Watering a baobab tree

Awesome thread, excellent info and some great trees. Thanks all.

I purchased 3 boabs a little while back, one a digiata and the other two are gregorii. It's a bit like playing Boab roulette at first, when they arrived it was hard to tell if the were stressed from dunking and transport or going dormant but as it was the right time of year and the leaves were yellowing I haven't watered them at all and am just waiting to see what the outcome is.

One gregorii I believe is lost as it got damaged a snapped very easy and the part that came off was very pulpy, it is still firm at the base but I think it is a goner. The other gregorii did lose all it's leave but still has what looks like a new green shoot beginning that never dropped. I'm reasonably certain it is dormant as it hasn't done a thing in months but we shall see.
The digiata seems OK too, still firm and flexible so I have hopes for that one too. Might try and find a cooler corner for them but I guess I wont know how they are until spring.

Hi

Bob (it has got a name) is doing well. I capitulated and sprayed with insecticide and fungicide (organic at least) and manage to get rid of the stuff attacking the leaves. Also removed all the leaves and moved it to a new spot outside. Less hours of sun each day, but being sheltered from our hectic South Easter wind storms.

He responded with huge growth, both leaves and branches and good colour. I had to up watering to twice a day, days are reaching up to 35 deg C sometimes now, and he is loving it. I have decided to let him grow out and go for a bigger Bonzai, will rethink the shape towards the end of somer.

All the literature I have however read, warned that they (Adansonia sp) can only deal with temperatures down to 12 deg C and will die if exposed below this, hence their geographical range are limited to the tropics and frost free "low-veld" in Africa. The Western Cape has a mediterranean climate, with winters occasionally dipping to the low single digits for a few days a year. We also have a long winter rainfall season.

I am not sure if this temperature sensitivity will be "outgrown" and if I can risk having it under the patio roof outside this winter? I am still hesitant to enforce dormancy by stopping watering while it still has foliage when I bring it indoors. Manage to nearly kill my acasia tree that way.

So it looks like my survival rate over winter is down to one A. digiata, one A. gregorii and one A. rubrostipa.
They have been kept inside and now are starting to show a tiny bit of green pushing through but so far this spring has been quite cool and temps are still a ways off of 18°c at night.
Should I water them now and just keep them inside by a window or wait a bit longer?

From what I read you should start giving water now once it is budding.

My situation is the opposite, going into winter now, having a few cold nights, but still well above 12 degrees and having a heat wave this week up to 30 deg.

I can however see that the tree is beginning to go into hibernation, yellowing of leaves started, but still new growth (hope it is not sick).

I am still watering, do I stop feeding or do I continue until I stop watering?

When do I stop watering?  

Worried that I killed one of my acacias trees last year because i stopped watering before it was completely dormant.

2bealive wrote:From what I read you should start giving water now once it is budding.

Yeah that is the plan I just expected to have them outside first, hopefully they will be OK in for another week or so and not get any moisture related problems.

I would like to know why the leaves get bent and a little twisted and saggy.... this must be because of something?
Thanks.

OK, giving up with this tree, it is refusing to hibernate. It is one month away from the end of winter, I have not watered it for nearly six weeks now and it is still sprouting new leaves!

Do I start watering again? Need to repot this year, do I do it first, now or wait another month?

Plantfever wrote:I would like to know why the leaves get bent and a little twisted and saggy.... this must be because of something?
Thanks.

Pictures will help. there are many insects and deceases that causes that. Red spider mite for one, which is very very common with plants indoors.


Plantfever , why did you move it indoors for the winter? I'm also in the Cape and all my Baobabs has been sleeping.

My guess is that bringing it indoors you controlled the temperatures. It's still thinking it is in a very long summer, its soil temperature didn't cool down.

One shouldn't transplant baobabs when in leaf. You are taking a very big risk.

Love and Light
Andre

ANDRE !!!!!!

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ???

Andre Beaurain wrote:

Plantfever , why did you move it indoors for the winter?  I'm also in the Cape and all my Baobabs has been sleeping.

My guess is that bringing it indoors you controlled the temperatures.  It's still thinking it is in a very long summer, its soil temperature didn't cool down.

One shouldn't transplant baobabs when in leaf.  You are taking a very big risk.

Love and Light
Andre

Read everywhere that they die if they are exposed to temperatures under 12 deg? I stay on the Atlantic seaboard side and winter temperatures here often falls below 10deg.

What do I do now, start watering again? Leave it in its pot for another year and fertilise?

Howzit Kevin! Will reveal it all soon, when its done. Still owe you an parcel.

Plantfever, We measured 0 degrees here one morning, I saw frost on the lawn for the first time, and a couple of mornings this winter at 4 degrees. Although the Baobabs are standing under an fiber glass roof of the Aridarium, they still get the outside temperatures. Short bursts of cold will not harm them.

I'm not sure what you must do now, besides not transplanting it. But next March, STOP WATERING.

Love and Light
Andre

Will baobab trees/plants dry out if they dont get any water in 10-14 days during summer?

I will not be at home for at least 10 days and want to know if it will be enough to water one time before I leave?

Thanks in advance.

Hello, this is my first post. Found the site while browsing around looking for baobab advice, as I've recently purchased a tree after wanting one for a long time and now am attempting to learn everything I can in order to care for it properly. To begin with, thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread, it has been extremely interesting and beneficial to me thus far. I'm always grateful to find sharing communities like this one online.

I will be doing my best to familiarize myself with this forum and attempt to post some pictures as soon as possible, but this comment above caught my immediate attention as it relates to my next course of action for my just-purchased and arrived tree:

Andre Beaurain wrote:One shouldn't transplant baobabs when in leaf.  You are taking a very big risk.

I had planned to repot the tree into a coarse, gritty mix, the 1:1:1 formula commonly thrown around other forums. I have a large quantity of decent mix available and was going to pot the plant up from its three-gallon container upon arrival, but this comment has me worried. Could you please expand on what you mean by 'transplant' exactly, and explain what options are there for someone who wants to begin setting a healthy course for a tree while in leaf? I am hoping to keep the tree out in the full sun during our hot summer (I am in Nebraska), and was thinking a large, deep pot might facilitate a thicker trunk. If I cannot transplant it while in leaf, can I at least up-pot it into a larger container using a similar soil?

I will attempt to post a picture soon. Thanks again for this thread and all the advice.

just slip pot it into the larger 3gallon without disturbing the roots. a boabab's biggest enemy is rot, make sure your mix is freely draining and never water it while it doesnt have leaves

Francois wrote:just slip pot it into the larger 3gallon without disturbing the roots. a boabab's biggest enemy is rot, make sure your mix is freely draining and never water it while it doesnt have leaves

Thank you for the reply. I'd like to replace the soil with a more freely-draining gritty mixture, though. This would involved completely removing the soil from the roots. Would such a move as this cause my tree harm right now?

You are in mid summer now right? how many months of summer do you have left?
Boababs have very fleshy roots, think of it like a succulent, because thats what it is

Francois wrote:You are in mid summer now right? how many months of summer do you have left?
Boababs have very fleshy roots, think of it like a succulent, because thats what it is

About 2.5 more months of good heat, probably. Who knows with the weather anymore.

You think it's safe to repot into a better mix now?

Hi, i have a question regarding baobab dormancy. So one should stop watering when the first sign of brown/yellow leaves starts apearing and only begin watering once new growth appears. But how does one go about dormancy in cold climates. Where I live the winters can get really cold (-15 degrees celsius) and summers can get really hot (35 degrees celsius). So my plan is to grow a tree outside during the hot summer months and bring it inside when the temperatures start droping to arround 10 degrees celsius, but my indoor temperature is a steady 23 degrees celsius so by that my tree will never go into dormancy, how should I go about this ? Should I bring a tree to my garage where its a bit cooler to force dormancy, if so when is a good time for a tree to go dormant october, november ? How long should I leave my tree to stay dormant 3,4,5,6...months ? before bringing it inside where its warm and later growing it outside again during the summer.

Thanks in advance guys

If it doesnt have leaves dont water, and start watering about two to three weeks after it has produced new leaves. 35 degrees is nice, it will however easily take 40 45 degrees as well -- it is a succulent
23 degrees might actually be just 5 or 6 degrees above what our winters are. In Limpopo, where Boababs grow, the people's idea of an icy cold winters day is 15-20 degrees HAHAHA that will probably be one of the coldest days of any given winter with nightime temps never going below 8 or 9

People always joke saying you know its cold there whenn the men start wearing two pairs of shorts
Here is the annual temps for Musina, South africa, some huge boababs near here

https://en.climate-data.org/africa/south-africa/limpopo/musina-935/

So if I understand correctly you are saying that at the end of summer my indoor temperatures might just be low enough for the tree to go into dormancy, guess I'll have to wait and see. I just hope i'll get enought months of growth during the year before dormancy for any kind of significant tree development. Comes the end of september and temperatures outside will be pretty much too low here, really sucks to grow tropical trees in these cold climates the ammount of growth they get during the year is just so limited. Btw peoples idea of an icy winter arround here is -25 degrees or even lower, you know its bad when your breath starts to freeze over Anyway thanks for the help.

Hello,

I have got a problem with dormancy and I can't find the answer.

This is the first summer of my tree. I planted the seeds in the begining of the winter, it was growing under growlights the whole time. As summer come, I put it on the windows sill, got a little cold at night and started to think It's winter now.
What should I do with it? It's only got two leafs left, I put it in a warm room with light for now.

Shoud I keep watering it, If the temperature is warm and It is summer, but the plant is droping leafes?
What is the most ideal thing to do in a situation like this?

Sorry for my English, Thanks for the help!

If it dropped leaves, do not water. Leave it where it is (outdoors if it does not rain) and nature will take its course
It should come back to life soon.
As it has been quite long time since you have asked this question, maybe you can tell us what happened ?

Thanks,
Vas

All of It leafs fell off and I stopped watering it. Looks like a stick in the ground.

Can't see any sign of "waking up" yet, hopefully It will. I will post If something happens with it.

Today I noticed a sprout/bud on my tree, so at the end of the summer It's starts to wake up.
Don't really know what to do with it yet. I'm planing on no dormacy at winter this year, hope It's gona work out well.