How to grow Baobab from seeds in 5 days

Simple and quick way to germinate baobab seeds.

[@rithajay]

For those revisiting as they go 0:00 Introduction to Baobab fruits 1:30 The seeds 2:23 Separating the good and bad seeds 3:08 Preparing the good seeds 3:15 Step 1 (filing) 5:21 Step 2 (soaking about 2 days) 5:55 Step 3 (peeling) 7:16 Product after peeling 7:34 Step 4 (germination 2-3days) 8:15 Product of germination 8:37 Soil planting

[@mattblack6801]

Great vid! Well explained, excellent step-by-step explanation and very nicely filmed. I have seeds from an (estimated) 2000 year old baobab on a friends farm in Botswana, and I only got 15 from the pod so I tried this technique with the ones that were floating too. Interestingly enough, even though they floated the entire time during soaking, when I put them in the tissue paper they grew nice long roots exactly the same as the good seeds. I have just potted them, will keep you updated as to whether they survive!

[@poeratana2062]

Matt Black Wow thank you so much and I am so happy it works for you! Please send me updates of your seedlings. During the first few months, the leaves are very tender and they are prone to insect damage so you might want to keep a close watch. Good luck!

[@mattblack6801]

Update: The seeds which sank germinated just as in the video, with two beautiful cotyledons and the first true leaves pushing through at around 5mm and 2mm long. The seed which floated however turned out to be quite interesting. The cotyledons were shriveled, hard and brown and looked as if they would not open, whilst the root developed just as all the other seeds. What I ended up doing was cutting the cotyledons almost completely off after about 5 days, to give the seedling a chance to send through the first true leaf. As of today there is a tiny tiny true leaf pushing through! So I would encourage that, even if some of your seeds float during soaking, don't give up on them - they could still grow!

[@poeratana2062]

Wow that is amazing! Thanks so much for sharing this information.

[@tommydemaria6320]

Where do you get the seeds?

[@garamabe6891]

Can you do a video?

[@mikesitex]

As soon as I started sanding away, I felt like experimenting. I took a drill and drilled a hole into the seeds just until it reached the white part. This shaved down the prep time significantly, and if you have a steady hand, you can do the same. That is the only modification I made. I started with 8 seeds and all 8 germinated. I gave them away today to family and friends :D

[@normanhicks1892]

A Dremel tool works well also , if you are careful.

[@jenga_underscore7797]

This is brilliant, thanks for sharing! I have started gardening & found this useful. Just bought 5 Digitata seeds and followed most of the instructions. But it was still winter in Sydney (10C) so I put the seeds in mini zip bags filled with water over a heater to speed up the process. The filing doesn't seem necessary if you leave it in warm water for 2-3 days as it softens & you can just scratch it off lightly & peel. An extra step less? I planted in loamy sandy soil and it shot up in less than 2 weeks during winter weather. It may have surfaced earlier if the weather was warmer. Still, beats 4-8months of waiting to germinate!

[@ngamngo1177]

Thank you so much, for sharing... It will help me a lot. I've just received seeds from Senegal... And I'll try my best.

[@kevinsmith2287]

Followed your advice step by step .......you are spot on! Thank you so much ......ready to pot in 4 days!

[@jigneshdesai8190]

I just saw this video 2 days back and followed your instructions to germinate the seeds. You won't believe as I did not, it started germinating in 2 days. Today I saw a root coming out 😊.it was very helpful to start with. I also saw your all yearly updates till year 4 and those will help us to take care of the tree. I would also like to keep you updated with the growth and progress it may have. Thank you so much again my friend.

[@Rynaelnd]

I found a faster way putting hot water helps to soften the seed and makes it easier to peel off

[@Cappa_got_fligth]

Did they survive ? :)

[@carlosjohnpastrana566]

i think warm water is much better, because if hot water, definitely it will cook or die

[@jamestropicals8262]

Yeah warm water should work just not boiling hot water

[@seanstrain5031]

Thanks for making this video-- you weren't kidding about it only taking 5-7 days. I did this with Adansonia digitata and madagascariensis and so far it seems to have worked with both, albeit faster with digitata (5/5 have popped out of the soil, where only 1/3 madagascariensis have shown so far, but I can see the soil bulging on one of them). I only left them in the container with wet coffee filters (instead of tissue paper) for one day because I was a little concerned about them rotting, but most of them have sprouted nonetheless albeit a little slower than yours. I planted a few after the filing/soaking steps to compare and none of those have done anything yet (which isn't surprising). Also, I could tell a difference between the floating and sinking seeds after the soak step. I treated them all the same but when I pulled them out of the water after the soaking step, the floating seeds didn't look the same as the sinking seeds. They were kind of wrinkled like a raisin and soft. When I tried to peel them, I saw a little shriveled up version of what I saw in the sinking seeds and I didn't bother planting them. Before I tried filing them down like you did, I soaked them for a day (as other websites instructed) and they didn't swell at all. I think filing and then soaking is pretty critical to get these to germinate quickly.

[@poeratana2062]

Thanks for sharing your experience! It is feels great to know that this method worked for you. Very interesting that you used coffe filters and got good germination rates. I heard some people used tissues or paper towels and rotted. My guess is that it has to do with the chemicals in the tissue paper or paper towel that is making the seedlings rot. However I ran out of seeds to I couldn't test this theory. Thanks again for sharing!

[@shockwave268]

Thanks for the helpful video. I was able to get 15 of 19 seeds to germinate in the first week. I used a small hand drill instead of filing the hard shell.

[@poeratana2062]

shockwave268 Awesome! Thanks for the information. Glad you had success in germinating them.

[@UnderNewbie]

Many thanks! After 24h, I was able to remove the hard shell and now I put them into a box with 2 layers of tissues.

[@ilearntohate]

Great video, thanks! I took 5 seeds, worked with file for some time (just to get through the thick part, if you see you got through no need to make hole bigger, water will do its work). Then put in water for 2.5 days, then easily peeled and in 1.5 days all roots were growing and leaves began opening! Its SO easy! Unlike Ginkgo for example))

[@nelson533]

Great video! Followed your method and all of my 10 seeds have germinated and got a root growing after 2 days in tissue. Will plant them in a day or two and see what happens. Thanks again.

[@tucsontess]

Thanks for you video. I got ten seeds, eight were viable (floated), I used a heel sander to speed up the process. Lost one when I was a little too rough during the peeling process. I just planted the remaining seven a couple of days ago. I live just west of Tucson, Arizona, USA. It will be interesting to see how it grows on my acre, I'll be giving the others away. Thanks again so much!

[@hallodanel1456]

Thank you so much, I bought seeds form up north and will plant the trees here in the Western Cape using your method. Greetings from South Africa!

[@gloriaalias504]

Your method has really worked for me thanks. I had only one seed and it sprouted in 8 days. It's longer than you said but I'm not surprised because it's a bit cold in my room

[@ThePOPDIVA24]

Cool! Thanks for sharing this! Now I can be more prepared for my baobab seeds that are coming in a week.

[@ThePOPDIVA24]

Update: Great news! I followed all of the video’s steps (although I couldn’t quite completely remove the tough outer shell of all the seeds, only by half on 2 and broke some nails in the process, ouch!). I planted 3 baobab Grandidieri seeds and was pleased to find that 2 had actually sprouted within a few days.

[@ThePOPDIVA24]

Another update: 3 have now sprouted. :) I’m happy as a clam.

[@Rblock777]

thanks, all my 5 baobabs are now 2 months old and big :)

[@jamestropicals8262]

Mine grew 100 feet in 10 years

[@Rblock777]

@@jamestropicals8262 Yeah right, you can try to fool your grandmother with that

[@jamestropicals8262]

@@Rblock777 I told my grandma and she believed me

[@Rblock777]

@@jamestropicals8262 Congratz buddy

[@jamestropicals8262]

@@Rblock777 I planted a tree seed and all of the sudden a branch shot through my head and grew to be 2 million feet tall in less then a second

[@anthonyfrancisco2424]

This is a great video, thank you for really taking some time to put something quality together. Much appreciated. Liked and subscribed.

[@poeratana2062]

Anthony Francisco Thank you so much for the kind words. Really means a lot to me.

[@andrewavina7105]

After filing away, I started to rub my skin off from the file. My seeds were very small. I got to thinking and saw what Mike K did, then realized I didn't have a drill on me. I just used a knife and twisted until I reached past the protective shell. Left my seeds to soak overnight and it was easy enough to pull the protective shell out and now all my seeds germinated! Super easy

[@kromminyhatszek9347]

Hi this is a great presentation. I have one time been able to germinate a boab seed but with your method I think it will be much much faster, and easier. I filed some seeds down last night, and put them in water, and today, they have all but doubled in size. Thanks heaps.

[@peterashby-saracen3681]

I've used this technique, more or less, twice now with excellent results. I find that I often have to cut or file the seeds several times over a few days (returning them to the water each time) to soften the seed coat sufficiently. Then I peel them and remove as much of the pale inner membrane as possible as this can impede the expansion of the embryo. Then they go between damp kitchen towels for a few days and once there's a good root on them I pot them up individually.

[@Sub-saharian]

It's delicious, you didn't taste it? In West Africa, we make the juice and that's extraordinary delicious !

[@Backi96]

How do you put the seeds into the soil? Do they have to be completely covered by soil? My seeds are already making roots :) nice video!

[@Dr.SowmyaDinesh]

Thank you very much. Very clear explanation and great tips!

[@oliviamarsh6059]

Thank you very much! Love seeing this tree mostly. Whole foods has it and Im gonna try the drink. ....

[@greentopia7365]

That was amazing! A friend just sent me a couple of seeds and I am gonna try your method

[@lilig.9324]

Thank you for your video!! That's working well 😊🌱 One question when the roots are coming how do you plant them in the soil, I mean how deep? And wich type of soil do you use, when do you rempot them after that? Thank you!

[@AshSlabbert]

Amazing video! This is so helpful

[@faierieknotting]

Perfect video many thanks best wishes

[@misbachulmunir401]

Great tips buddy..... Thanks... greetings from Indonesia.

[@artfan3118]

Brilliant video, I tried the heating method and it didn't work for me. This worked. Thank you.

[@clayboren6714]

great video. I started some from seed a few years back and had relative success with the filing down and soaking, but I never took the outer layer off after soaking. A lot made it through & germinated anyways but I'd definitely copy your whole method next time. thanks for the clear instructions.

[@chazmalwick]

Awesome tutorial. Can you make a tutorial how to make a soil for baobab, or tell which you use, and how often and how much you water it? And where you located it for light/sun? Lol :D

[@LevelUP84]

Great info thanks. I’ll skip the tissue part though and transfer straight into compost. Also the floating part is not an indicator of bad seeds, they’ll likely still grow.

[@karin_ross]

I orderd baobab seeds online your way is the only way.... My others died. Thank you very much

[@JaisimhaAllalghatta]

OK I have done the process. Will update after two days

[@JaisimhaAllalghatta]

Success :-) Thanks so much for the illustrative video

[@dovydaslevanavicius9050]

*1 year later*

[@franksflytraps]

@@dovydaslevanavicius9050 lol

[@degruggir1483]

did the plant survive?

[@JaisimhaAllalghatta]

@@degruggir1483 It is now a little over ones year. And all the leaves shed of a couple of months back. Now I see fresh leaves sprouting. I wish I could put a picture of the fresh leaves sprouting photos.app.goo.gl/FV32BsG7SMFDeE267

[@brianheidel4550]

thanks for the info. I am waiting for my seeds to come in that I ordered. hope they do well.

[@LetsDoBonsai]

Fantastic - perfect detail and put over brilliantly thanks for sharing!!

[@princechess3299]

Make video on what fertilizer to use for baobab ,it's care etc

[@sheetalbhalerao8192]

Wonderful trees Baobab.Can be planted,

[@jonathanbailey5896]

Excellent video well described thank you very much I look forward to following your instructions.

[@alinabenoit3124]

Merci pour le tuto. Je vais essayer pour voir ce que cela donne.

[@chaledeveine]

Great video mate! Thanks

[@sanandanacm7934]

Is there a particular schedule to be maintained to water the plant? And thanks a lot for the info, eagerly waiting for my baobab!!

[@mariettavolk5329]

КРУТО! Большое спасибо, на русском языке нет нормального обьяснения как вырастить баобаб, а у вас все понятно и просто🎉😁

[@JaisimhaAllalghatta]

Thanks for sharing. will try it out

[@KindofaScientist]

Wow! I used your method, but I pilled only one side and used rooting powder and high-grade liquid fertilizer. Germinated after 2 days!!!! Thank you soo much! Do u have any recommendations for dragon tree seeds? I have issues with germinating them

[@qswedasf]

I used a side cutter and just cut a small piece off. quicker than file. Soaked for 2 days in water and then cotton with cling wrap holder. Put it on top of UPS (hot surface). 2 started rooting after another 2-3 days - I didn't do any peeling though as it already cracks from the root and leaves so rather not want to damage it.

[@warraupe9373]

Great video. Thank you!

[@kfl611]

Excellent video, thank you for posting.

[@Just_driving_]

Thank you, very nice video. 👍🏻

[@LucasLLopes96]

In my baobab planting experience, I used a scalding technique that makes the hard seed husk break in 2 minutes without damaging germination. The water must be at 90 ° C so that the seed does not cook and die. The seed can be planted directly in the pot with planting soil.

[@homme436]

It helps tremendously. Thank you.

[@kaffeee1970]

Very perfect performance 👏

[@ahmedibrahimawale445]

Very useful and helpful ! Thank u. How long it takes for baobab tree to bring fruits?

[@poeratana2062]

Ahmed Ibrahim Awale About 8 years is what I was told.

[@jamestropicals8262]

Or 10 to 15 years

[@tahanlaoboy]

Some floating seeds are good seeds too, because the seeds got some wacky shell or the seed too dry

[@poeratana2062]

Aire Lao Thanks. Yes. Some floating seeds are able to germinate. But most of the time they are not as healthy as the sinking seeds.

[@jamestropicals8262]

But you said to pick out the floating seeds

[@fgaryam]

@@jamestropicals8262 Pick out and throw away.

[@sandarudamsara6175]

wow excellent

[@HandsONreviews4u]

This tree is INSANE in fast growth to which I ATTRIBUTE THAT TO THE HAND OF GOD ON THIS PARTICULAR TREE.......our LORD IS AN AMAZING CREATOR

[@amjadmusafar]

Great job.. But in which season we can grow t

[@balipan09]

Very thorough, thanks!

[@mantiispsn6543]

Great video, Poe! My Baobab is 5 months old, but I live in a cold climate and winter is approaching. Do you have any tips for preparing for winter? Thanks

[@poeratana2062]

Thank you. As I am in Thailand, I have no idea about what to do in winter. Here, it barely gets down to 60F and when it does, our plants love it so much. Sorry I could not be of further assistance.

[@mantiispsn6543]

@@poeratana2062 Okay, no problem? Are you able to identify species by their seeds? I have bought different types of baobab, but I'm worried that I have been sent the same species :)

[@ajaykumarkhare7955]

I have 02 different varieties of Baobab. 1 ) RIGITATA Adansonia 2) DIGITATA Adansonia Both r d same appearance But DIGITATA seeds are bigger & Having very fine single root with each seed.

[@cyrillouw9694]

Very informative .Thank you .

[@joescrivener8869]

Thanks for the full walk-through! I have some of these arriving next week. Where do you get the whole fruit?

[@poeratana2062]

I ran into a mature tree with fruits and asked the owner if I can have some. :)

[@gimpelkonrad9569]

Thank you all so, you help me so much with your advice

[@luciakanutustangi3534]

Watching this with two fruits 😂😂

[@alvaroguason2779]

Hi! How many times do you give water to the plant? Does the plant need to be very wet?

[@poeratana2062]

Alvaro Guason Just enough to keep the soil moisten but not soggy.

[@mengistok]

You are the best. Keep it up

[@rhunter6427]

I'm going to plant a lot of trees in my backyard because it's so big. 30 baobab trees might be in the plans. They are large and quite gorgeous. I want to plant some trees that cast shadows. So, I have two inquiries: first, does this tree lose its leaves each year, and second, if so, for how long? Furthermore, wouldn't my property appear unattractive if all the trees lost their leaves? Since it would resemble a savanna or scrubland in my thoughts... 😅

[@jimbo12]

I would suggest using the miracle of electricity and use a grinder on a motor which would take a few seconds to do.

[@mayoffnaise5141]

Some of the baobab seeds that I got were not crescent shaped but buried them nonetheless. Not know whether that is normal but the seed looks completely like baobab seeds apart from the shape

[@bryanotto9488]

Hi really good video how deep into soil do you plant your seed Thanks

[@poeratana2062]

Just enough to cover the seed fully.

[@artysm7]

I like the look of your soil what did you add to it to make it like that?

[@poeratana2062]

LET'S PUSH THINGS FORWARD! It is a mixture of soil, compost, manure, and mulched leaves.

[@rhunter6427]

What number of seeds did you place in the vase? I saw a man placing five seeds in a vase in a KZbin video. Is everything all right, I wonder. Can five plants be inserted into the same dirt hole without conflict?

[@shamanking5195]

Hi how long does it take to produce fruit ??? Thanks.

[@soaronwingslikeeagles7982]

Thanks!! I do something similar with citrus seeds. I take seeds from fruit... dry them about a day and peel the outer shell off and plant in a plant bag .... it sprouts quickly too

[@erick_papi]

Hello. I need some assistance, please. So everything went great, until the moment of keeping them in the plastic container and putting them in soil: the leaves turned brown in the ones i set in soil.... And the others in the plastic container are only with 1 kind of tail after 1 week... Any advice?? Like how should i put them in the soil, or when... Pointing up/down...?

[@awdheshkumar4742]

Can we apply this method on tamarind seeds ? I will be grateful to you if you can provide these baobab seeds!! I am from India

[@YaxKukMo1426]

Had some success germinating Adansonia madagascariensis using this method but when I tried it with A. Rubrostipa, A. perrieri and A. Za and rot set in very quickly including one seed rotting while in the Tupperware box waiting for the taproot to grow.

[@poeratana2062]

YaxKukMo1426 Thanks for sharing this information. That is very interesting to know. I had only one type of baobab seeds so I have not tried this on other species.

[@poeratana2062]

I have been looking into the rot issue and I think it could be the pH of the water/tissue paper used to incubate the seeds are too high. If you have extra seeds you can spare, I would suggest skipping the tupperware incubation step. Instead, file the seeds, soak them in water overnight, peel and bury them in the soil right away.

[@ajaykumarkhare7955]

Poe Ratana ! If U need DIGITATA Adansonia & RIGITATA Adansonia seeds . U may get them .Please contact me on my W/A NO.09335710061

[@mohmdfhd4718]

what will happen if I scratched the young leafs inside the seed just a little bit?

[@poeratana2062]

Mohmd Fhd The leaves may be a bit torn or deformed but should still grow.

[@nidalshehadeh6001]

Do you know if this specie will tolerate a climate such as South Florida ? I live in US zone 9 ,

[@poeratana2062]

Nidal Shehadeh I believe so. South Florida’s climate is similar to that of Thailand and they do really well here.

[@nidalshehadeh6001]

@@poeratana2062 Thank you for your fast reply ,

[@bogverenko]

I live in a subtropical climate where temperatures get below zero for a few days. Is it possible for me to grow Baobab? Obviously I want to keep it indoors for as long as possible, but ... And where did you buy the seeds, please share the link

[@rootsAlkebu]

Thank you

[@Aaka21]

Thanks

[@tezcankutlu7632]

Hi there. Hiw do we need to plant it in the soil? With the roots under the soil or outside ? And do you have an example ?

[@tommydemaria6320]

Where do you get seeds

[@RCohle452]

Norfolk island hibiscus ( Lagunaria patersonia) has similar seeds.

[@victorrabago1619]

Super, GRACIAS

[@christophtrummer5385]

Thank you for your great video! It works very good. But I have one question: How deep have you put the seeds into the soil at the end? 2 of 3 seeds have been rotten in my case... And what kind of soil do you use? Thank you very much!

[@poeratana2062]

Christoph Trummer 1” is good. I just use regular potting soil with compost. Thank you.

[@christophtrummer5385]

@@poeratana2062 Thank you!

[@golddog9377]

Where do you get the seeds or fruit Is there any reputable provider

[@sebalep]

wow! very helpful!

[@liveforthenight91]

yo. 2 days after sprouting, is it ok to plant? What would be the best soil to use and how deep? any help would be much appreciated ;)

[@poeratana2062]

When you can clearly see the main root growing out, then it's good to plant. This typically takes about 2-3 days of incubation. Don't leave it for much more than that otherwise it might begin to rot. Any loose, well-drained soil mix is good. Plant the seedling root-down and the top part should be almost ground level or just about 0.5 cm below the surface.

[@imbeaultdaniel]

I use a metallic foot grater, it takes 15 to 30 secondes.

[@princechess3299]

Can we grow it by online available seeds ..... Are they gonna work ????? Is this can be grown in India too

[@bakkerjan]

There was a little bit of mold on my seeds before I planted them out in the pots. Does this matter?

[@sheetalbhalerao8192]

Can Baobab be planted in India?If Baobab erected all over the world, where shortages of water inspite of plenty rain fall, since don't arrest rainfal Baobab can act as a eco-, friendly water reservoirs, dams--

[@poeratana2062]

Yes it can!

[@ernestoenriquez7468]

I would like to buy grandidieri baobab seeds. Wher can I buy them? Thank you. E. Enríquez from Mexico.

[@jasperp123]

Most of my seeds germinated, but then most died off as they rotted down. Maybe I gave them too much water?

[@007johndog007]

This may sound like 2 dumb questions but I am new to gardening. How deep should I plant the seeds after germination? And what type of soil should I be using?

[@poeratana2062]

Just enough to cover the seed - about 1 inch. I use regular potting soil

[@007johndog007]

@@poeratana2062 thank you.

[@magicforesttree9710]

Great --How do you remove the dark brown seeds from the white Hard powder like substance ?

[@poeratana2062]

magicforesttree The white stuff is water soluble so you can stir them in water for a while and they will wash off. PS. The white part is also edible and tastes sweet&sour candy. So i just normally suck them like candy :)