Baobab Seedling & Tree Care

Hello, baby baobab. Here’s how to get your new tree settled in — whether it came from me as a bare-root tree or you grew it from seed.

Planting

Prepare your soil. My short recommendation is 50% cactus/citrus soil and 50% sand. If you want to dial it in, 50% cactus soil, 25% sand, and 25% pumice, perlite, or pea pebbles will keep your baobab thriving. Place it in an area with good air flow so the moisture dries out quickly.

Pick a pot with drainage — lots of it. When growing in pots, I quadruple the amount of drainage holes I’d typically drill.

First watering. After planting, water your baobab fully with a light dose of transplant/root fertilizer, so that all of the soil in the pot gets some moisture. If planting in a small pot, it’s good to submerge the entire thing to allow your soil and roots to get comfortable and well acquainted. If you do submerge the pot, be careful to let it dry out completely before watering again.

If your tree arrives dormant

Trees shipped in fall, winter, and early spring are usually dormant. They may arrive looking like a small, lifeless stick. Don’t worry — the leaves will come back in the spring!

If your baobab is dormant upon arrival, stop watering after your initial acclimation. The roots will rot if there is too much moisture for an extended period during dormancy. In the spring, new leaves will begin to bud from the trunk, and that means it’s thirsty again.

Be patient. The baobab is a resilient tree and will bounce back from the transplant and journey. Sometimes it can take up to a year for a dormant trunk to push out new leaves, but the tree is still alive, biding its time. (Tree of Life!)

If your tree arrives with leaves

During the growing season, keep it in a bright location, out of direct sunlight, for the first week of acclimation to its new home. Then slowly introduce your seedling to direct sun, a few hours a day at first. Your baobab baby may drop some leaves as it acclimates — yellowing leaves are normal, especially as young plants drop their first leaves.

Watering, season by season

Baobabs have two modes: growth and dormancy.

• Growing season (late spring through summer): they thrive with lots of water, along with the heat. Always let the soil dry out before watering again, then give it a deep soak. Don’t worry about letting it be thirsty while you’re on vacation. They are basically camels.
• Dormancy (autumn, winter, early spring): as the temperature falls, hold back. When the leaves begin to shed, reduce watering to a small trickle once a month or so — just enough to keep the soil active, never enough to soak the roots. In late spring, when you see new leaves bud, it’s time to start watering regularly again.

Try your best to mimic the natural environment of a baobab: short, hot, rainy summers and long, mild, dry winters. Treat it as you would a succulent or cactus.

Light and temperature

Baobabs are adapted to thrive in harsh, direct sunlight with high temperatures. Indirect light will encourage your tree to grow leggy and weak — during the growing season, give it direct sun if you possibly can.

Protect from temperatures below 55°F (13°C) and strong wind. When nighttime temperatures are above 60°F, it can live outside. When lows fall below 55°F, bring it inside for the season and put it in a sunny window. Older trees can tolerate occasional light frost, but young ones should always be protected. Good air circulation around the tree helps prevent rot.

Living somewhere that gets real winters? Here’s how to grow a baobab in a pot and bring it in for winter.

Soil and fertilizer

Baobabs are, by most measures, succulents, and thrive in dry, well-draining soils. Make sure your soil isn’t too rich — they’re accustomed to harsh, arid conditions and need very little fertilizer.

Pests

Every part of the baobab tree is edible to humans, which means it’s a tasty treat for most pests too. While the trunk can survive losing its leaves to an infestation, you’ll want to prevent it as best you can. I recommend filling your garden with beneficial predators, but I still occasionally use a wet Q-tip to wipe down bad aphid infestations on young plants.

Size and bonsai

Your baobab doesn’t need to become a giant if you don’t want it to. These adaptable trees will grow to fit the size of the pot you choose, so you can keep one as a bonsai for decades — or, if you live in the right climate, put it in the ground and let it reach for the sky.

The more you know

• Kingdom Plantae · Order Malvales · Family Malvaceae · Genus Adansonia · Species your baby
• The powder of the dried baobab fruit is a prebiotic superfood, packed with vitamin C, antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. It can last up to three years without spoiling, making it a valuable food source during times of scarcity.
• Every part of the baobab tree, from root to leaf to fruit, is edible.
• It usually takes more than 10 years for a young tree to produce fruit.
• 6 of the 8 species of baobab are endemic to Madagascar.
• Baobabs have a complex root system that connects with neighbors through underground fungal networks, sharing nutrients and, some researchers think, warnings about environmental threats.
• The thick, fibrous bark keeps the interior cool, so communities have stored food and water in hollow trunks — natural refrigerators.
• In many African cultures, the baobab is a symbol of wisdom and strength, and many communities believe spirits reside within the tree, offering protection and guidance.

“As it gets older and fatter, full of scars and memories, each Baobab takes on a shape of its own. If you befriend a Baobab, you quickly see that this one is like no other…”

— The Baobab Room, Père Jacques de Foiard-Brown with Marilyn Nelson, 2019

Grow Baby Grow!