"vastly different".... is what sets adenium apart from most other plants ...no two are ever alike
the dry leaf tips are caused by little or no water ...but now, due to dormancy is exactly what you want to see
dormant leaves may or may not make it ...overall, dormant plants do not look their best ...or even look good or healthy .... focus now on keeping plants alive by not watering
Pruning ..
if you prune now, you may not get any new stem growth - if you do get new stem growth, you will be lucky to get one new stem with a single leaf ..... wait when the plant is more vigorous and new stem growth will be anywhere from 1 to 5 -
vigor will return when plants are outside, soaking up the sun, getting water & fertilizer
right now your plant stems look okay - and at the moment do not display a leggy appearance ...
if pruned early enough you will still have flowering ...
as plant matures (about 6 to 8 years) after flowering, wait about 6 to 10 days before pruning to make sure you don't cut off seed pods
Before pruning -
study the entire plant - top to bottom ...turn plant a full 360° circle ....study where the stems are now and what they are doing - and - where they are "headed to" or where they might be in the future
you will want to remove any stem that crosses or rubs against another ...which to cut and which to save should be based on which is the better stem to save
likewise if 2 stem tips bump into each other - remove the "worse of the 2"
cut out any stem that has an unnatural appearance or growing at a weird angle, or seem out of place
if you want the plant to have a bushy appearance you would cut all stems by at least half ...stagger the heights of the cuts so it looks more natural
likewise -
if you want the plant to have a upright appearance you would cut all side stems
when new stems appear ...pinch out leaves that shade or crowd-out other stems ....
repeat the prune process next year
an advantage to cutting the stems back by half - is that re-growth will be a stronger stem - this stronger framework will support large heavy flowers ..... and prevent stem bending
the same "trick" fruit growers use to prevent snapped or bent stems producing peaches, plums, pears & apples
