More space for Baobab roots

The four Baobabs in the one pot that had been most successful so far have been looking a bit crowded as of late, and so it seemed about time that they got their own homes.

Using the same winning combination of paper on the kitchen floor and sharp sand/compost mix I set about taking the seedlings out of the one pot and repotting them in their own pots; a process known in the gardening trade as pricking out.

I upturned their pot, making sure I could support the compost from beneath without squashing or damaging the seedlings, and gently squeezed the sides of the pot to loosen the soil from the pot. The seedlings and their compost slid out onto the paper, and with the compost being such a gritty, loose mix there was no need for prising it apart to separate the seedlings.


As you might expect, the roots were already quite deep, being about the same length down as the leaves are high. Interestingly there were no side roots at all, but they were sturdy seedlings, and not as fragile or delicate as I was expecting. In Africa these characteristics would serve them well in reducing the likelihood of damage, and in giving each seedling the best chance of being the one that survived amongst competition from other seedlings that might have germinated nearby; all fighting for water, nutrients and space.

Now each of the four seedlings has more room, with two having their own individual pots of a similar size to the one they've just been moved out of, and the other two sharing a slightly larger and notably deeper pot. I thought it wise, given how deep the roots are already, to have a go at seeing what that extra roots space will do for them. It will be interesting to watch their progression over the next few weeks to see if any problems arise, and at what rate the new leaves develop.