Baby Baobob tree losing leaves

Question

I bought the tree from Senegal in April. I left it in its original pot for about a month and the repotted it in a new terracotta pot.

I put it in my kitchen window which gets southern exposure. It started losing leaves.

The UK has had a lot of rainfall this year because the window is open, so I moved it to my salon next other plants that are from dry regions.

Since returning from Senegal I have watered it 3 to 4 times. I was advised to water it every 2 weeks.

It started losing leaves again. When repotting I used regular repotting soil. I have been given a cactus and was advised it needed cactus soil. I had no idea there was such a thing. My poor baobab now has one leaf left but is growing some other leaves.

Should I repot it in cactus soil or leave it? I am worried it will die.

Answer 1

The tips of the branches seem still alive, this is good news!

I think the advice to put it in cactus soil is good, it needs soil with good drainage (which cactus soil has). So I see no problems there.

Also the south facing window should be perfect! It likes a lot of light so south facing is best.

The reason why it lost its leaves is probably the stress of moving it from Senegal to the UK. It has to acclimatize to your home, this stress can cause a plant to shed its leaves (you see this often with indoor bonsai). Also draft can be a cause of this.

Another reason may be underwatering. During growing season (Spring and Summer), a plant wants to grow. It needs more water for that. However, be careful with that, because overwatering will also be very harmful (root rot). Best is to let the soil dry between watering, and check with fingers in soil if it is really dry. However during hot days in summer the soil can dry out within 1 or 2 days already, so they can have more water during that period. I do this with my cacti as well, the rule is to give it water every 2 to 4 weeks, however, during hot summer I give them daily when I see that the soil dries up. Just be sure the soil is really dry before giving it water.