Problem with Adenium. Branch rot?

Hello;

Can anyone give me a hand with a problem I have? About two months ago I got a Golden Crown Adenium. Paid through the nose for it. It was dormant when I got it. I planted it up in a shallow pot and placed it in my kitchen with the idea of putting it outside in March when the temps get above 50 here in Tallahassee. Today I noticed that several of the ends of the branchs appear to be rotting. They are mushie and hollow to the touch. About half the length of some of the branches which are about 4 inches long are affected. The caudex also appears to have shrunken a bit. I've given it a very small amount of water in the past and maybe I shouldn't have. In total no more than a cup of water over the past 2 months. I've heard that Adeniums are prone to root rot but I've never heard of branch rot. What can I do? Can/should I cut off the rotting/mushie parts of the branches?

I am no expert on Adeniums, have murdered one myself with too much water - I would cut of the rotting stems, try to dry it out completely and repot it in really well draining soil - hopefully it will work - but, I am sure the people here with more knowledge on Adeniums will give you better advice :-)

I haven't posted an answer because I have to admit I'm kind of puzzled too, duiguid! I have a few Adeniums and I also thought the risk of rot was at the soil level, affecting the caudex and roots. I generally don't water my Adeniums much (if any) in the winter if they're dormant (no leaves.) But honestly the amount you've described doesn't sound like a lot of water to me, and why would it only affect the branch tips? The shrunken caudex has me a bit puzzled too. Have you removed it from the soil to see if the caudex has any soft mushy spots (rot) as well?

I agree with Becky, I'd remove any rotting or mushy portions with a clean sharp knife, and try to get back to healthy green. My understanding is that rot can spread if you don't. If the caudex has rot, I'd do surgery there too, and then leave the plant out of the soil for quite a while to dry fully before repotting. I have seen photos of Adeniums that underwent severe surgery, and it's amazing how they can come back.

Hopefully some of the experienced folks will come to your aid. I've read that Golden Crown is hard to find, and it certainly is worth doing all you can to save it!

i GET PLENTY OF TIP ROT FOR SOME REASON
iM STILL LEARNING TOO
opsies caps lok see still learning to not yell LOL!!
If you catch it early you can pull the tip aside and it will break clean and then scab over
I have many with this
root rot is another godforsaken issue, i have lost a fewIf i catch them early enough ill save the tips by cutting and rooting them then grafting later in the summer to another shapely caudex.

Thanks everyone. I've cut off the bad parts of the plant and repotted it. The old dirt was dry with NO wetness to it at all. Maybe the plant needed water and was feeding on it's own sap causing the ends of the branches to seem hollow and mushie. Has anyone heard of this happening. When I repotted the caudex was firm and there was no trace of rot. The dirt was dry and light. When I repotted I sprayed maybe 1/2 cup of water on it. I have a huge Diamond Crown next to it and that plant got the same treatment and is doing fine. I don't know what's going on and need some expert advice.

While no expert, I do have some experience, and there will be a difference from variety to variety just in the many Adenium obesum cultivars.

For the branch rot, it's extremely important that you cut them back until it was pure green and white, with no shades of brown or rust present.

Caudex rot, though you don't seem to have it, comes in many forms and can disguise it's self quite well. I've had a couple that I've gone to pull and pack that had active growth on the branches, but when I grabbed it by the caudex, it literally collapsed in my hand like a paper balloon. It can be caused by more than just over or under watering including pests and viruses. If poor conditions aren't obvious, there's no true way of knowing unless it's sent to a lab.

As far as keeping them on the dry side, I generally tell my customers that if the soil isn't dry to the touch with 4 days of watering, then it got too much. Reduce the amount of water until this is the case. Now that the heat is here for us, mine will be watered daily, and sometimes 3x per day, but at shorter intervals. The ones I water by hand are done daily.

I in-advertantly achieved a new personal record for keeping one alive without water and soil. I found a box tucked away yesterday in a corner, and inside was 2 year old Adenium Prakai Dao. The original invoice inside was dated Sept 7th 2007. So 8 months in a postal tube, and it had fresh leaves on it. The caudex looked a little emaciated, but I expect it to fatten up quickly after I plant it today.

These truly are tough plants that adapt well, to just about anything but freezing temps.

Chris

Thanks Chris and everyone else. Both my Golden Crown with the branch rot and my Diamond Crown are leafing out and the Diamond Crown is begining to bloom. Looks like I was able to save the Golden Crown. A grower in Thailand told me that not watering the Golden enough is what caused the branch rot. She even posted pics to me showing how to take care of the rotten parts. She said to pinch the bad parts off back to the green live wood. The plant is alive but has stubs for branches!

On some, I'll have stubs for branches 3x per year. I do a lot of hard pruning to encourage multiple blooms, as well to shape the plant. The nubbies don't last for long, and you're rewarded with a much fuller plant afterwards.

Chris