Fun with Baobabs

Hopefully they are just dormant.

I've done a lot of research on them; people either seem to find they they grow massive really quick or really slowly. I'd rather them grow slower to be honest. My house is full of "baby" plants, at the minute the ones I'm growing look like blades of grass, so adding a stick to the mix won't harm haha.

Thank you for getting back to me :)

Well I bought some seeds :-) I'm just waiting for them to arrive now :-)

And I'm pleased to announce that one of them has started leafing out again, pretty much on schedule. The stick of the other one is firm and has some green inside (I broke off the very topmost tip to check), so it's probably still alive, too.

DallasDad, did yours swell very much during the presoak?

2ndchance I've also bought baobabs. I did make a post but no responses. Mine didn't swell much and neither did my boyfriends. He did cut the seed shell until it started "goo-ing". I didn't with my first two and with my 3rd one I did cut the shell but it didn't goo.

My boyfriends has grown and is about 8 inches tall now...mine are still...well nothing.

No, not much swelling.

I filed all the light brown coat off mine and soaked them in hot water, changing it twice a day for 3 days, but there wasn't much swelling. Mine have been planted one week now. Too soon to report sucess or failure.

This message was edited Mar 6, 2009 6:27 AM

2ndchance my boyfriends had shot within a few days. He planted them on the Monday and by Friday there was signs of growth.

Did you take all of the brown coating off? I still have more seeds so I am curious.

I filed off all the light brown coating, leaving a dark brown coat exposed. If I get no germination after 2 weeks, I lift them out and nick them instead.

I have germination! I planted 4 seeds according to the standard directions (sandy damp soil). There is no action there. But 2 of the 3 seeds I planted in peat pellets are popping up. Go figure.

ooh congratulations. Did you keep the peat pellets damp?

yep, quite moist.

Heya, I just came across your post as I was doing some research online about Baobabs. I've just bought a little packet of seeds today from my local garden shop, and thought I'd give growing them a try.

How are your two surviving plants doing? It's crazy how it from 8 seeds it went to only 2 plants.. I guess that's natural selection at work there.

Just put two out of the 5 seeds I had to soak, going to see what happens :)

One seedling is doing well, but growth seems to have stopped. The other seedling seems to be dying. A third seedling popped up yesterday.

2ndChance, hope your seedlings make it through! Since root rot appears to be a big killer amongst these plants, are you sure you didn't leave the soil of the second plant too wet?

I have no idea . . . . . . . live and learn. I'll probably get some more.

Hello, I'm new to your post. I've joined to give a little hope to those having trouble with baobab. For what it's worth I planted my seeds over 8 months ago and this week one sprouted! I did not soak, nick, scare or file (could be why it took 8 months). What I offer is hope along with much patents and your seed may still sprout. I’ve read they remain viable to 4 years. Good luck.

Brilliant MiMan.

I have two growing, my boyfriend has one. One is sprouting and growing loads, the other two are quite pale and loosing their colour. My boyfriend has one which is loosing colour, one of mine is loosing colour and the one I had lots of trouble with in the beginning is thriving.

I love baobabs.

I've found they need quite a bit of water when young. I haven't figured out yet when to reduce the watering. They sprout w/i two weeks if you file them down and do the hot water soak.

I just water when dry. It's all trial and error for me. I filed mine and soaked in hot water and mine didn't germinate....my boyfriend did the same and his sprouted in about 2 days...it's unfair. I had to get him to germinate them for me. I think it helps as his window was South facing and mine was North.

Here’s a new pic, germination for me has been more miss that hit! I have planted 8 seeds, 5 in pre-mix tree soil with no nicking or boiling about 9 months ago and another 3 a month ago that I nicked and soaked in hot tap water for 48 hours. The only plant I have is the one in the pic and it was of the first 5 with no prep!


This message was edited Sep 8, 2009 3:07 PM

Looking good so far!

Nice. All of mine sprout, but then they die. I'm really not sure what I am doing wrong.

I’ll tell you exactly what I’ve done, maybe it could help(I’m no pro).

After the plant sprouted.

Moved to 8” pot, gravel in bottom, soil is name brand tree soil, South window(partially shaded by trees).

Watered twice a week(warm water) until plant had two sets of new leaves, one watering(each week) was with name brand 15/30/15, a light dose. Mix by the continual feeding instructions on box.

I have slowed watering now to once a week(about ½ cup, no fertilizer).

Carry it around the house singing to it! Just kidding.

I wish you luck.


This message was edited Sep 28, 2009 11:08 AM

This message was edited Sep 28, 2009 11:10 AM

Mine were planted in small pots and when they sprouted I just left them in the pots until they get too big. Once they have sprouted I water when dry - although I did water one more than the other and that plant is doing a lot better than the other one.

I managed to germinate a seed a few months ago, and it is now about 50cms tall. The first leaves are now turning yellow and beginning to drop off. As the tree is deciduous, I am wondering if I should stop watering now for the winter, and if I should keep it warm in the house. Any advice on this matter gratefully accepted. Thanks

I keep losing mine after thr first set of leaves, but I would definately keep it warm inside the home.

I have a couple of 3 year old African boababs on my windowsill that I grew from seed, and they are now over 5 feet high. My 2 year old boababs are about 2 feet high. I did not do anything to prepare the seeds except to put them in a coffee cup of water that had just come out of a microwave boil, and then let them soak overnight. About 50% sprouted in a few days to a few weeks. I am in Virginia so I can not leave them outside for the winter. I stop watering them after the first frost, and I do not water them again until the last frost of spring. They come back pretty quick after watering in the spring.

My biggest problem is white flies and little black bugs on the underside of the leaves that suck the sap and kill the leaves. I used to take each leaf and rub insecticidal soap on its underside to keep the bugs at bay for a couple of months. But now I am using a more potent insecticide. I have not noticed any problem with the detergent or the insecticide damaging the leaves. I water occasionally when they look dry and I try to avoid soaking the roots.

In 2010 my biggest baobabs are hitting the ceiling, and I have pruned them to a nice shape. And I am wondering who can I will them to so that they will live out their natural 500+ years?

Here is a November 2009 picture of one of my 3 year old, 6 ft tall Baobabs grown indoors next to a South facing window in Virginia:

http://www.infiltec.com/Baobab@home/Baobab-3yo-6ft-Nov08-2009.jpg

Around September each year I stop watering all my baobabs for the winter so that the leaves will fall off and they will go into hibernation until the spring when I will resume watering. This year I started watering them in May 2010 and they have all come back with new leaves. My largest baobabs did not lose all their leaves even while hibernating over the winter, but the small ones do.

This year I have some new seeds from Madagascar baobabs, and they are already growing on my windowsill.

Show off. :P

Hi I stumbled across your baobab pics - look great! I love a baobab tree - Just something interesting I found at one of our local shops - a "grow your own bonsai from seed" kit which comes with a ceramic pot, soil, drainage mesh and baobab seeds - so maybe if baobabs battle to grow in your climate some could try this little bonsai baobab!

Hi i sucessfully germinated baobab,but root system were damaged by me,but still two other raised, i want to share information that baobob need direct hot sunlight and water combination to rise,humus rich sandy soil will increase speed to rise.no need to boil/pile/soak.It is good to germinate in summer and sunny day(28 degrees c +).It will be very fast..but keep seeds in sunlight in combination with white ash for some days say 10 to 45 days to become lighted and tree stronger.Its a practise followed in india by seed experts,ash will make not ants ,flies etc,sunlight will make seed mature in oils etc.boiling makes seed weaker and more chances to die/live unhealthy. I think alignment of seed is important.hole gives water and soil to promote expantion and easy rise,Thank you all for information.

Hello fellow baobab enthusiasts. I'm a total novice here looking for advice, tips, reassurance, moral support, etc.

In the spring of 2013 I brought a small baobab cutting back with me from at trip to Senegal. I stuck it in a pot with some regular potting soil, watered it a bit, and was really surprised by how quickly it took off. The earlier of the two photos below (bob2013.jpg) was taken at the end of June, 2013, after only about 3 months.

After the plant (affectionately known as Bob the Baobab) went dormant over the winter I was excited to see how much it would grown in its second year. But although it's clearly still alive, I've been surprised and a little worried about how slowly it has progressed. The 2nd photo below (bob2014.jpg) was taken today, June 29th. As you can see, the first leaves are only just now beginning to unfurl and it looks way, way behind where it was at this time last year.

Is this normal? Should I be concerned about how slow Bob has been to put out new leaves?