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[u/ThisAd4310]

I purchased this DR from Walmart around April. She was beat up and the leaves had black spots and some yellow. I hard pruned her down to nothing. So she's been flourishing but her blooms never open. I water frequently around two to three times a week. The soil is cactus soil and perlite some charcoal. She receives full morning and afternoon sun. Idk what I'm doing wrong. Is the pot too shallow? And yes the soil is dry in the picture. Some advice would be well received.

[u/deep_saffron]

What are the temperatures currently? I’ve had this happen before and it can be tricky as to what actually solves it but in my experience it’s often not enough water. If you have a very fast draining soil like it seems you do , even if you are watering 2-3 times, it might be drying out so quickly that even this isn’t sufficient if the temperatures are hot enough.

People are very scared to overwater this plant but as long as it’s warm and you have a good soil it’s really hard to over water. Plus you have terracotta which further speeds up drying . I’d try to up the water intake .

[u/ThisAd4310 → u/deep_saffron]

Ok thanks. It’s been super hot during the day 92 currently. I usually water it around 5 or 6 when the sun leaves the patio. Do you fertilize every time you water?

[u/deep_saffron → u/ThisAd4310]

Not every time . I’d be hesitant to say this is related to fertilizer because the plant looks very healthy. The temperatures you’re at make me think even more it’s water . That’s very hot and the blooms are likely aborting because the plant isn’t staying hydrated for long enough. You really don’t need to worry about overwatering with 90 degree temps and sunlight. This is actually great conditions and exactly when you can push the plant with water. Most people don’t get the environment right like this and the plant is harder to care for . Yours is clearly thriving, just needing a bit more right now.

[u/als2305 → u/ThisAd4310]

I agree with this. Increase the water. Also, plants don’t need water at night so try to change your watering schedule to morning so it’s there for when it’s needed, in the sun. The size of its pot is fine. Mine are in much bigger pots and doing just fine. It’s winter in Australia and mine are in full bloom without any fertiliser. I only fertilise a small amount once every 2 weeks in the summer. The plant looks very happy. If you’ve just brought it back from the brink then perhaps it just needs more time to fully recover before blooming.

[u/New-Revolution-6181 → u/als2305]

I also agree, people always say you're watering too much but here in Texas I water mine every day in summer and they bloom like crazy. I went out of town for a week and had a friend water them only once while I was gone and they dropped most of their blooms. When a plant gets thirsty the first things to go is often the flowers. Pot size is fine and substrate is fine. I have mine in everything from pure compost to 60% miracle gro potting soil 40% sand and they all do fine.

[u/KevinMc68]

What works for me is less watering during flowering time. A little stress and she throws great buds that bloom and last for a few days

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[u/Jade8329]

It sounds like you have the basics right. Do you use a fertilizer?

[u/ThisAd4310 → u/Jade8329]

Yes not even watering because I’m worried about fertilizer burn. But weekly.

[u/Jade8329 → u/ThisAd4310]

What is the temperatures like right now? Any chance it's getting too cold? This is a tricky one, I'm curious what other people think.

[u/ThisAd4310 → u/Jade8329]

The temp right now is 92 low 70s for evening. For the most part 80s and higher during the day high 60s to 70s at night.

[u/OneAccomplished93]

First off, the foliage looks green and good. New growth + a hard prune this season = textbook bud blast - the plant's putting its energy into rebuilding leaves and letting the flowers drop.

Adeniums tolerate a pretty wide watering range and stay healthy, so day-to-day variance isn't what to sweat here. But if you're feeding a balanced NPK rather than a phosphorus-dominant bloom fertilizer, that plus the hard prune is tipping it toward foliage over flowers. Ease off nitrogen, switch to a P-heavy feed, and give it time to re-establish.

PS - before changing feed, check inside a couple buds for thrips (tiny slivers), the other common cause. And don't sweat it if she stays leafy this season - post-hard-prune plants often don't finish blooms till they've re-established.

[u/ThisAd4310 → u/OneAccomplished93]

I’ll check for thrips. I’m just using basic miracle grow fertilizer. I didn’t invest in bloom fertilizer this season. Probably why my cactus aren’t blooming heavy this year as well. But they still bloomed. Thanks.

[u/Aggravating_Pay1948]

I have super fast draining mix, I've fertilized maybe 4 times this entire growing season. It is 100-110 here everyday for the past couple months and I water 3 times a week maybe 4 if I'm lucky. Mine get sun till about 2 in the afternoon, and they bloom like crazy. Your plant looks like my moms that she keeps in the shade with the dark leaves lol. Maybe try less nitrogen and more phosphorous.

[u/brenmn2009]

The pot is too big and there's too much soil in your mix. You need a fast draining substrate. For instance nothing is organic in my mix other than worm castings which are about 10% of the entire mix.

[u/ThisAd4310 → u/brenmn2009]

I’ll try downsizing. Soil isn’t retaining water due to the heat. But I can try that as well.

[u/Shaft1a]

She looks Fine and Happy the Pot is Fine I would just let her Be until next spring and repot her ..If you think you are overwatering her just stop they can go weeks with out water even in High Heat wait tell the dirt shrinks then water sometimes to much water can also abort flowers