baobab no.1

[jason biggs]

i'm sure most of u don't know much about the species but try + help.The tree is 38 years old + i have had it for 10 years + have never cut a branch for fear of messing it up [which i seem to be really good at]would you shorten the main long branch??would you remove the 2 lowest small branches,or maybe just 1?? These trees grow really slowly but are pretty forgiving when large cuts are made....

 

[GerhardG]

Hi Jason

These trees grow really slowly but are pretty forgiving when large cuts are made

In the Caprivi they believe wrapping a newborn baby in a piece of Baobab bark will make the little one strong, so I assume they can handle it.

Your pics are really small, but even without seeing a better shot my first thought is leave it alone, and be thankfull and proud to own that tree.

BTW....I saw (should I say beheld??) a 2000 year old Baobab litterally riddled with thousands LMG rounds, it used to a guard tower for the SADF and from up there you can see the spot where 4 countries meet.

 

[jason biggs]

is that at katima??which bone head would fire lmg rounds into such a tree?anyway i have cut the tree right back + wired it. Will post better pictures tomorrow

 

[GerhardG]

Hi

On the eastern part of Impalila Island, that forms the sharp point of the Caprivi.

Very simple, bored soldiers! When I was last there they'd been gone for 17 years, dirt airfield was still good as the day it was constructed and the dimpled Baobab looked good for another 1000 years.
Funny enough, there was one tree (probably 600-800 years old) which was in the process of dying, seemingly something that takes a few years - they start shrinking.

Looking forward to the photos....

 

[snobird]

You can shorten the long dominant branch in Pic4 to the length of the other branches to balance the canopy. The height of the tree is good now and you can start to broaden and ramify the top.

 

[Joedes3]

Baobob

I've heard that these trees are very slow growers. How long does it take to grow a decent trunk?

 

[jason biggs]

snobird i have cut that long branch almost right off,shortened all the main branches + wired them all downwards-will post pics monday....with adansonia it is all about growing conditions-if you have hot summers + mild winters + can grow in the ground i would say from 6-10 years for a reasonable trunk.in a pot give yourself 20 years....my second tree same age has a stronger trunk but much wimpier branches....

 

[snobird]

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&s...&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

 

[buffrider]

Wow>>>>>> huge!!!!!!

 

[jason biggs]

no funny comments about the wiring or photographic brilliance.......

 

[GerhardG]

Hi Jason

No funny comments.......just envy!

I'm guessing the leaves don't reduce much?

 

[Attila Soos]

Hi Guys (from South Africa):

This is not much related to the current topic, but I need your imput, so I thought to ask it here:

My Carissa grandiflora (Natal Plum) always has the biggest growth spur this time of the year, which is early fall, here in Southern California. I am intrigued by this, because this plant likes heat, and yet it grows best when the weather starts cooling down.

My question is, when is the main growing season down there, in South Africa, for the same species (Carissa)? Is it in September, which is spring for you, or April, which would be the early fall in South Africa?

By the way, it is the same with my Australian trees. When my northern temperate trees are just about to shut down for fall and winter, the Australian ones (just like the South African species) come to life and start growing. This is happening right now in September, here in So. California.

 

[tmmason10]

no funny comments about the wiring or photographic brilliance.......

Ugh fine. But seriously really nice start, love the trunk good luck developing the branches. And that pic is awesome buff

 

[Bill S]

My mama can wire better than that, and jeez, what! did you use a throw away for the photos?

Now that that is out of the way, I like it better already, didn't realize you would wire these, I thought the bark would be too soft and be damaged.

Not sure if she has anything on line, but goggle Susan Amoy, she works with these and a bunch of succulents, they can be odd looking, but are quite interesting.

That tree is huge, WOW.

 

[edprocoat]

That tree in the photo looked more like a mountain with branches! I have never heard of or seen one of these trees before, thanks for sharing. Good luck with it.

ed

 

[jason biggs]

10 years later...
I raised the tree this last growing season and put more stone in the growing medium...
I think the base will improve in the next few years

 

[jason biggs]

first spot in the garden to catch the winter sun...
cut off the branches inside the v - i think that is an improvement.

 

[jason biggs]

we are having tons of rain so this big boy is taking time out...

 

[It's Kev]

Here’s the king of baobabs. @jason biggs can these be grown as a shohin size easily?
Or am I better off with acacia burkeii? I found a source for kierieklapper seeds also but they were expensive as hell and all failed, super miffed about that.

 

[jason biggs]

back in the rain... couldn't let it miss out on so much action