How to Prune Adenium obesum Desert Rose

Adenium obesum is the botanical name of desert rose, a species of flowering plant native to sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Arabia. Many people grow Adenium obesum for its showy, star-shaped flowers and unusual, fat-bodied trunk, which is used to store water in its native ecosystem. Caring for Adenium obesum is relatively straightforward, but pruning the plants poses a challenge, since all parts of the plant contain a toxic, corrosive sap that bleeds out when the stems are cut. Otherwise, pruning is an easy task, and a simple pair of latex gloves will adequately protect your hands from the sap. Does this Spark an idea?

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Latex gloves
Floral snips
Rooting hormone powder

Instructions

- 1
  
  Prepare the Adenium obesum plant for hard pruning in spring when the plant is emerging from its winter dormant period. Water it with no more than 1 cup of water to hydrate the trunk and branches.
- 2
  
  Put on latex gloves before pruning or handling broken branches of Adenium obesum plant, to protect yourself from the harmful sap.
- 3
  
  Identify the branches that need pruning. Look for withered, stunted, or twisted branches, or those that do not reliably bear foliage.
- 4
  
  Cut back the chosen branches to within 1 inch of the main trunk with floral snips or a utility knife. Staunch the flow of the sap by dusting the stump with powdered rooting hormone.
- 5
  
  Prune the tips of the branches during the summer months to encourage branching or to remove damaged leaves. Carefully snip off the tips of the branches approximately 1/8 inch above where they emerge from the trunk.
- 6
  
  Discard the pruned Adenium obesum branches, or use them to propagate new plants. Thoroughly wash the floral snips after use. Remove and discard the latex gloves. Wash your hands and arms thoroughly to remove any sap.

Tips & Warnings

Adenium obesum plants can be pruned year-round in warm climates corresponding to U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 10 and 11.
Do not cut the main trunk of the Adenium obesum plant, because that will likely kill the plant.
Seek medical attention if the Adenium obesum sap gets into your eyes, mucus membranes, mouth, or any open wounds.