Baobab bonsai
- Kls67f250
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My baobab bonsai has gotten tall and lanky. Can I chop the top 1/2 of the tree to make it smaller? Or what can I do and when?
by Kls67f250
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- 名媛直播Learner
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Is it an actual Adansonia digitata or just in the baobab style?
If it is a baobab, it should be OK with a trunk chop. Leave some shoots underneath the cut if you're worried.
Now is not the ideal time to do it, though. I would wait until late spring/early summer.
Ed
If it is a baobab, it should be OK with a trunk chop. Leave some shoots underneath the cut if you're worried.
Now is not the ideal time to do it, though. I would wait until late spring/early summer.
Ed
Last Edit:8 years 5 months ago
by 名媛直播Learner
Last edit: 8 years 5 months ago by 名媛直播Learner.
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- Kls67f250
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Thank you for the reply. It is an actual Madagascar baobab, I grew from a seed. Well, there are no lower branches or anything for that matter... It's just a tall stick with 3 branches coming out of the top....so, I should chop it early spring and it will be ok if I take better than half of the tree? Thanks again
by Kls67f250
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- 名媛直播Learner
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Yeah, it should be fine. I would try an air layer so that the top half isn't wasted. How thick is the trunk?
by 名媛直播Learner
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- Kls67f250
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It's a super sized pencil at the bottom and a regular one at top and about 3-ish feet tall total... So after I chop it in the spring I should clone the part I chop?
by Kls67f250
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- 名媛直播Learner
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Leave it to grow to 2/3 the thickness that you want the tree to be. Find desired thickness by dividing the desired height by a number from 6 to 12.
Only then should you attempt a trunk-chop.
Only then should you attempt a trunk-chop.
by 名媛直播Learner
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- Kls67f250
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Oh, so if I chop it I will stunt the growth then? So if I want it to look like a traditional tree it needs to be fat so I might have to wait a couple of years before I can attempt a chop then... It's only just over a year old.... this is only my second bonsai (first is a happy little lemon tree. Long story I got lucky) and I wasn't sure I could correct this problem without killing the tree. Thank you for all your help!!!
by Kls67f250
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- 名媛直播Learner
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Kls67f250 wrote: Oh, so if I chop it I will stunt the growth then?
Not quite. If you chop it to it's desired final height now, it will just have to grow tall again in order for the trunk to thicken.
by 名媛直播Learner
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