Baobab-Seedlings: buying…

… Them from different sources. A good location to find Baobab-seedlings are shops selling „fairtrade“ or specialised horticultural products. They can be ordered via internet as well. How to produce Baobab-seedlings yourself is described in another post.

My “planting career” started with Baobab-seedlings. All of the seedlings I acquired either as gifts or bought in shops were in their dormant phase, i.e. they did not have leaves. Their roots and branches were cut back and covered with a thin layer of wax. This is supposed to prevent them from drying out. The seedlings usually come with instructions how to treat and take care of them. The little Baobabs mainly originate from Africa south of the Sahara, in many cases from Senegal where they are produced for export.

To wake the „sleeping“ seedlings up, follow the care instructions on the packaging. It is very important that the layer of wax is removed from the root and branch areas. To accomplish that place the seedling in warm water. Avoid hot water to prevent thelittle Baobab from damages. In some cases the wax coating strongly sticks to the seedling and needs to be removed manually. I usually scrape off the wax with my fingernails carefully. Afterwards I let them soak in warm water. In some cases first signs of roots showed quickly – in other cases it took the Baobab weeks to grow roots. The warm water should be replaced regularly.

Once the roots are long enough just place the seedling in a pot that allows for good water drainage. Clay pots are particularly suitable. Pebbles should be placed at the bottom of the pot to support better drainage. I place cactus soil mixed with sand on top of the pebbles. Please avoid sand from the sea and use riverine sand instead. Sand from the sea may contain salt and Baobabs do not like slat at their roots at all.

Place the little Baobab at a sunny and draft-free spot. Baobabs do not like temperatures below 12 degrees centigrade. Once temperatures in spring and summer climb high enough (above 18 to 20 degrees centigrade) the trees like to thrive on sunny spots on the balcony or terrace. Baobabs do not tolerate too much water – their roots start rotting and the trees die as a consequence.