Yamadori expedition

[Neli]

I am in Livingstone on holidays. Decided to do some tree hunting.
Asked our gardener to dig out few trees for me from the village. He brought me two baobab, some acacia , two knob thorn acacias, and a strange tree I see for the first time from Mozambique called erythrina livingstoniana.
the baobabs are large 15 and 20 cm diameter...chopped short above and bellow soil level.
some fine roots are there...
planted them in sandy soil and did not water them for 4 days now.
Any advise what to do so they survive? when is the best time to dig trees?

 

[Poink88]

Please post your location and zone in your profile so no one has to guess about it.

I had best success collecting trees before new buds break which is mostly during late winter here or early spring for some species.

In tropical areas...I don't think it matters much but I'd guess the best is once temps are consistently above 60*F but before summer.

More knowledgeable folks will surely chime in soon.

 

[Poink88]

After care for your trees also varies by species...a good thing to one might kill another. Knowing their needs is very important.

 

[jkd2572]

Livingstone is in Zambia

 

[Dav4]

Livingstone is in Zambia

...and so is Neli...

 

[berobinson82]

Might want to give those stumps a drink by now! In my imagination, it's warmer in Zambia than it is in VA this time of year. You may want to make sure you're not allowing that sand to get completely dry.

 

[rockm]

African species like baobab might as well be Martian to those of us who lieve in wetter colder climates.

In seeing past posts over on IBC on baobab collection in Africa, it seems water can be an enemy, as well as a friend, depending on time of year and the amount of roots the collected plant came with.

Anyone out there who has specifically collected this species and knows the ins and outs of aftercare?

Northern hemispherian advice could be exactly wrong...

 

[Neli]

Please post your location and zone in your profile so no one has to guess about it.

I had best success collecting trees before new buds break which is mostly during late winter here or early spring for some species.

In tropical areas...I don't think it matters much but I'd guess the best is once temps are consistently above 60*F but before summer.

More knowledgeable folks will surely chime in soon.

I will try Dario, to update my profile Just now. Good point!
I am in Zambia, Lusaka.
I am a newbie, so I just realized that this is not a time to collect trees...but I will not have another chance to go there soon, so I decided to try...
It is the rain season/summer here now. Temperature is around 23C

 

[Neli]

African species like baobab might as well be Martian to those of us who lieve in wetter colder climates.

In seeing past posts over on IBC on baobab collection in Africa, it seems water can be an enemy, as well as a friend, depending on time of year and the amount of roots the collected plant came with.

Anyone out there who has specifically collected this species and knows the ins and outs of aftercare?

Northern hemispherian advice could be exactly wrong...

U are right!
I asked some SA people. They told me to dry it for a week, after cutting it cleanly and sealing it. Some people leave it dry for month during winter. Seal and plant in sand (large grains)
Water is enemy at this stage.Water very little. I was told to treat it like a succulent.
I was on holidays in the national park, so had problems with the internet.just came back home. Will post the rest of the trees later.

 

[Neli]

Might want to give those stumps a drink by now! In my imagination, it's warmer in Zambia than it is in VA this time of year. You may want to make sure you're not allowing that sand to get completely dry.

This is a very strange tree....Apparently people dry it for month before planting it.
But no one has dug it during this season so...hard to say how to treat it.
Lets hope I will be lucky.

 

[Neli]

...and so is Neli...

He he he!

 

[Neli]

Livingstone is in Zambia

 

[Attila Soos]

U are right!
I asked some SA people. They told me to dry it for a week, after cutting it cleanly and sealing it. Some people leave it dry for month during winter. Seal and plant in sand (large grains)
Water is enemy at this stage.Water very little. I was told to treat it like a succulent.
I was on holidays in the national park, so had problems with the internet.just came back home. Will post the rest of the trees later.

I've heard from several sources that baobab must be treated like a succulent. In that case, the advice you've heard is correct. I've done it many times with Portulacaria and Crassula. You need to let the baobab trunk dry out, so that a dry film covers the open wound. This dry surface acts like a sealant, protecting the live flesh from bacteria that cause quick rotting. I've never used wound sealant, but I am sure that it can't hurt.
For planting medium, coarse sand, pumice, or lava rock (or any mix of the aforementioned) is the safest for species prone to root rot. The planting has to be done during the natural growing season. Planting it during the dormant season is the safest way to kill the baobab. When dormant, you need to avoid watering it alltogether. Watering can resume as soon as the growing season is just about to begin.

The great thing about plants that grow like succulents (including the baobab), is that any major wound can be edited away, so that there will be no trace that the tree was ever chopped or pruned. You can give it any shape or form, and the wound will be covered with a new layer of skin in a matter of weeks. Then the skin slowly thickens, and becomes the so-called "bark". So, you can sculpt this thing, just like a piece of hard soap.

The appeal of the baobab lies in the appearance of a massive trunk, and the natural-looking holes, burrows, and even cave-like dwellings that you can sculpt into it. So, it is best that you start with the thickest and most massive trunk that you can collect, and then start sculpting it as soon as the tree has taken and growing. Starting with a tiny seedling is a waste of time, since you need the biggest trunk in the shortest time. So, you were right to collect a larger piece of material.

 

[Neli]

I've heard from several sources that baobab must be treated like a succulent. In that case, the advice you've heard is correct. I've done it many times with Portulacaria and Crassula. You need to let the baobab trunk dry out, so that a dry film covers the open wound. This dry surface acts like a sealant, protecting the live flesh from bacteria that cause quick rotting. I've never used wound sealant, but I am sure that it can't hurt.
For planting medium, coarse sand, pumice, or lava rock (or any mix of the aforementioned) is the safest for species prone to root rot. The planting has to be done during the natural growing season. Planting it during the dormant season is the safest way to kill the baobab. When dormant, you need to avoid watering it alltogether. Watering can resume as soon as the growing season is just about to begin.

The great thing about plants that grow like succulents (including the baobab), is that any major wound can be edited away, so that there will be no trace that the tree was ever chopped or pruned. You can give it any shape or form, and the wound will be covered with a new layer of skin in a matter of weeks. Then the skin slowly thickens, and becomes the so-called "bark". So, you can sculpt this thing, just like a piece of hard soap.

The appeal of the baobab lies in the appearance of a massive trunk, and the natural-looking holes, burrows, and even cave-like dwellings that you can sculpt into it. So, it is best that you start with the thickest and most massive trunk that you can collect, and then start sculpting it as soon as the tree has taken and growing. Starting with a tiny seedling is a waste of time, since you need the biggest trunk in the shortest time. So, you were right to collect a larger piece of material.

That is some fantastic advise! Thanks! Curving it and the way it reacts to it is news to me...
Very interesting.
Now ones I dry it, and plant it, how much should I water it? It is the growing season here now? Should I be sparing with water?
I am surprised also that there is no need to water it during winter...I water a little my succulents twice a month in winter.