Please help save my desert rose

[Sotong gardener]

Hi, I need help. The leaves of my desert rose dropped off after it has been exposed to a few days of heavy rain. The branches became soft and white patches started to appear. Any idea what should I do to rescue my plant? Is it under some type of fungi attack or too much rain water? Please advice. Many thanks for your help really.

[imafan26]

Desert roses come from South Africa and Arabia where the winters are normally dry. Desert roses do lose their leaves in winter and look kind of dead.
If they are yound without the swollen bellies they can sometimes stay outside as long as it does not rain continuously. If it rains a lot I will bring them under cover and they too will lose their leaves.
Once the adenium grows a belly, and if you live in a place that rains every day, then it is best to move the adenium under cover, let the leaves fall off and only water sparingly until the monsoon stops and then they can go back outside again.

If the base is soft it is probably rotting. Cut off the soft branches and see if you have anything left. Take it out of the pot and check the roots if they are rotting. If the roots and base has rotted it is probably too late to save it.

I have my older adeniums in rocks and most of them are in clay and cement pots that are the smallest that the plant could fit. Clay and cement breathes so they dry much faster. I still lose a few especially when it rains every day for weeks, but most of the younger ones survive. I only use rocks no soil; no potting soil, so there is good air ciculation. Normally, because of the way that I water, I can water these lightly every day without harm. I did clean out the weeds in my succulents, but a lot of time in winter, I will let the weeds stay since they will suck up excess water.

Which reminds me that it has been raining a lot here too, so I better check on my succulents too. I may have to bring them in. I already moved the lavender under the eaves otherwise they would be black by now.

[imafan26]

I just checked my succulents. Except for the Browne cactus that has been heading out the door anyway, they are fine even with all the rain.

[Sotong gardener]

Thank you imafan for your reply! I have been waiting anxiously for some advice. Do I really have to cut out the soft branches? I bought this pot because I like the big base and the big branches. Some of these big branches have turned soft and hence I supported them using the string. I am hoping that it would grow back firm again.

[Sotong gardener]

I just moved the plant under a shade so that it would not be exposed to the rain again. It's raining almost everyday here. I have also just loosened the soil so that it could breathe and dry better.

[imafan26]

The soft branches are rotting and you are unlikely to be able to save them. Your best bet it still to cut them back to healthy tissue. It won't look the same but if you leave the rotted parts it is likely to keep rotting back.

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, absolutely agree with imafan. You can't un-rot rotten branches; you have to get rid of them.

It is called desert rose for a reason. Make sure it is in cactus mix or some similar very free draining potting mix with no peat moss.