Tropical plant identification

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by SqueakyEarthquake, Dec 8, 2018.

  1. SqueakyEarthquake

    SqueakyEarthquake New Member

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    Can anyone please help identify this tropical plant. Thanks.
     

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  2. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    Adenium obesum.
     
  3. Michigander

    Michigander Active Member

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    Desert Rose is a great houseplant. They will flower a couple times a years and can be well grown in much smaller pots than you might imagine. It's hard to gauge size from a photo, but if that's a 12" pot, you could put that critter in a 12" diameter x ~3 1/2" deep pot without a problem. Remove it from the pot next spring, hose all the soil off the roots, cut/saw off the bottom ~75% of the roots, removing the large anchor roots in favor of keeping as many tiny, hair-like roots as possible, put it in the new pot with ~1/2" to 3/4" orchid mix potting soil below the roots, and re-pot every five years, or so. Feed it with any commercial liquid low nitrogen fertilizer at full strength every month from April through August. Depending upon your personal taste, you could put it in any decorative standard pot, or a bonsai pot. It's easy to find Bonsai pots that have those shorter-than-wide characteristics in an abundance of colors and textures. Bonsai pots always have feet, and some can be had with matching trays. Never use a jardiniere (decorative pot without a drainage hole.)

    Your critter is a little leggy. If you like that style, it is called "literati" in bonsai. If you prefer it to be shorter and/or more economical you could chop it down to ~12", or so, leaving ~2" or 3" stubs above the main trunk, arranged like the outstretched palm of your hand, an arc where the outer stems are the shortest and center is longest. That would be a formal upright, (another bonsai style.) You would do that next April 15th to May 1st. You could do both steps at the same time. All the stems you cut off will grow and can be potted the same way. Just cut them to an attractive size, and you got more! Give them to friends...
     
  4. SqueakyEarthquake

    SqueakyEarthquake New Member

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    Thanks for the replies.
     

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