Troubleshooting Early Dormancy Issues

You've carefully brought your adeniums indoors for winter, following all the recommended protocols, and now—just days or weeks later—your plants are showing concerning symptoms. Leaves are dropping rapidly, stems look different, or the whole plant seems to be struggling. Is this normal dormancy, or is something wrong? This is one of the most anxiety-inducing periods for adenium growers, especially those new to overwintering. Let's walk through exactly what's happening, how to distinguish normal dormancy from genuine problems, and what actions you should (and shouldn't) take.

Understanding Why Plants Show Stress After Coming Indoors

First, let's acknowledge reality: bringing adeniums indoors is inherently stressful for them, even when done perfectly. You're asking tropical plants that spent months basking in intense sunlight, warm temperatures, and natural air circulation to suddenly adapt to dim indoor light, cooler conditions, and stagnant air. Even with gradual acclimation, this is a major environmental shift.

The Light Reduction Factor

This is usually the biggest shock. Even your brightest south-facing window provides perhaps 10-20% of the light intensity your plants received outdoors in full sun. For plants, this isn't just dimmer—it's a fundamental signal that growing season has ended. They respond by beginning to shut down active growth processes and prepare for dormancy.

Temperature Changes

Outdoor, your adeniums might have experienced 80-90°F days. Indoors, they're typically in 65-72°F conditions. While this is safe for them, it's noticeably cooler, which further signals dormancy time.

Humidity and Air Circulation

Outdoor conditions typically provide better air movement and often higher humidity (especially in the morning with dew). Indoor air is often drier and stagnant, which plants notice immediately. Spider mites notice too, unfortunately, and thrive in these conditions.

Root Disturbance

If you repotted when bringing plants in, or even just moved them from their outdoor spots, roots were disturbed. Any root disruption causes temporary stress as the plant reestablishes contact with its soil.

The Psychological Factor for Growers

Here's something rarely discussed: part of the "stress" you're seeing might be your own anxiety rather than genuine plant distress. When you saw your plants daily outdoors, you were less vigilant. Now they're indoors where you see them constantly, and you're scrutinizing every leaf. Normal changes you'd never have noticed outdoors become alarming indoors. This matters because grower anxiety often leads to overreaction—excessive watering, fertilizing, or fussing that causes real problems.

Sudden Leaf Drop vs. Normal Dormancy: Learning the Difference

This is the most common concern I hear from growers in October and November. Your adenium came inside looking healthy, and now leaves are falling off. Is it dying? Usually not—but let's learn to distinguish normal from problematic.

Normal Dormancy Leaf Drop - What to Expect

Natural dormancy-related leaf drop follows predictable patterns:

Timing: Leaf drop typically begins 1-3 weeks after bringing plants indoors. It may start slowly with a few leaves yellowing, then accelerate over 2-3 weeks. By 4-6 weeks indoors, many adeniums will be completely leafless.

Progression: Leaves yellow first, usually starting with older, lower leaves. The yellowing is relatively even across the leaf. After several days of yellowing, leaves drop cleanly, often at the slightest touch. There's a clean separation at the leaf base.

Plant condition: The caudex and stems remain firm and healthy-looking. The plant looks "asleep" rather than distressed. New growth tips may be visible but dormant.

Consistency: If you have multiple adeniums, most will show similar patterns at similar times (though some varieties are more eager to drop leaves than others).

What it looks like: Imagine a tree losing leaves in autumn. It's a natural, orderly process. Leaves don't all drop at once, and the plant's structure remains sound throughout.

Stress-Related Leaf Drop - Red Flags

Problematic leaf drop has different characteristics:

Timing: Leaves may drop within days of coming indoors—too fast for normal dormancy. Or drops occur suddenly rather than gradually.

Appearance: Leaves may drop while still green, or show uneven yellowing with brown spots or edges. Leaves may wilt before dropping rather than yellowing first.

Plant condition: The caudex feels softer than before, or shows soft spots. Stems may look wrinkled or discolored. The overall appearance is distress rather than peaceful dormancy.

Other symptoms: Accompanied by other problems like stem browning, caudex discoloration, or foul smell from soil.

Pattern: Only one or two plants affected while others in same conditions remain fine, suggesting plant-specific issues rather than environmental response.

A Practical Test

Gently squeeze the caudex at its widest point. A plant entering normal dormancy feels firm with slight give—healthy turgor despite leaf drop. A stressed plant may feel noticeably softer or show soft spots. This single test often distinguishes normal from problematic more reliably than leaf symptoms alone.

Case Example: Normal Dormancy

Sarah brought her three-year-old adenium indoors in early October. By late October, lower leaves began yellowing. Over the next three weeks, the plant progressively lost leaves from bottom to top. By Thanksgiving, it was completely bare. The caudex remained firm, stems stayed plump and healthy-looking, and small growth points were visible at branch tips. This is textbook normal dormancy—nothing to worry about.

Case Example: Stress Response

Mike brought his adenium collection indoors in mid-October but forgot to check them carefully for pests first. Within one week, one plant dropped half its leaves—still green, just suddenly falling off. Close inspection revealed fine webbing and spider mites. The rapid leaf drop was the plant's stress response to heavy pest pressure, not normal dormancy. Treatment with insecticidal soap resolved the issue.

Addressing Transplant Shock: When Repotting Causes Problems

If you repotted your adeniums when bringing them indoors (or shortly after), and now they're showing stress, transplant shock might be the culprit.

Understanding Transplant Shock

Transplant shock occurs when root disturbance interrupts the plant's ability to take up water and nutrients. Symptoms typically appear 3-7 days after repotting and can include rapid leaf drop, wilting, or leaves that feel limp despite adequate soil moisture.

Why It Happens During Dormancy Transition

Repotting is stressful anytime, but doing it during the transition to dormancy compounds the challenge. The plant is already dealing with environmental changes, and now you've added root disturbance. Its ability to compensate is diminished because it's slowing metabolic processes.

Prevention (For Next Year)

The ideal time to repot adeniums is spring, when they're actively growing and can quickly regenerate disturbed roots. If you must repot when bringing plants indoors:

• Do it before bringing them in, while they're still outdoors and acclimated to outdoor conditions
• Minimize root disturbance—slip plants into slightly larger pots with fresh soil around edges rather than completely breaking up the root ball
• Water lightly after repotting and then wait 7-10 days before bringing indoors, allowing roots to establish

Addressing Current Transplant Shock

If you're currently dealing with transplant shock:

Don't overwater: This is the most common mistake. Growers see wilting and assume the plant needs water, but the problem is root disturbance, not dehydration. Excess water on damaged roots causes rot. Water only when soil is dry and caudex shows signs of slight softening.

Provide optimal conditions: Place the plant in your brightest location with moderate temperatures (65-70°F). Avoid temperature extremes.

Leave it alone: Resist the urge to check roots, adjust soil, or otherwise fuss with the plant. It needs time to heal, not additional disturbance.

Wait it out: Recovery from transplant shock takes 2-4 weeks typically. The plant may drop leaves as it redirects energy to root recovery. As long as the caudex stays firm, this is manageable.

Consider a recovery strategy: Some growers successfully use dilute seaweed extract or root stimulator (like Superthrive) to help plants recover from transplant shock. Use at 1/4 the recommended strength if you try this approach. But honestly, time and benign neglect work as well as anything.

When to Worry

If the caudex develops soft spots or discoloration after repotting, you may have damaged roots more severely than realized or introduced root rot. Unpot and inspect. Remove any mushy roots and allow the plant to callous before repotting in completely dry soil.

Temperature Adjustment Problems: Too Hot, Too Cold, or Fluctuating

Temperature issues are subtle but significant causes of early dormancy problems. Let's address the most common scenarios.

Problem 1: The Too-Cold Window

The scenario: You've placed adeniums at a beautiful south-facing window—the brightest spot in your house. But the window area gets significantly colder than the room, especially at night. Window glass radiates cold, and the 72°F room temperature may be 55°F or cooler right at the window.

The symptoms: Plants against the window show stress—more dramatic leaf drop, stems that look slightly puckered, or discolored spots on the caudex where it faces the cold glass. Plants further from the window are fine.

The solution: Move plants back 12-18 inches from the window. Yes, light intensity drops, but avoiding cold damage matters more. Or, on particularly cold nights, move plants away from windows temporarily. A thermometer placed right at plant level tells you exactly what temperature your plants experience.

Problem 2: The Too-Warm, Too-Dark Environment

The scenario: Plants are in a warm room (70-75°F) but without adequate light. The warmth suggests to the plant it should be growing, but low light means it can't photosynthesize effectively. This conflict creates stress.

The symptoms: Etiolated (stretched, pale) growth attempts, followed by leaf drop. The plant looks confused—trying to grow but unable to sustain growth. You may see new growth emerge that's elongated and weak.

The solution: Either increase light (add grow lights if you want active growth) or decrease temperature to encourage full dormancy. The mismatch of temperature and light causes the problem. Cool and dim, or warm and bright—both work. Warm and dim creates stress.

Problem 3: Extreme Fluctuations

The scenario: Your home heating cycles dramatically, or plants are near a heat register that blasts hot air periodically, or they're near a door that opens frequently to cold outdoor air. Temperature swings of 20-30°F within short periods stress adeniums.

The symptoms: Unpredictable leaf drop, caudex wrinkling, general appearance of confusion. The plant can't establish dormancy patterns because conditions keep changing.

The solution: Find a more stable location. Use a min/max thermometer to track actual temperature ranges at plant level. Look for locations away from heat vents, exterior doors, and drafty windows. Consistency matters more than hitting a perfect temperature.

Problem 4: Unheated Spaces That Get Too Cold

The scenario: Plants are in an unheated garage, basement, or sunroom where temperatures drop below 50°F regularly or occasionally dip to 40°F or below during cold snaps.

The symptoms: Caudex develops dark, water-soaked looking spots. These may not appear immediately—cold damage can manifest days or weeks after exposure. Damaged tissue eventually turns brown or black.

The solution: Move plants immediately to warmer conditions. Inspect for damage. If you find soft or discolored areas on the caudex, you may need to cut away damaged tissue (see our article on emergency rescue techniques). Prevention is key—never let adeniums experience temperatures below 45°F.

The "Wait and Watch" Approach: When Doing Nothing Is Best

Here's wisdom that took me years to learn: when your newly-indoor adeniums show concerning symptoms, your best action is usually no action.

Why restraint matters:

You can't reverse dormancy: If a plant has decided to go dormant in response to changed conditions, you can't stop it. Fighting natural dormancy causes more stress than allowing it.

Overreaction causes real problems: Most adenium deaths during early dormancy occur because growers react to normal dormancy symptoms by overwatering, fertilizing, or otherwise intervening inappropriately.

Time reveals truth: A plant entering normal dormancy looks concerning today but completely fine in three weeks when dormancy is established. A plant with real problems shows progressive deterioration. Time distinguishes these.

The Two-Week Rule

When you notice concerning symptoms, give the plant two weeks of appropriate basic care (minimal water, no fertilizer, appropriate temperature and light) before taking any dramatic action. After two weeks:

• If the plant stabilized (even if leafless), it's fine
• If symptoms progressed (soft caudex, spreading discoloration), investigate further
• If you're still uncertain, give it another week

This restraint saves far more plants than immediate intervention.

What Actions ARE Appropriate

While I'm advocating restraint, some actions are helpful during early dormancy issues:

Monitor closely: Check plants weekly. Note changes, but don't panic over each dropped leaf.

Adjust watering: Most early dormancy problems involve too much water, not too little. Verify soil is dry before watering. When in doubt, wait.

Verify conditions: Use a thermometer at plant level. Confirm drainage holes aren't blocked. Ensure good air circulation.

Inspect for pests: Early stress often attracts pests or allows existing pests to flourish. Check carefully for spider mites, mealybugs, or scale.

Document: Take photos weekly. This helps you see whether change is progressive (concerning) or stable (probably fine).

Stay calm: Your emotional state affects your decisions. Anxiety leads to overreaction. Trust the process.

Final Thoughts

Early dormancy is an anxiety-producing time for adenium growers, especially those new to overwintering. Plants that looked perfect outdoors suddenly seem to be struggling indoors. In most cases, what you're seeing is normal adaptation to changed conditions—the beginning of dormancy. The plant isn't dying; it's going to sleep.

Learn to distinguish normal dormancy (gradual leaf yellowing and drop, firm caudex, clean leaf separation) from genuine problems (rapid green leaf drop, soft caudex spots, progressive deterioration). When in doubt, wait and watch rather than intervening. Most adeniums that survive their first two weeks indoors will sail through the entire winter successfully. The key is providing appropriate conditions and resisting the urge to "fix" plants that are actually just fine—they're simply doing what adeniums naturally do when seasons change.

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Concerned about your adenium's transition to dormancy? We're here to help you troubleshoot!

Contact us at: contact@americanadenium.com