Samuel E. Gomez Noguera (Mexico),
Duncan Wiles(RSA)
Samuel E. Gomez Noguero, Mexico, 2002
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Samuel E. Gomez Noguera (Mexico), Duncan Wiles(RSA) |
Samuel E. Gomez Noguero, Mexico, 2002 |
You are growing a dead rat tree? You are
GROWING a DEAD...RAT...tree? Biboab sounds like one of those nasty false gods
things were sacrificed to in the old testament ...things like rats, hence the
name? Killed while hanging by the tail, hence upside down tree? Euchh...
Regarding the following messages, I believe there is a baobab in the
tropical collection of the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum at the National
Arboretum in Washington, and that it is very impressive. Obviously, in
temperate zones it is an indoor plant. > RAt 09:46 PM 2/24/97 -0500, you
wrote: I'm just wondering wether or not I should try to use a Baobab I have yet
to see a Baobab (Adansonia digitata) in a pot, that doesn't mean it can't be
done, or that you shouldn't try! Neat... where would one get clippings/seeds to
start a baobob? (I live up in chilly Ottawa) Anyone?
I have a baobab,
although not as a bonsai. Can anyone out there confirm that they need a dry
hibernation period? Mine drops all its leaves in fall, and I take that as a cue
to stop watering it for several months.
Could someone tell me what a
Baobob is and where it is found.>Can I profess to be the resident expert here
?? > Baobab - the crematata tree (Adansonia digitata). A grotesquely fat
tree, about 10-15 m in height, the bole in large specimens being 28 m in
circumference, occurring in low altitudes in the north and south of Zimbabwe and
through to the Atlantic coast on the border of Namibia and Angola. Bears fruit
within a hard....> Hi everyone! There are a few exemplars of this tree here
in Brazil: around 15 to 20. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that this tree
appears in the book "The Little Prince" by St. Exupery. By the way, my state,
Pernambuco, has around 12 of these trees (+70% of the trees of all Brazil).
I ordered some african baobab (lemonade, monkey bread tree) seeds and
the company who sells them tell me they make great bonsai. I know a little bit
about the full-grown trees that grow in madagascar, barbados, and east africa,
but no one seems to know any of the zone/climate-related information or if the
trees freeze or what temp they suffer damage. The package says: plants in sandy
clay soil and keep damp, not wet. Does anyone have any information on these
trees at all? Anything would help!
During dormancy withheld water. Some
even take them from their pots, bareroot them and kick them under the bed in
order not to water them until late spring !
I'd love any and all
information anyone might have on using Baobabs as bonsai material. This tree is
indigenous to West Africa, where I used to live. I was in Sénégal as a kid and
there were a lot of those trees around. I would assume that it lives in semi
arid areas, with lots of sun and generally warm climes.
The problem with
Baobab (Adansonia digitata) is that it has no tolerance to cold. My experience
is that anything below about 35 degrees F is fatal.What makes me ask is that I
came accross someone who sells baobab seeds. This tree evokes a lot of good
memories to me and I like the idea of trying my hand on it. So some of my
questions are: What kind of success rate should I expect on growing
seedlings/trees from seeds? What else should I do to improve my chances to the
seeds other than sanding?/scoring?/soaking? Does anyone have trees that are
started (interested in sell/trade?) Would love any and all info on this, muchly
appreciated, thanks.
The baobab right out of the soil as in bare
roots??? Just curious...
Just for baobab enthusiasts, my 4 year-old
baobab just broke dormancy here in Colorado ( Zone 6-ish), Can't figure out why
it keeps thinking it's in the southern hemisphere still, but at least it's
ALIVE!
<< Anyone have tried to make a bonsai from a baobab tree??
>> Yes. go to rec.arts.bonsai and inquire of the South African members.
They will give you the information you want.
Quelqu'un a-t'il déjà vu ou
entendu parler de baobabs bonsais ? Un site ? un conseil ?
J'ai ramene 2
graines de baobab de l'Ile Maurice, une seule a germee et la pousse n'a tenue
que 6 mois. Probleme de climat ?? Je l'ai traitee comme les arbres tropicaux
(Ficus, Podocarpus, etc.). Est-ce une erreur ??
has the upside down tree
got good potential for a bonsai,they have a special price for its seeds in a new
seed catalogue so i thought i would ask thanks
They make magnificent
bonsai! (If you are patient - as they grow very slowly) Here in South Africa
they are quite popular. Some baobab bonsai have been known to grow to have trunk
girths of up to 1.5 metres!
Regardless of what you may have read, Baobab
can be a good bonsai. I have seen a couple of photos of some grown from seed
that are amazing. I have no idead how much work they took to get that way,
however. Good luck.
The Baobab question is on again. We in South Africa
and Bonsai friends in Zimbabwe (ex Rhodesia) will dis-agree. We must always
remember the natural conditions and enviroment in which the baobab thrives. That
is a very dry enviroment that only gets some rain a few days in a year and some
humidity at night on the exposed parts of the tree. We have kept Baobab trees
for many years and as I have already mentioned in previous posts the most
dangerous and life threatening time is during winter dormancy. That is when I
personally take the tree out of it's soil and put it on a shelve in the
store-room till I see the strong sap/green forming in spring-time. I then pot
and with very scarce watering watch the trees come to life.
Hello
everyone, I'm new to bonsai and this club, but I have been reading = old
articles on baobab trees. I was wondering if anyone knew where to = get young
trees. The only information I could find in the archives was = seed sources.
I've tried to grow trees from seed before and failed = miserably. I also
recently saw a tree that was identified as a sausage = tree ( Kigelia Africana
). I was wondering if anyone had any info as to = weather it could be used as
bonsai, or for that matter where to find a = source.
I have also seen a
picture of a baobab tree in a travel magazine. It was on a tiny island off the
coast of Africa. I am also intrested in adding one to my collection. The tree
was very impressive and had what apeared to be a shiny orange-pink trunk.
Interestingly, Loubser's book Understanding Bonsai has a suggestion to
>consider "baobab style" rather than baobab per se. He suggests imitating
>the Baobab's heavy columnar trunk by planting a close bundle of saplings
>of a species which thickens rapidly (Ficus benjamina comes to mind) and
>keeping the branches very short and thick up at the top. For those of you
>who haven't seen a picture of a Baobab, it looks remarkably like a tree
>planted upside down :) with a very butch flattop!
I would be very
interested to hear of any Baobabs being grown in the "cold"
climates.........also where I could obtain a specimen.
Baobob seeds are
available from the Thompson and Morgan seed catalog -- I got some a little while
back but they haven't sprouted yet so I can't give a full report!
Well
being here in africa it is quite fascinating to see others mention growing
baobab as bonsai. They can most defintely make wonderful bonsai. I saw two
beautiful baobabs at our last convention.
The baobab is an extremely hardy
and drought tolerant tree. It must have a well drained and very sandy soil mixed
with compost. The most important factor is not to water it at all as soon as it
starts to drop its leaves in the fall. The baobab has roots likened to a potatoe
and overwatering especially during its dormant period will result in severe root
rot. It must be placed in full sun and can be well fertilised to obtain good
growth. Root pruning is similar to that of a cactus or succulent plant. Any
large pruning wounds can be sealed with copper sulfate and then must be left in
the sun for the wound to dry out. If this is not done the chance of rot setting
in is high. One of our local experts, Charles Ceronio, is bringing out a new
book here in South africa and it is going to include the baobab and two styles
created by him.
Baobabs go dormant in the winter and must not be watered
until they come out of dormancy.
This is certainly a conversation piece
in my home - I have a beautiful specimen which is about 9 years old and sits at
about 1 foot tall. It is sitting dormant at the moment - the secret during
winter - as you have pointed out - is absolutely no water. Watering during
winter must be the single most popular reason for this tree being killed off.
They are slow - oh so very slow to develop.
Not much appears to have been
written on this species so I would welcome any information you may have on
likely sources of information. In southern Africa a Baobab style has been
developed - ie other trees trained to look like a baobab - there is an
interesting thought for you.
How do you propogate this one? I mean, where
do you get plant specimens or cuttings?
I would like to quote from Doug
Hall's Book "Bonsai in South Africa" which is an authoritive source.
"The
boabab's impressiveness is its main point of interest. Extremely masculine in
mood, the trunk forms the focal point and should give the feeling of stability.
The trunk should be perfectly straight and should not taper towards the top....
The trunk should be free of side branches. All the main branches should start
from the top and should give the impression of fingers pointing in all
directions into the air... You may use any material in imitating this baobab
style."
What we are doing here in Southern Africa is looking to nature - what
we see in the African veld is what we are trying to emulate, but obviously with
trees in pots. Now we are fortunate that we can grow such a wide variety of
trees that many have attempted to make other species into bonsai that look like
miniature baobabs. A favoured method of propogation is to obtain a truncheon
size cutting and get this to root - yes it is possible. Once shaped and after a
few years these take on the appearance of a baobab.
Southern african growers
also grow a flat topped style. If you look across the veld in most african
countries you will notice a lot of trees infact have a flat top - watch that
fantastic movie "Out of Africa" again and you will see what I mean.
I
have also seen a picture of a baobab tree in a travel magazine. It was on a tiny
island off the coast of Africa. I am also intrested in adding one to my
collection. The tree was very impressive and had what apeared to be a shiny
orange-pink trunk.
Baobab - the crematata tree (Adansonia digitata). A
grotesquely fat tree, about 10-15 m in height, the bole in large specimens being
28 m in circumference, occurring in low altitudes in the north and south of
Zimbabwe and through to the Atlantic coast on the border of Namibia and Angola.
Bears fruit within a hard woody shell, covered with yellow-grey velvet hairs.
The seeds are embedded within a whitish powdery pulp which contains tartaric
acid - refreshing to suck (I'll bring a few pods to the Bonsamurai Party for you
to all suck on - shall I rephrase that - naw !!). Just as an aside the cremetata
is used as a sauce with white fish dishes here.Those trees with a diameter in
excess of 8 m have been aged at over 3 000 years old. Several authentic reports
on record tell the story of dead baobab trees bursting into flame from
spontaneous combustion - a well known folk tale suggests that God planted the
trees upside down and another that a lion will devour anyone rash enough to
pluck a flower from the Baobab tree for the blossoms are believed to be
inhabited by spirits. An water which has soaked the seeds when rubbed on your
body keep the crocodiles (we call em flat dogs) away.
Mostly extracted from
Trees of Southern Africa by Keith Coates Palgrave (Struik Publishers) ISBN 1
86825 171 3
The seeds are easy to germinate and Zimbabwean growers have
developed some wonderful bonsai from this particular tree. I have three myself -
one is nearly ready for show display (give it another five years or so - it is
presently eight and stands 30cm tall). The baobab style has been developed in
Southern Africa where in bonsai enthusiast take any species of tree and develop
it to look like a baobab.And for those who are still waiting for seed - yes I
got killed in the rush for requests - I am having no end of trouble getting
phytosanitary certificates (Geeze ! ! I had less trouble with the lions, flat
dogs and the spirits getting the seeds - I have five pods waiting for your all).
Shall I just send them an be damned ? ? ? E-mail me, but please I can't send to
everyone - I have all the names who originally requested.
My wife needs
information about germination conditions for African baobab (Adansonia digitata)
seeds. Also, where can she order seeds of Australian native trees that can be
used for bonsai?
Use a file to scarify the baobab seed, then soak in HOT
water for 2-6 hours. Plant in well draining soil and keep in a warm
place.
you might try J. L. HUDSON SEEDMAN
STAR ROUTE 2, BOX 337
LA
HONDA CA 94020
I have ordered lots of seeds from them and they all germinated
they have a whole catalog of rare seeds of trees and other plant life;
Does anyone have information on proper care for a Baobab (Adonis
Digitata)? I can't find any guidelines anywhere....thanks in advance!
Reply:
Andrew said he'd supply information, but since he lives in Africa, his
information may not help folks without greenhouses who live in Northern climes.
I have a baobab I grew from seed, and it really doesn't like living on Long
Island. It is dormant right now, with no leaves. I don't water it at all.
Eventually, it will break dormancy, and I will put it outside and start watering
it again. NOTE: last year it broke dormancy in JULY. I'm just telling you this
in case you end up thinking you have a black thumb. P.S. My sources call baobab
Adansonia digitata.
I've just sprouted a Baobab tree.....any suggetions
on what I should do next to ensure it grows from here? The seed company suggests
it be planted in sandy-clayey soil, but how long should I wait before putting
it's gro-block into the new soil?
I was thinking of growing it up in a 5
gallon fish tank for a while to let the roots develop....any better ideas out
there? It's growing in vermiculite non-soil mix right now.
Hello
everyone, I'm new to bonsai and this club, but I have been reading old articles
on baobab trees. I was wondering if anyone knew where to get young trees. The
only information I could find in the archives was seed sources. I've tried to
grow trees from seed before and failed miserably. I also recently saw a tree
that was identified as a sausage tree ( Kigelia Africana ). I was wondering if
anyone had any info as to weather it could be used as bonsai, or for that matter
where to find a source.
Thank you in advance for any information. Feel free
to E-mail me at herrfam@nbn.net
I'm just wondering wether or not I
should try to use a Baobab.
Only the most serious of tree collectors have these unusual
trees. The huge trunk of this tree can reach 30' in diameter. Has large 6"
hibiscus like flowers and foot long fruits filled with refreshing lemon-flavored
pulp. The leaves can be eaten like spinach. The trunks store considerable water,
as much as 1,000 gallons have been tapped from one. However, if you do not have
a half acre to plant one on, they make great bonsai. 2 seeds $3.50 For those who
do bonsai from seeds:
http://www.gen.com/exoticseeds/seeds/bonsai.htm
Regarding the following
messages, I believe there is a baobab in the tropical collection of the National
Bonsai and Penjing Museum at the National Arboretum in Washington, and that it
is very impressive.
Obviously, in temperate zones it is an indoor
plant.
Neat... where would one get clippings/seeds to start a baobob? (I
live up in chilly Ottawa) Anyone?
As first light faintly paints the
eastern sky and the lions cease to roar an eerrie silence overcomes the
Zimbabwean lowveld, broken only by the occasional call of a distant bird. The
warm smell of the early morning air is tainted only by some distant velt fire,
freshly dropped elephant dung, or perhaps coffee being brewed by an early
morning riser. The dew is heavy, but will not spoil this morning delight. This
is Africa at its finest hour - dawn. The reddened sky breaks through the morning
mist and brings out the silhouette of the huge Baobab tree, Adansonia digitata,
or the Afrikaans Kremetartboom, of which some specimens in Southern Africa could
date back more than 3 000 years.
The Boabab is a grotesquely fat tree
according to Keith Coates-Palgrave, author of Trees of Southern Africa and
foremost authority on trees in the region. Many a Bonsai enthusiast has
attempted to replicate this grand tree from the lowveld in a pot - some believe
near impossible, but others have achieved surprisingly good results.
The seed
of the Baobab is found in an ovoid, hard woody shell, encrusted in a whitish
powdery pulp. Propagation of seed can be achieved without too much fuss - make
up a mix of 1 part compost (rotten leaf material), 1 part ordinary soil, and 1
part sand. Place this in a deep pot, say 6-8inches square and then pop several
seed, with the tartar coating still left on, into the centre of the pot. The
important part is to cover this with some form of glass jar and place the seed
box in the full sun, keeping the soil wet at all times. Germination can be
expected in about two weeks.
This tree does not appear on the list of trees
recommended for beginners. Transplant your seedling early, keeping them in the
shade for the initial two weeks after transplanting, and then exposing them to
full sunlight yet again. Now unlike your traditional bonsai trees - do not apply
too much water. The single biggest reason for failure of a Baobab bonsai is over
watering. Drainage is essential - as with most potted trees - but in this case
make sure you have a lot of sand in your soil mix. The tree will develop a very
bulbous root structure and it is this root which sustains the tree in very dry
climates. Too much water often caused root rot and the demise of the tree.
Another fundamental rule - absolutely no water should be given during
winter.
Once established, the tree sends out a very strong leader and will
tend not to branch at a young age until nipped back. The leaves will be large
and full of themselves, but during the fist year of its growth it is recommended
that you do not prune back. Remember that the Baobab is a very slow growing tree
and several years will pass before the potted tree begins to look like its
family in the bush. The stem will begin to thicken quite quickly after a couple
of years and when this happens you can begin to style your tree.
Styling is a
painfully slow process and most people I know have only attempted to emulate the
baobabs own looks in nature, rather than apply more traditional bonsai styles.
By cutting back the leader shoots this tree will send out shoots up the main
stem and this tree often delights one with new shoots appearing in the right
place. Shoots are stubby and burst into a cluster of leaves at the end of the
branch. Each year these shoots grow a little longer, but don't hold your breath
for fast results here. Wiring is generally not applied to the Baobab - the tree
tends to scar a little to easily unless you are very careful. My preference is
for weighting branches down to encourage generally horizontal growth - and here
you need to look at a Baobab in nature to understand why. This tree does not
lend itself to twiggy branching and secondary branching is of minor importance
to styling this tree according to Doug Hall's book "Bonsai in South Africa" - I
agree.
Although these trees come from barren, nearly desert like,
environments I do still feed them. This tend to give the trees big healthy
looking leaves and during the early stages of the tree's growth I will encourage
this, because this tends to speed up the styling process. In fact - I have to be
honest here - the Baobabs I have always look their best in Winter, when thay
have no leaves. They are inside my lounge in that season - they look like
Baobabs in the veld and are a great talking point!
Repotting is done probably
every three to four years. The Baobab does not have "hairy" root structure - the
roots tend to be large solid masses with a few "traditional" roots - my
description of them being bulbous is apt here. This bulbous growth tends to fill
the pot quite quickly. I have managed to re-pot trees after cutting of quite a
sizeable portion of the roots without any serious losses. I would however urge
you to be cautious it you get this far - my experimenting has been limited. This
tree looks good in a deep rectangular pot - and you might break a few rules here
to get impact.
The first signs of over-watering are the yellowing of the
leaves. Watch this tree very carefully and be sure to control excessive
watering. My own Baobab trees suffered from very wet feet during the recent
heavy rains experienced in Zimbabwe, while I was away. The person attending to
my trees was not aware of the problem caused by excessive watering and by the
time I arrived home all my baobabs had dropped their leaves in obvious protest
against too much water. I isolated them in dry conditions - they will not
produce leaf again this season - but they are still alive.
In Southern Africa
we do have a Baobab style - this style is not necessarily cultivated using a
genuine baobab tree, but merely emulates the baobab in nature. Various species
of fig and celtis africana are a favourite for this style.
If you have any
specific questions I shall attempt to answer them.
And as the sun sets in the
west - the Baobabs are still there, bold, masculine and no less weary for their
days existence. The insects are abuzz, and the rich smell of the evening meal
wifts through the evening air, that ice cold beer is hitting the right spots
after a dusty day - ah this is Africa.
Your piece on baobab is now
full ensconced on my hard drive. Maybe I'll try one -- but no. With 60 inches of
rain a year, we're probably too wet.
I do have a question: What kind of
"winter" temperatures can this tree take? I would assume that temps down below
freezing are out of the question, but at what point do they want to go dormant?
You make Baobob sound so enticing!Do you have any seed pods to send?
Brudy's Exotic Seeds at www.brudys-exotics.com has them. That's where I
got mine... As well as a bunch of other neat stuff. Great catalog
too.
The lowveld areas where the tree is grown suffers from considerable
extremes in temperature during the winter. During the middle of the day the tree
will enjoy temperatures up to approximately 24 degrees celcius and then at night
this will plummet to probably -1 or -2 degrees celcius. It would be very
exceptional to have temperatures in the -5 deg. c or below. I would suggest the
tree would have great difficulty growing in anything but a warm climate in the
tropics. Baobabs loose their leaves during May/June in Zimbabwe which is the
onset of the winter months - they come back into leaf in
September/October.
I would like to find a seed pod or three myself, even
though I am one of the beginers you recommended hold off on trying this tree. I
believe a Baobob would look wonderful in my future collection of "Trees that
should have not been bonsai'd but I tried it anyways"
I'mintrigued with
the Baobab tree from Africa. I know I can get seeds, but does anyone have, or
know where to get, seedlings or older specimens?
Baobabs . . . neat
tree!
I have three that I too have raised from seed. How did you scarify
them?
After three years I started major root pruning. I also cut back the
top every spring. So far the trees are responding nicely. What is even better is
the fact that I gave two to my friend who got me started in bonsai. He's my
mentor and good friend.
Mine are doing better. :-))))) But, truth be
known I *had* four. The deceased tree's roots had been cut back too far by some
over zealous madman.
I have experienced two problems. One derived from a tree
I raised up out of the soil. ( I've been experimenting quite a bit since I
haven't found much info about these trees in books.) I had raised it too much.
Small roots tried to grow back into the soil but, wind, as it pulled the crown
back and forth, tore the roots off. I simply added more soil to the pot (A
plastic nursery pot.) and protected it from the wind.
I have also seen these
trees kept in a professional greenhouse. They did very well for about two or
three years, but died. They NEED a dormancy period. I don't know how short of a
dormancy period you could get by with. Where I live I bring them inside around
the end of Sept. and they keep their leaves till mid Oct. then they drop.
I
water the soil to keep in SLIGHTLY damp sometimes letting the soil dry almost
completely. By April early May I put the trees outside again. I root prune, cut
back right before new buds open. I fertilize with fish emulsion right before I
hack away at the poor things.
Basically I go by what the tree is telling me,
I also ask a lot of questions when people get back from Africa and have seen
these growing in the wild. It would seem that they can deal with 40 degree
temperatures and maybe even lower if kept in sunshine for part of the day. (The
discussion about Trop. temps was very well done.
If you haven't gathered by
know I am excited to hear about your experiences with these trees. I wait with
baited breath . . .
Is your baobab Adansonia digitata or one of the
other Adansonia spp. from Madagascar? These trees generally want a
dormant period when they are kept rather dry and drop their leaves. They do not
like low temperatures. Try to keep it not much lower than 50F when it is
growing. I have some of the Madagascar species that are dormant and being kept
at ambient temps here in Southern California. I keep them pretty dry. They are
first year seedlings and seem to be in good shape so far. Prior to becoming
dormant some of them lost green in portions of the leaf. This happened as the
temps started to drop.
I also have had trouble getting baobab seed to
germinate. However the two Madagascar species I have germinated at about 50%.
Its a new year, I'll try again in the spring.
Good luck with the
seeds,
And yes, you can kill a boabab tree with too much water.
Those
are native trees here, and are excelent bonsai! In nature, they sometimes get
water only 1 or 2 times a year - but when it rains here, believe me, it rains
about 100mm in half an hour. The tree then stores huge amounts of water in it's
thick trunk. And it's that thick trunk that makes it such an awesome
bonsai.
I leave nature to water my boababs - they need so little water that
even in very sandy bonsai soil it is enough. Oh - they don't really use
temperature as an indication to go dormant like most trees. It just never gets
cold where they grow. But they do use the amount of water as an indication of
that. It feels weird to water less, see the leaves drop, and not think you are
underwatering.
Africa has only one species of Baobab (digitata), Australia
has one maybe two and Madagascar has seven. The seven endemic to Madagascar have
very distinct wild ranges and thus may need specific care.
Well, I water
my Baobabs normally in the summer. They are in half gallon plastic nursery pots
with a vermiculite/peat moss mix. As far as the trees dropping their leaves, I
have often wondered how day length effects them in this regard. When they do
drop their leaves, I water by an occasional soaking maybe three times during the
winter.
I soak because it makes some sense to me that in nature the trees
roots might be deep enough to get *some* moisture. So I, decided to moisten the
soil near the bottom of their training pots. The soil almost drys out completely
in between these soaks. I say almost because I generally splash a little water
on the soil surface. Jaco makes me think that this may be unnecessary. It's hard
to break the "Water lest it die" feeling. But from what I understand this is how
the tree deals with the dry season in Africa. They are such a great tree. I
often wondered why I haven't read about them in magazines or books pertaining to
Bonsai.
As for stratification of the seeds, I soaked them overnight in clear
water...then scribed the seed case w/ a knife tip (not breaking the inner layer,
but weakening the shell). then planted it about 1/2 inch down in a sterile
seedling mix. Took about 10 days to sprout, and MAN did they! I got 2 trees from
3 seeds. Unknown why the third never came up. I too, gave the second tree to a
friend, who promptly overwatered it and it died. Ah well...mine has gone dormant
twice now, and it's pretty weird about the dormancy timing....but so far, so
good! I'll try the fish emulshion, too...It get pretty cold here in Colorado, so
I'm keeping the tree in a semi-warm room (about 70) and can't wait for it to
warm up so I can put it outside! I think I'll train it in a formal upright,
'flat-top' style as I've seen them in pictures....if you get any cool tips on
keeping these bad boys, I'd love to hear about them! I'll do the same for you,
too.
Sounds like a tree I need. Anyone know where seeds and/or trees can
be found?
Get an old coffee can and line the inside with some coarse
sandpaper. Drop in the seeds and give them a whirl.Weakens the outer shell very
well.
Last summer I bought 75 seeds from the Rowlands in England and had
0.00% germination. I got about 20% germination on Adansonia fony and A.
grandidieri, both form Madagascar. Their address is: Doug and Vivi
Rowland
200 Spring Street
Kempston, Bedford
England, MK42
8ND
Dry season in Africa (well, most of it anyway) is in the winter. (May
-> September) In the more tropical parts, there is no dry season... (No
seasons to speak of either anyway)
Digitata, according to my references, grow
in the dryer band across Southern Africa. There you'll get rain only in summer.
There was a long discussion a while back about trees coming from one hemisphere
into another - and how it affects dormancy. I'll try to sum up: (Someone please
correct me if I'm off track!)
The tree will have a quite confusing year the
time it gets transported to it's new home, but afterthat, it's internal clock
will be reset by the cycles in it's new home.
So, I assume most people in the
colder climes keep their boababs in greenhouses or indoors. Thus, you should
artificially re-create these cycles, or the tree will get
confused.
Unfortunately, this tree does not usually grow in weather as most
such people would know "weather". I leave it to nature, as I live where the tree
grows naturally, so I can unfortunately not give _that_ much advice towards
exaxtly what should be done to simulate what nature here does... 8-(The flat top
style would be PERFECT for this tree... You can also try the broom style with a
flat-ish top.
last i checked, seeds for Baobab were avai;. from the SBE Seed
company. they have a web page/catalog too.
Thanks sincerely for the great
info. As a matter of fact, the tree DOES seem to have "re-set" itself to the
periods here (I'm in Colorado USA @ about 6500 ft. above sea level). The tree
sprouted leaves in October this year though, and I do keep it indoors during
winter. I think I'll try to get it dormant a little earlier this next year....I
DO cut way back on water when the leaves start to drop, but I think I'll cut
back even further next "winter". Thanks again!
I brought my seeds to work
and handed them to our horticulturealist, who promptly walked over to
maintenance and turned on an electric grinder! 8-0 As he placed each seed gently
against the wheel you could hear a ZZZZZZZZZZZ. AND each time I told myself, "He
knows what he's doing . . . ." After he was done there was a nick on each seed
whereby you could see the meat of the seed.
He didn't soak them but, put them
in sterile peat moss and placed them on a germination table. It wasn't long
after that that they sprouted to my great delight and relief.
The can and
sandpaper idea would of been better for my blood pressure. Where were you when I
needed you?
Can Jaco share with us where he is from and some natural history
concerning this tree? For example, what eats this tree's fruit in nature and
scarifies the seeds naturally or does the seed need to be ingested at all in
nature.
I have heard a couple common names for this tree, the upside down
tree (Descriptive of the shape of the branches, they look like roots.) and the
monkey bread tree.
Sure. As one of the names you told of, the fruit are
mostly eaten by "bobejane" - I'm not quite sure what the english are for them -
some ape I guess... But, you must remember, that here, everything that falls to
the ground gets eaten by all kinds of bugs and other ugly thingies. That would
pretty much upen the buggers up. As for being eaten, no. IMHO I don't think so.
But then again, I'm not that much of an expert on seed germination - just happen
to live near these great trees...
Also, for some weird reason, I have seen
some of them sprouting in places where you would never expect _anything_ to
grow. (a small indentation in a rock filled with little pebbles) Yet, when us
humans try to get the damn seeds to germinate, it just does'nt work. I'm
thinking of throwing some seeds into the bush here, and collect them a jear or
so later... Might even work!
Based on my experience, the raintree will drop
its leaves at the hint of a dry period. If you allow this to happen, and combine
it with pruning, the new leaves will reduce considerably.
More like a resting
period. There undoubtedly was considerable stress placed on the tree during its
packing and shipping.
But, if you will recall, tropical dormancy ( or
resting, if you prefer) is often induced by a period of dryness. You may have
seen the thread about Baobab and it's "backward" winter.
The NPK of the
organic fertilizer is about 3-3-3. The fish emulsion I don't know right off the
top of my head.
The dilute fish emulsion sprayed onto the bark was present
when the buds began to re-activate, so it acted as a foliar feeding, even though
the foliage was minimal. The liquid base in which I diluted the fish emulsion
was one liquid quart of full strength Peters 20-20-20, one teaspoon fish
emulsion, 2 - 4 drops Superthrive. So, actually, it wasn't ONLY organic
fertilizer. Sorry about my slip-of-the-finger on that.
It takes about 10 days
for roots to come out of shock after being cut and repotted. The granular
organic fertilizer was mixed into the soil directly with the roots. When they
came out of their shock, they immediately encountered a more-than-adequate
source of nutrition.
There was some speculation that the tree was throwing
blooms because it was a last-ditch survival mechanism during its death throes.
This proved not to be the case.
A caudex (plural caudices) is an extremely
thickened PERMANENT storage organ. It may be part of the stem, as in Adenium or
ponytail palm. More often it is a tuber or part of the roots. In Operculicarya,
it is a root. It is recommended to plant the caudex above ground in a pot to
avoid rotting, even if it is a root structure. Caudiciform (adjective or noun)
refers to a plant with a caudex. A pachycaul is a tree with a trunk that is
thickened to form a storage organ. The most famous example is the baobab.
Operculicarya is both a caudiciform and a pachycaul. The thickened part is not
extra wood; it is spongy storage tissue.
Subject: Re: Baobab Care
-Reply
Hi from Kengai Bonsai Kai in KwaZulu-Natal South Africa. We do have a
number of Baobab trees that do very well as Bonsai. The way we handle the trees
is as follows :
During summer we water the tree once a week. When winter
arrives we take the tree out of it's pot we wash the roots to rinse off all the
sand and we hang the tree in a corner inside the shed. When spring time arrives
we have a close look at the tree and when we see the new eyes with the fresh new
green on them we re-pot the tree, and then we spray the trank with
water.Remember that in our area rains come in summer. Greetings
Peter
Well, THERE'S my problem! I wasn't hanging mine in the shed.
From everything I've seen, the problem with Baobab trees outside of
their native range is that NO ONE can believe how little water they need. They
over water and the trees get bloat and rot. From what I've heard, once a week is
Maximum watering.
My Baobab is doing fairly well...still light areas
on some of the leaves, but I re-potted to a smaller pot which (I hope) will let
it dry faster after watering. Did an apex chop about 43 months ago and I suspect
by next summer it will have a gfood start on some well placed branches. Any
ideas for the light patches on the leaves? And no, no fertilizer yet due to the
re-potting... Curt Richter Colorado Springs, CO
I have a design question
for all who want to reply. All of my Baobabs are about 16 inches tall. I have
cut, pinched back the uppermost branches in order to get a flat top design as
Jaco and the pictures of these trees suggest. I have one that has sprouted a
branch off to the side about halfway down the trunk. What do I do with this
branch?
>Baobob-ists . . . Baoganders (?),
The correct term is
baobaboons
thanks A LOT! hahaha Glad I know what I am now....
True, until you take a knife
to them. Then you are a Baobobbit.
Hi guys...
I'd like to point out a
spelling misnomer... Adansonia Digitata is known as the Boabab - not Baobab. Or
if you'd like to go ethnic, also called heheabouts: The tree that buries itself
The tree that grows upside down (Some great local legends about these two -
maybe I'll post them) Kremetart I'm not as drastic during winter months as Peter
with my boabab trees, but remember: KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa is an area
that gets a *LOT* of rain. Here in the northern parts it rains a lot less, and
the closest natural boabab from me is about 50km away. All I need to do is to
protect it from the cold, as it is just a tad on the cold side south of the
Magaliesberg mountains.
Kevin, keep that branch. But don't wire it down like
you would a normal bonsai. For the boabab style you would wire it upwards -
allmost (but not quite of course) parralel to the main trunk. Then make a
miniature boabab-style top to it about at the 2/3 height of the tree. Make this
top relatively small, and slightly overlapping the main trunk. This branch must
not be allowed to grow too thick in relation to the main trunk however, as it
would then become a twin-trunk.
Curt, are those light patches yellow and soft
by any chance? If so, the tree is cold. It's leaves should be relatively stiff.
Are the yellow leaves the bottom ones? If so, don't worry too much. It wants to
move it's foliage to the top. Also, did you put sealant on the wound? Boabab's
are self-sealing. I don't know of anyone here who seals wounds on boababs. The
tree might not like it - or it might, dunno.
Or it might be that we spell
it wrong. It is after-all the english word for the tree. You can add
encyclopedia.com to your baobab-spelling list. (although they have the family -
Bombacaceae wrong) Anybody in the UK spell it differently? (color<->colour
type situation?)
If you want to use the native African name for the tree,
98% of the population of the world will not be able to spell it, and 99% of the
world won't be able to pronounce it.
Mapou Zombi (Meaning Dead Rat Tree - coz
the fruits look like dead rats - but taste like sweet sherbet)
It's also got
a local name wich translates to monkey-bread tree, but I don't know the spelling
myself...In my language it's called Kremetart - but the name is dying out fast
due to the english word being used more.
I like it -- without the
translation. You all are now growing Mapou Zombi bonsai. On its face, it seems
easy to pronounce -- unless "Z" is pronounced "X" or something.
I went
and looked up the local names of this tree... It is the tree in Africa with the
most names I have ever seen!
Here are but a few:
isiMuku (Zulu), zimuwu
(Tsonga), mowana (Tswana), moana (Tswana), muvhuyu (Venda), omukura (Ovambo),
Kremetart(Afrikaans).
Other
names:
Boab
Boabab
Baobab
Baobob
For some strange reason I did'nt
find another reference to the Mapou Zombi...
Legend has it that the flowers
are inhabited by beautifull spirits, and because of that, anybody picking a
flower off one of these trees will be eaten by lions. The Vitamin C and calcium
rich fruits cure fever, and protects you from crocodiles. Chewing the bark
quenches thirst, and the tree is used as houses, prisons, storerooms, storage
tanks, etc. Dead trees are also known to spontaneously combust...
Serious!
Attention all baobaboons: "Baobab stuff"
Friends,
Two of
my baobabs started out slow this year due to the rain we've been experiencing
here near St Louis Missouri, or so I suppose. (I haven't watered any of my three
once since I put them out this spring.) The leaves budded out, but shortly went
into a kind of stasis. The leaves wouldn't "unfurl." This condition changed when
I placed these two trees out of the rain and allowed the soil to get really dry.
The leaves are out now with more on the way.
My 6 month old baobab has
just dropped all of its leaves. I am assuming that it is deciduous. However, I
don't really know anything about the plant and would appreciate any info on the
tree.
My wife needs information about germination conditions for African
baobab (Adansonia digitata) seeds. Also, where can she order seeds of Australian
native trees that can be used for bonsai?
Whoa! Now there's a reason to
keep a Bonsai alive if I ever read one. They spontaneously
combust?!!!!!!!
Maybe we should have some of these in or federal
buildings that house the tax department :-))
Spontaneous Combustion,
Hmmmmmmm
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Welcome aboard!