use the Bayer.