Hello! From my perspective, your Desert Rose (Adenium obesum), the most important thing to know is that I am built for drought. My large, swollen trunk, called a caudex, is not just for show; it is my personal water reservoir. When you give me a deep drink, I store vast amounts of water in this caudex to sustain myself through long, dry periods. This means my relationship with water is fundamentally different from that of your other houseplants. Overwatering doesn't just make my soil soggy; it overwhelms my entire survival system, leading to the dreaded root rot. My roots need to breathe, and constant moisture suffocates them, causing them to decay and making it impossible for me to uptake water or nutrients, a cruel irony indeed.
My watering needs are not constant; they are dictated by the seasons and my growth cycle. In the US, this typically follows a clear pattern. During the spring and summer, when I am actively growing and blooming under the warm sun, I am thirstiest. This is when you should water me most frequently. However, you must always check that my soil is completely dry before offering more. As fall approaches and temperatures drop, my growth slows. I need significantly less water. During the winter, I often enter a period of dormancy, especially if I am in a cooler part of the US. I may drop my leaves and appear dormant. During this time, you must water me very sparingly, perhaps only once a month or even less, just to prevent my caudex from shriveling excessively.
From my point of view, the ideal watering method is a thorough soak-and-dry approach. Please use tepid water and pour it slowly around the base of my stem, avoiding wetting my leaves and flowers directly. Continue until you see water freely running out of the drainage holes at the bottom of my pot. This ensures that my entire root system has access to moisture. Then, the most critical part: you must let me be. Do not water me again until my soil is bone dry all the way through. You can check this by sticking your finger or a wooden skewer deep into the soil. If it comes out clean, I am ready for another drink. The frequency will vary from weekly in hot summer to monthly in cool winter.
My watering schedule is also influenced by my specific environment within your US home. If I am placed in a terracotta pot, my soil will dry out faster than if I am in a plastic or glazed ceramic pot. The amount of sunlight I receive is crucial; a plant in a south-facing window in Arizona will need water far more often than one in a north-facing window in Washington. Indoor humidity and temperature from your HVAC system also play a role. Warm, dry air accelerates evaporation, while cool, humid air slows it down. Always judge my need for water by the dryness of the soil, not by the calendar.
