2 Boabs & a Baobab

[Starfox]

Hola todos!

So when I made my recent plant order I was surprised to find that they sold a few different species of Adansonia so I added some to my basket, specifically 2 A. gregorii and one A. digiata. Purely as a curiosity really but if I can keep them alive in my climate I figure why not give them a go. No way they can be allowed to grow large in our yard so they have to stay in a pot
They are definitely bonsaiable too https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=a...X&ved=0ahUKEwihzt7k7LLQAhXCzRoKHZ4_BAsQsAQIGg

I know the digiata will be a faster grower than the others and that you shouldn't water over winter much or at all(which is great as the nursery soaked it all before shipping and 2 are sulking now).
These are pretty young and somewhat unimpressive trees right now, little more than a stick in a pot that will it's time time growing out .

I'm hoping there may be someone who has had one or knows anything that can help, maybe some of our SA friends, Tropics people or Aussies may be more fañiliar with them?

Right now my main worry is keeping them alive over winter so any tips to help me achieve that would be great?
Should I repot them now in to something larger because they are in tiny nursery pots or just leave them for the winter?
From what I can tell is cold and water at the wrong time are my two biggest concerns so I am thinking I will be needing to bring them in from the rain and colder nights which probably wouldn't be too many nights here but better to be vigilant. I have read that they slow down below 10deg C.

Any ideas?

 

[Daniele]

Hola from Italy!
I have sown some seeds of Adansonia digitata in 2015 and kept them in small pots during winter, inside (I live in Northern Italy and winter is definitely colder than in Costa Blanca) .
The matter is that in winter you must allow them to drop their leaves and keep them completely dry until they sprout again.
I kept them at home from end October till March 15 ( last water November 3 - 4 months dry).
Then I repotted them in larger and deeper pots with very draining soil ( the same you use for cactus).

 

[Starfox]

Hi Daniele,
Thanks for the reply.
That is pretty much what I had read, no water all winter which I can do. And the cactus mix, that seems reasonable too.
We don't get frosts here, we can get very close and those are the nights I worry about as well as the rain. Do you have them next to a window when they are inside or in a low light place?
If I bring them in after the leaf drop would it matter that the house temp is higher than outside temperature?

How much growth did they put on in the growing season?

Sorry for all the questions but these are new to me.

 

[Random User]

The question I'd ask her too, is if these trees like to be re-potted at all... maybe you'd be better off putting it into a large (permanent sized) container with a bonsai type soil (although her description of "cactus soil" is close to what I'd call bonsai soil anyway). But if you did, it might look silly for a number of years until the tree and the pot came into a better symmetry.

 

[Starfox]

The question I'd ask her too, is if these trees like to be re-potted at all... maybe you'd be better off putting it into a large (permanent sized) container with a bonsai type soil (although her description of "cactus soil" is close to what I'd call bonsai soil anyway). But if you did, it might look silly for a number of years until the tree and the pot came into a better symmetry.

From what little I have read is that you can give them light root pruning before spring and you can trunk chop easy enough. The digiata has a couple of long roots already coming out of it's pot so either they need to be pruned or planted soon I imagine.
They will definitely be going into larger pots for probably a few years to build girth, not sure if using an air-pot might be a good idea or bad?
I can pretty easy rustle up a reasonable inorganic soil but a cactus mix sounds like it would be better for growing, to be honest I'd happily plant it in potting mix but the risk of rot appears to be a major factor.

 

[Random User]

My idea about putting it in a large pot is with the intent to have the trunk thicken as quickly as possible. If it happened to grow wide, not tall, it would greatly benefit your end game. I'm thinking shallow and wide pot, but she definitely said "deep pot"... but I'd follow her suggestions, not mine.

 

[Starfox]

Looks to be some sound advice here, some nice tree progression too.
http://www.waterberg24.co.za/directory/files/documents/59.pdf

Also good info about bringing the tree in when dormant, that answers one of my questions. But what is flowers of sulphur and presuming I can't get that here what is a good alternative, not that I'll be cutting the roots anytime soon.

 

[GrimLore]

But what is flowers of sulphur

It is sulfur, sold in powder form to mix with water and treat a variety of plants. I use it on fruit trees and roses here. Bonide sells a decent size container for 9.99USD and it is the same as sulfur used on pets for insects. In bonsai if sold as Lime sulfur it is 20 times the cost and 1/3 strength on average. Commonly called FOS by growers.

Edit: I mix 2 tablespoons per gallon of water so 1 pound lasts a long time.

Grimmy

 

[Starfox]

Excellent, thanks for that clarification.
Just checked and it looks like I have a few options available locally. Think I would have lots of uses for it too so will grab some.

 

[hemmy]

I raised one from seed and had trouble the first year, I didn't water and the stem actually shriveled. The bulbous root was solid and the upper stem was intact so I cut out bad part and grafted it lower (poorly). That was 5yrs ago. My never seems to have left a Southern Hemisphere growing cycle and it get leaves in The fall and drops them in early summer. The problem is that our winter lows get below 50F which really slows growth. I just potted it up to a 3gal at bud break this fall, I tried to only do minimal root work but it is still sulking and has not extended branches past first flush. Picture below. I ordered some from Florida this year hoping they are on a 'northern hemisphere' cycle. They aren't green but growth stopped, so I'lol defoliate in late Dec (start of our winter) and withhold water hoping they go dormant.

 

[Starfox]

Thanks for sharing, at least you know you can keep it alive over time and it looks healthy enough.
Our average temp is above 50dF in the coldest months, just but it is the night time lows that go under. I think once they go dormant I will bring them inside if for nothing else to protect from the rain or wind.
Very odd that it seems synched to out of season, I had no idea that is possible or how that could even happen. Maybe the first year stress affected it? I can see how that would cause issues so I think the fact it is alive is brilliant.
The place I got these from had about 5 different Adansonia species to choose from so if I can keep these alive I will order more.

 

[Daniele]

Daniele corresponds to Daniel in English, I' m a male.
I also followed direction by http://www.waterberg24.co.za/directory/files/documents/59.pdf, it is South African and they should no better about this species.
The first year I took them inside and withheld watering and they went dormant.
This year I have taken them inside 20 days ago and stopped watering, they los most leaves (still some green leaves on top of the bigger).
Temperatures here went close to 32dF a couple of nights, now they are about 5odF, but a lot of rain.
Even if the temperatures in Costa Brava are milder, I think you'd better keep them inside; as you have read, when they go dormant, you can even keep them without any light at all as you would do with a bulb of tulip.
I have no experience of African climate, but I guess the difference is between "dry season" and "humid season", not between hot and cold.
Finally, this is a picture of the higher of the two, in August.

 

[Daniele]

Sorry the image is not complete, I'll try to do better

 

[Starfox]

Thanks Daniele for that.
I think I will bring mine in tonight as we are due to have a rainy week, the night temps will only be around 8-10ºC at the coldest but it is the rain I want to avoid.