Does baobab need a cool period for its dormancy? I have two "seedlings"
about 5 year old each and I keep them next to a north facing window. It
does not drop all its leaves. A few at the top are always there.

It is a fascinating tree. It has a bulge at the bottom that goes below
the soil.

-Pranab

PS. This year I am going to build my "tree house" by enclosing the front
porch.

Carl L Rosner wrote:
Dear All:
Since we are talking about tropicals (well, sort of)I did take my Baobab
plant out of the tree house and placed it on the dining room table.

Here is the story of my three year-old Baobab seedling (which has a ¾ of
an inch trunk at the soil level and is 14 inches tall.) It has been in
my tree house since August 2003, and has leafed out and is growing
beautifully. But knowing that it needs a dormancy period, and is quite
content to grow in my tree house, I am going to force it into Dormancy.
It appears to be on South African time. I say that because I correspond
with a woman in SA, and her Baobabs are now just starting to drop their
leaves. I made the decision it is time for this plant to sleep,
otherwise it will grow and grow. The winter of 2002 the tree went into
dormancy and after it dropped its leaves, I placed it a darkened bedroom
until the spring of 2003.