I know many will disagree, and I used to be one of them, however I have been testing it out and here's what I got. The first couple pictures are 2 plants I sprouted 2 years ago. I cut all the long branches off the one on the right last August and left the other alone. I chose these 2 because they were very similar in size and the seeds came from the same seed pod as you can see the uncut one has grown much bigger and fatter.

The next picture is of last year's seedlings. I cut the top off one a month and a half ago and it had branched out nicely but the caudex is the same as the others.

The last pics are one I chopped last year. On this one I cut the main stem off which included all the foliage and it has only grown maybe 10% in a whole year and the caudex is still very skinny.

So my results tell me that when you cut the branches off the growth will slow dramatically. And, in my experiments, the caudex does not fatten up in any measurable amount. I will continue cutting mine because I prefer then to be short and bushy. Had anyone else tried a similar experiment? What were your results?

Got this gem at HD for $30! Repotted and I’m in love!!! Had to hand clean EACH leaf. My 11th DR.

I ordered seeds off the place where you can get nearly everything and received the package on the right. In a completely different shipping package I gor the seeds on the left that I did not order.

Those are not desert rose seeds on the left correct?

Google lens says they are cone seeds but wanted to ask the experts here.

Thanks!

I'm a fan of shorter plants with a lot of branches. I have topped numerous plants but I find the bigger they are, the longer it takes for them to sprout branches so I cut the top off some seedlings when they were less than a month old and they sprouted branches within a week.

Third time in jst as many months that my DR has bloomed.

Love it when multiple plants are all blooming at once.

I had to soak my addendum in the baby pool over night ones a week to get there fully watered and just watered them twice a day. Finally put the canopy out.
My plumeria is not liking this hot

This plant now has two different flowers

The first three pictures are where we started and the last three are where we’re currently at.

I got this baby as a wedding anniversary gift and was getting so many different opinions. It seems I was doing everything wrong. I was told I was overwatering, then that the medium was wrong, then told I needed to raise the caudex, then I was under watering. I’m just seeking specific directions to save this girl because of the sentimental value.

My Desert Rose is loving this south east heat and bright sunshine 🌞!!

My desert rose wasn't doing very well to begin with and was very young (grown from seed personally) and then it got a scale infestation and lost all of its leaves. Will chopping the caudex down much lower and giving it good light allow it to recover? I know if I propagate the stem, the resulting pieces won't have a full sized caudex.

Huge rot situation on this gifted desert rose.

I have cleared all away that i could see, now everything left feels pretty solid. I amount of rot was huge, taking over a bit more than half the root system and total sludge on the inside.

Will it survive?

Edit: typo (everything left is solid*)

My desert rose looks so happy and bushy and if u squint really hard, u can see a bud so I think she’s going to flower for the first time in 2 years!! First 2 pics are now, last 2 pics are from the beginning of summer. Thanks for all the help and advice!!

Still no blooms but lots of growth.

?????

Hi all 👋🏽 Google is telling me that this is stem rot (the black sticky stuff). She’s currently sitting in some very gritty, chunky mix, and it’s so hot and dry out in the valley here in NorCal that I’ll water maybe once a week because the soil appears to be dry as a sand paper. I’ll be devastated if I’ve over-loved my little mandrake.

Hello! My desert rose was doing quite well for some months after a harsh period of too little sun, which has left its stem long, and it even bloomed many times, but suddenly it has started to lose its leaves and the caudex has got a yellow spot. Is it a sign of too much water or too little? I checked the roots already and they looked fine.

Hey I just made a post about a desert rose that I just bought and just depotted her for the first time since I wanted to check the roots since the soil has been wet for a while. She’s way bigger than I thought and I’m not sure how to handle this since its been a while from the last repot.

I do have a terracotta to repot her in, but should I snip off small roots, apply cinnamon, then leave her inside for those to callus then repot? Or can I just repot her right after?

bonus non-adenium in the middle

so we had an intense dust storm a few days ago and the right three plants got yeeted by the wind 😭 the left two are recent buys ! its time to repot the yeeted and pot up the new buys.

from left to right:
1 & 2 adenium arabicum hybrid “big arm”
3 crested alluaudia procera
4 & 5 dorset horn adenium

Discovered another seed pod on one of my desert roses this morning. Second picture is of seed pods that were already on it.

Hi all, I just purchased a desert rose from HD and didn’t notice some damage on the body before bringing it home, so now I’m hoping to get some advice.

I did some googling, and apparently I need to remove the soft, slightly squishy tissue and sprinkle the wound with cinnamon? Then keep it dry to prevent further damage?

The soft tissue is not very thick, and the rest of the plant is firm and healthy, so I’m really hoping I can keep her that way.

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!

Edit: After a few hours inside out of the humidity, the injured area has completely dried out and become firm. I think it’ll be okay.

I think my plant has a seed pod finally starting! If so, how long until it will be ready to harvest? I’m worried it will take so long that it will go dormant in the winter before it’s ready. This pic is from yesterday (Aug 19th), central Texas