New Boab Bonsai- Care Advice?

PedroFinnigan · Post by **PedroFinnigan** » December 15th, 2013, 4:32 pm

Hi guys,
this is my first post here, about my first bonsai in many years. I used to help my father when I was a kid caring for a couple of bonsai trees, but can't remember what species unfortunately.

I've just got this Boab, apparently 4 years old. I'm living in Kununurra, up in the Kimberley, recently moved from snowy Tassie! (...and loving it)

So, can anyone help me with general care advice? Watering? Feeding? pruning? Swelling the trunk etc. Any hints and tips would be great.

Thanks in advance,
Pete.

bamboos · Post by **bamboos** » December 16th, 2013, 7:28 am

Hi Pete
Since noone else has replied I will give it a go.
To get a bit of size to the trunk I would take it out of the bonsai pot and stick it in grow pot annd feed it up. Water freely during the summer growing season until the leaves start to fall in winter (happens when overnight temps get down to 18c) then dont water until temps get back up to 18c.and it starts to shoot which shouldnt be too long in Karratha! I wouldnt cut any branches yet get the trunk size first they will survive trunk chopping so this can be done later on
There are a couple of African members (Neli and Lennard) who can prob give you more info if they dont see this then you can pm them for more info
Steve

PedroFinnigan · Post by **PedroFinnigan** » December 16th, 2013, 10:31 am

Hey Bamboos,
thanks for the reply mate. I am worried that if I put it in a larger pot it will grow taller. It's about 60cm or so as it stands, which is quite big. I am wanting more girth in the trunk, without more height if possible? Will it "fill out" if I leave it in the current pot? Currently it is a bit boring and "stick-like" all straight and thin. I am wanting to make it a more interesting little bonsai.

People up here are saying just to leave it outside. It's becoming the rainy season here in Kununurra (not Karratha mate), with storms most nights. Aside from a good drenching every now and again for this season, will I need to fertilize it?

It's an Australian Boab species, not African. Though I have heard they are really similar. Any tips would be great.

Also, does anyone else have one I can see photos of for ideas?

Cheers,
Pete.

Meegs · Post by **Meegs** » December 16th, 2013, 1:04 pm

Hi Pete, I have two small Aussie boabs and an African as a bonsai. So far they seem to be very similar in growth habits. Can be quite tricky to grow down in Perth, but should be easier for you.
My suggestions would be,
1. Keep it outside in a protected spot. You have the advantage of climate on your side. They are native to your area, so it makes it easier

2. When it drops its leaves during The Dry, don't water it. When boabs in your area start leafing out, start watering.
3. Try not to put it in the ground. Mine tend to send roots straight down. This is a nuisance when going into a bonsai pot. If you want to grow it on maybe put in a shallow garden pot to encourage sideways root growth. At repotting take off tubers that go straight down. One of my aussie ones is pushing itself sideways! Its only just leafing out now, so it will get repotted this week. This year I experimented in trimming tubers, I don't know how they have done yet. I guess I can let you know next year

I have been told they thicken up in bonsai pots nicely by other members, so I'm trying that.
4. Responds well to tip pruning and puts out growth lower down nicely.
5. It seems like the pot its in now is ok for its size until it goes dormant again. I repotted my African one when leaved out and really didn't like it. Took about 6 months to recover

6. I feed mine native slow release. Fish based fertilizer is meant to be ok, but I haven't tried that.
Please take my suggestions with a grain of salt, I'm still a bonsai beginner and have only had my African for 2yrs and my Aussie ones for 9 months.

PedroFinnigan · Post by **PedroFinnigan** » December 16th, 2013, 1:10 pm

Cheers Meegs,
good tips! How do I go about this tip-pruning thing and what purpose does it serve?

I think I will leave it in this pot which is quite big, for now anyway.

Cheers,
Pete.

Meegs · Post by **Meegs** » December 16th, 2013, 1:49 pm

You're welcome Pete

I have found information on gregorii hard to find because it can be tricky to grow in southern areas. If its watered while dormant the tubers tend to rot. In alot of ways its more like a succulent than a true tree

Tip pruning is done to encourage growth lower down on a bonsai. This thickens the trunk without having to make big reductions or scars. It also helps form branches lower down so it can look more like a tree in miniature.
Ausbonsai wiki has a good article on it, I recommend reading as much of the wiki as you can. So much good info there

Sent from my HUAWEI SONIC using Tapatalk 2

bamboos · Post by **bamboos** » December 16th, 2013, 2:25 pm

Oops sorry Kununarra --- heart of Boab country
It has to live outside all the time make sure it doesn't dry out and fertilise .
Our African friends have been bonsaing(?) boabs for years and both species are very similar
You will probably find your dormant season will be very short as it depends on overnight minimum temp dropping below 18c
They can be trunk chopped to make them shorter
Steve

PedroFinnigan · Post by **PedroFinnigan** » December 16th, 2013, 2:42 pm

Just hack it off? o_O

I had a look in the wiki's but can't find much specifics on pruning and chopping. Any details or specific advice would be grand.

Jason · Post by **Jason** » December 16th, 2013, 2:47 pm

I'm still learning about them myself, but what I'm doing is growing it nice and tall so that I get some width in the trunk, then chopping it back hard and going from there

I've just got mine in a regular nursery pot to give it some room to grow.

I had actually put it down as dead until I saw it sprouting the other day. Had gone months without watering and had given up on it thinking it was in permanent dormancy

Meegs · Post by **Meegs** » December 16th, 2013, 3:10 pm

Yeah, Jason, I've just had a clear out of dead - siduous trees

Pete, he does mean just grow it big and hack it off

That's what my African one was originally, about 1m high reduced to 30cm. Although that was more about salvaging it because had been watered too much in nursery. Rotting tubers and all

The wound has healed well, but more like a Chinese jade, hence my observation it heals more like a succulent

I would suggest a softly softly approach until you can learn a bit more, but there are so many ways to bonsai...everyone does it their own way

Jason · Post by **Jason** » December 16th, 2013, 3:18 pm

Meegs wrote:Yeah, Jason, I've just had a clear out of dead - siduous trees

Definately learnt something with that one! I'd even snapped the main trunk (thinking it well and truely dead), and it was all dry. It must have got a few drops of water from me watering something nearby, and it just started sprouting from the base again! Which works out, because that has eliminated the straight trunkline that I didn't really care for

PedroFinnigan · Post by **PedroFinnigan** » December 16th, 2013, 4:04 pm

Wow, so maybe I'll let it grow until next spring and then hack it off half way or something, yeah?

Jason · Post by **Jason** » December 16th, 2013, 4:20 pm

PedroFinnigan wrote:Wow, so maybe I'll let it grow until next spring and then hack it off half way or something, yeah?

That is pretty much my plan

The taller the tree, the thicker the trunk will get

PedroFinnigan · Post by **PedroFinnigan** » May 25th, 2014, 2:16 pm

So here it is as the dry season kicks in, dropping its leaves and going dormant. It grew HEAPS over the wet, both taller and with really healthy looking branches packed with leaves. The trunk thickened a little, but not heaps.

So, any thoughts on where I could go with this? I don't want to do any wire work on the trunk, as I like the natural curve it's developing. I would like to maximize trunk thickness next growing season though.

Cheers,
Pete.

Neli · Post by **Neli** » May 25th, 2014, 3:43 pm

Hi!
You stop watering it now...until you see buds coming up on it...You can even hung it up somewhere in the shade...Many people do that.
- I would advise no trunk chopping until you have a good trunk thickness. If you have planted it in the ground it would have beed double girth by now, in one season.
My seedlings which I planted in packets last year are fatter than yours.
Chopping roots is done a month- to 1.5 month before spring... Very few and only the top roots are left...the tree is left to dry and planted in spring. The cut area is smeared with sulfur. That is done during repot also...roots of baobab tend to form large tubers .
I dug out several large ones from the bush...one was next to the water tank and it overflows so the top part was regularly watered...as a result it got some rot on top. I cleaned the rotted part and is doing fine now. They were all trunk chopped hard when dug out.
Trunk chopping baobab is without any problems...I have done it in summer and in winter without any problems. The center is fibrous so try to seal it on top with something that will prevent water going in, and getting trapped in the fibers and causing rot.
Baobab heals from within. You can let it shoot and then carve between the shoots ones they are established, and actually make the base of the branches from the trunk...it heals very well and no scars are left.
Good luck and plant it in the ground...Dont fear root chop.

AusBonsai