Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Adansonia digitata (Baobab)- African species for bonsai.


A very nice Baobab bonsai:


Another:


A 42 year old Baobab bonsai grown by Johan and Berrie Ras from Warmbad, RSA.



Man dwarfed by a Baobab tree.

 A "younger" tree in Kruger National Park:


 

A real life Baobab- This picture was taken just a few kilometers from the Kruger National Park. The bark of this one was stripped by elephants a very long time ago but the marks are still visible where the branching begin.

Baobab - (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.
The dried out flesh of the fruit- the seeds are hidden inside:

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. If you eat the flowers you will be eaten by lions and water, in which the seeds has been soaked, when rubbed on your body keep the crocodiles (we call them flat dogs) away.

A quote from Doug Hall's Book "Bonsai in South Africa" which is an authoritative 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...

Some observations on proportions:
You will find Baobab trees in nature in a lot of traditional bonsai styles but this painting represent the natural Baobab style to me:
 When studying photos of Baobab trees quite a few natural trees have the same proportions as the one in the painting, like this one:
 Studying the painting and this tree I noticed the following proportions:
 -The height of the trunk is about twice the thickness of the trunk.
-The width of the canopy is about three times the thickness of the trunk.
-The heavy tapered main branches/subtrunks are about as long as the thickness of the trunk. The thicker the trunk(older the tree), the more branches/subtrunks the tree have.
-The fine growth is only on the outline of the tree and, length is about one quarter the height of the trunk. This may increase on very old trees.
- Older trees always show trunk damage cause by elephants - even those outside of parks. Trunks on older trees are ribbed.
- Branches/subtrunks are heavily tapered and not sharp bended- more curvy. On very old trees the branches become sweeping.

Here I am going to try and  fuse some seedlings tubers to try and achieve a thicker trunk quicker:
I don't think it is going to be so easy because Baobab heals from inside and the individual seedlings is going to try their best not to fuse to each other.
The danger is also there that an individual tree/tuber may rot and cause the whole tree to rot with it.

This year(2013) I have tried to graft branches to cut of roots but the twigs just dried out and the tubers is still doing well. Portulucaria also heals from inside and an approach graft did work on them after I damaged the tissue - maybe this is the way to go with Baobab grafts also.

I have bought an Adansonia rubrostipa recently and would love to propagate it by cuttings or grafting it onto Adansonia digitata. Here is the new species:



CULTURE: The seed of the Baobab is found in an ovoid, hard woody shell, encrusted in a whitish powdery pulp.

Here is the fruit of the Boabab:



Clean the pulp from the seeds, pour hot water over the seeds and let them cool down. The seed can also be planted first and the boiling watered poured onto the growing medium. Another method is to chip the seed coat. Plant in a well draining medium and keep wet until germination. Germination can be expected in about two weeks.
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.

 Boabab seedlings (February 2011):

The same seedlings June 2012:

 Seedlings at different stages:
(Two weeks growth, 3 months growt before going dormant and 6 months growth before going dormant.)

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.
 Example of the tuberous roots - this roots was cut two years ago and is still living. The green arrows indicate growth on the tuber. The roots are standing on the cut area which is about 15cm wide. all the wounds have sealed off.

Too much water often caused root rot and the demise of the tree. Another fundamental rule - absolutely no water should be given during winter. If the tuber start to rot cut off immediately to healthy flesh, dist with flowers of sulphur and let it dry out until growth starts again.
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.
Here is some progression pics of a tree that Johan and Berrie Ras is growing:


Planting the trees directly into the ground speeds up growth considerately.
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.

The trunk of this Baobab is about 5cm wide.

The tree is about 4 years old grown from seed - it could have been bigger by know but I had to cut away a lot of rot in the base because my gardener watered the tree by accident during dormancy winter 2012. It recovered well and I decided to chop the tree today.

I prefer to chop the roots in winter and the trunk/branches in mid summer. Doing the chop work in summer the buds are already active and the chance of rot is very slim.

The trunk before the chop:



The chop:



After chopping it I decided to reduce the height of the trunk to the pink line. After chopping it again I used my knob cutters to work of the chop to the buds:



With Baobab the chops can be worked of to every bud because with the species the wounds heal from within - no cambium rolling over!

After working off the chop I treated it with flowers of sulfur and sealed it with a Japanese sealant. It is not necessary to seal wounds on Baobab - just want to see what is going to be the difference.

Here is a chop that I did 2 years ago - incredible how it healed:


Another interesting observation is that the highest growth on the chop almost looks like  "moving" itself into the new leader position.

I have noticed this on a few chopped trees. Here is one:

After the cleanup:




Wiring is generally not applied to the Baobab - the tree tends to scar a little to easily unless you are very careful. 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".

With all said about ramification here is nice 30cm high tree with nice twiggy growth as shown on the Brat Top Ten  Event:

(In memory of Willem Steyn (1941-2013))

Although these trees come from dryer environments it still need to be fed. This tend to give the trees big healthy looking leaves and during the early stages of the tree's growth, because this tends to speed up the styling process. In fact -Baobabs always look their best in winter, when they have no leaves. During this time the tree can be brought indoors for everyone to enjoy.
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 - a description of them being bulbous is apt here. This bulbous growth tends to fill the pot quite quickly.

An enormous Baobab Yamadori:

 The tree belongs to Nicolas
 http://www.sabonsai.co.za/forum/index.php/topic/599-boabab-stump/page__p__6017#entry6017

 These tubers can be cut of and the tree replanted when the wounds have dried out.
 Here is an example of how the root/tuber can be chopped off:

The root is cut off and then duster with flowers of sulfur. It is allowed to dry out for two weeks before being repotted into a moist mix. It is watered if new growth is seen. To keep the trunk upright stones is wedged into the pot.

Here is the same tree a few weeks later:

The tree taken out of it's pot July 2012- the tree has recovered well from the previous tuber being removed:

Some more before and after cut back pictures:


A few more examples of chopping the tubers. Before:
After:
 I have chopped this tubers because my fusing experiment with the seedlings failed. I am going to try and fuse these ones- that is why the chops were so drastic, I have to get the tubers out of the way!

October 2013
The tubers have dried out but they are still budding out. This is how I clumped them together:


 I planted them in a slightly moist free draining mix and put them in my hothouse. I am not going to water them again until I see the first leaves.

This tree looks good in a deep drum or 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.

A massive Baobab bonsai:


(Sold and gave away all my Baobab. No updates on them.)

32 comments:

  1. Oh I love Baobabs, and would love to meet one in the wild! And a nice Bonsai specimen!

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  2. I have just started with bonsais (2 months) and i found a heap of baobab seed 73 to be exact . now wat i would like to knw is there eny tricks to growing them or are there eny tips you can give me to make a sucsess out of my babies

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  3. Cisco, Baobab seeds germinate easily. Clean the seeds of the pulp in hot water. Place in hot water and sustain tempreture just below boiling for two hours. Plant seeds in 1 liter bags in a mixture of two measures of river sand to one of potting soil. Before planting seeds pour boiling water over filled bags. Let it cool for 5min, then press seed into soil, just covering it. We have achieved an above 80% germination within 14 to 30 days

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  4. Hi,
    first of all happy new year!
    i live in Italy and here's winter.
    i have just receive a little plant of baobab right now and I have put in my house with 16 hours of artificial light.
    My question is:
    The plant have green leaves...must I Stop to watering and let the leaves fall down or water a little bit?
    I hope to receive an answer soon..
    Davide

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  5. Davide, sorry for replying only now but I only discovered this comment feature just now.

    Baobab is supposed to go into a winter rest but I believe with high temperatures and long hours of light you can fool it and it will keep on growing.

    Water it very little during this time, otherwise it may rot.

    Lennard

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  6. Thanks Lennard for the reply,
    right now the plant have lose his leaves and I have stop to watering...I hope doing well!
    Davide

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  7. Hi Lennard,

    I'm in New Zealand (pretty cold, even in summer). Wondering if it would be possible to grow a Baobab here? I love the look of them, and one day I'd love to have it growing on it's own - nice and big!!

    Cheers,
    Josh

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    Replies
    1. The trees do need heat to grow well. 25 degrees Celsius and above would be best for the growing season.

      Lennard

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  8. I have just planted a few seeds as per your instructions. What I'm worried about is we are now going into winter and I'm wondering if they will grow. I have them outside where they get about 4 hours of sun but I'm concerned about the cold evenings. I hope you can help.
    Thanks,
    Eileen

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    Replies
    1. Keep them totally dry when they are not actively growing. You can even take them out of the pots and place them in a cupboard or something. They don't need light when they are resting.

      Lennard

      Delete
  9. When do you cut the apical meristem? My Adansonia digitata is 42 inches tall and about 1.75 years old. Little secondary growth has occurred; no new branches have developed. The base of the trunk is slightly over a half inch, and the remainder of the trunk is around a quarter inch.

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    Replies
    1. Don't cut it until the trunk has reached the required thickness.

      Cutting the tubers is normally done in early spring just as the buds are swelling out.

      Lennard

      Delete
  10. Dear friend, I live in Brazil in a very warm city. I have a baobab with 6 years wich I grow from seed and always pruned the truck. Actually, it is too big and I had repoted it into a larger pott but I was affraid about pruning the roots. I want so much to do it and replant it in a bonsai pot. Do you recomend to dry the trunk before repot? here is 30 celcius about all the year.. but in july rains. What do you recomend? please email me, I can send pictures. barauma@yahoo.com

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  11. One will have to cut the tubers and I know how scary it can be be to do it for the first time.

    Does it shed it leaves at any time of the year?

    Lennard

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  12. Hello Lennard. I had a couple questions I hoped you might help me with. So you cut the tuber towards the end of the dormant period just as the buds first show? You let it dry for two weeks before you replant. Do all the buds die or do they continue to grow? At what time do you trim the branches that you want to cut? Dormancy, early, mid, late growing season?
    I have 3 that I have grown from seed maybe 23 years ago. They have been in the same pots and dirt for probably 15 years and are naturally stunted at this point and left to grow wild in shallow pots. they are barely 2 feet tall. I have never cut the tubers. I would love to send you pictures of them and get your thoughts on what you would do. Perhaps root prune next spring and plant in very large pots to bulk up? i think they have great potential but need help.
    Also how old do these plants need to be before they flower. None of my 5 have ever flowered despite their age, even my big one in the ground which is 2.5 meters around and 8 meters tall.
    finally, if you take an old potted and pruned baobab and put it in the ground and allow it to grow naturally will its shape and growth be ruined by the new vigorous growth and shoots or will it keep its general shape?
    thanks for any help derail@comcast.net

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  13. Hi Derali.

    The tubers can be cut in midwinter before they bud out, but doing it just as the buds swell would be okay also. The buds will not die after the cut back.

    I prefer to do top work in summer when the trees are actively growing - no chance of rotting then.

    To bulk up I would not cut the tubers - pot them up in bigger containers and do the tuber chop when you are happy with the thickness of the trunk.

    They flower from around 20 years of age - in a pot I don't think they will ever flower.

    If you put a styled Baobab bonsai in the ground you will have to use sacrifice growth to fatten it up or it will loose it shape.

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  14. Hi there. HOpe this site is still alive and well?
    I live on a farm in LImpopo, and we have lots of boabob trees. I'm currently trying to germinate some seeds. Someone told me that it will work to let the sees sit in CocaCola for 24hours, as this will also soften the hard shell? I did not try this. My insturctions for the seeds was to let them sit in 'warm' water for 24 hours. I have done this, but not sure how to interpret warm? Obviously 'warm' cools down quite rapidly? Should I rather change the water constantly to stay 'warm'?

    The next part of my question is: Can on cultivate trees from actual tree branches? I have one BIG boabob in my garden, one medium and one small (about 1mt tall, and about 20cm trunk), so I wondered what would happen if I use a gutting of a thickish branch and maybe treat with hormone powder? I know the WildFig does grow like this (my husband sucessfully started a tree from a 20cm branch treated with hormones. Will a Boabob work? As I could safe lots of years by starting my bonsai like that? Hope you can help.

    Doline

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  15. Hi Doline. Sorry for replying only now

    I plant the seeds and pour boiling water over the soil. I have a very high germination rate.

    I have not successfully grown Baobab from cuttings.

    But do try.

    Lennard

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  16. Hi There hope you can help, I have just bought a baobab it is approx. 54 cm and the trunk approx. 30mm.

    1 when do I cut the tree down and to what height
    2 when do I repot the tree, it is presently in a 10l plastic nursery pot. any advice you can give will be appreciated, I can send a photo if that will help.

    regards

    Harold

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  17. Hi Harold.

    Where are you from?

    If you want the trunk to become thicker it is best not to cut back anything.

    Lennard

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  18. hello, I wanted to ask for help.
    I can leave my baobab bonsai outdoors, even when it is the rainy season, usually here in Mozambique during the rainy season it rains 2 in 2 days.
    At the time of growth is much water into it, even with a well-draining soil '?

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  19. Hi Conqalo.
    Your temperatures in Mozambique are quite high all year round - I don't think you will have any problems with rotting. As long as the trees are growing they can take a lot of water.

    In summer I give my trees water every day.

    Good luck.

    Lennard

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  20. Hi Leonard
    Will the tuber root in the ground regrow a new baobab top
    Rick

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    Replies
    1. The tuber will not resprout. I have tried everthing now - even growth hormones to try, no success yet. A graft may work?

      Lennard

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    2. How about branch cuttings . Can you get them to root?
      Thanks
      Tick

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    3. Sorry for repying just now. N, they will not root.

      Lennard

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  21. Thanks so much for the info! I use pummace 50:50 with cacti mix and have good results...

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  22. Hi, I like to send you my pictures of Baobab its 1 month old its grow fast. I like know when it start cuting how old and when i stop watering him around september or oktober? I like make my own bonsai and seeds are from Malawi where i colect them is germinate fast 1 week:)

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  23. Hopefully this thread will still be active, I have a question regarding baobab seeds that I have just germinated. I am going to be turning them into a Bonsai forest, should I plant them in larger normal gardening pots (+-3l) initially for better root growth that I can trim back after the next growing season or can I plant them directly into a smaller bonsai pot?

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    Replies
    1. Sorry for reacting only now. I have sold all my bonsai except my Ficus. Would be best to grow them in larger conainers and chop the roots when they have reached the required thickness.

      Delete
  24. https://yt3.ggpht.com/fo0QFzTFwoQUxobW2jVIFW2hNTxk37yWBouH0WaljxR4T_PIx4BCE6x2V1aPjgOf0ZYJkmMC6JSL8A=s0

    my, baobab. im scared to kill it, so i wont touch roots nor top for the first 3\4 years

    ReplyDelete