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Wonder if someone can help me? I have a desert rose and I have it in full sun and water it once a week. It developed a single flower and immediately began to lose its leaves (they curled up prior to dropping). Have I over-watered the plant? Is full sun too hot? Is this plant prone to a particular type of pest or disease?
Full sun is fine for it, but it sounds like it's not getting ENOUGH water. Though they don't like to be bogged down and soggy, a daily watering may be necessary depending on your temps. If the top of the soil is dry, give it some more water.
When the weather starts to cool, reduce watering at that time.
How can I make my plant branch out? It only has a few leaves at the tip, so I sort of hate to pinch it unless that is standard practice. It is about 20 inches tall, in a pot, and about a year old. I have to take it in for the winter, and it loses it's lower leaves. Thanks for any advice you can give.
Full sun is the key for blooms. The misunderstanding of what full sun is, is quite common. Picture laying on the beach, getting your tan on. That's full sun. These require a minimum of 6 hours of direct full sun. During the summer, ours receive approx 12-13 full hours of direct sun.
Many think that a screened pool enclosure is considered full sun. Depending on the screen, it can block 10-40% of the light the plant needs. That's the most common one we come across.
Pruning will also induce flowering. Unless you're in an area that's evergreen for these, it's to late to do it now, but as soon as they show signs of breaking dormancy, it's a good time to prune.
