YAY!!!!
Ron I hope they all do Great!
Wanna see pictures!
Will do!
Gawd, they grow fast!
My banana project
- Thread starter Trax
- Start date
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Will do!
Gawd, they grow fast!
Thanks for the info Trax. My son wrapped my banana in a tarp by no Christmas lights. I will this year if we have a cold year. Did you see the pic of my pup. I am going to did her up in fall. Can you tell what kind it is fromt he pic?
I will watch closely for bananas this year. I counted 15 leaves and new ones opening up every day. She is so big baby boy/girl will have to be moved but it is just too hot here. I don't want to kill her. I may pot it if I do dig it up before fall. They are both healthy and in a good spot eventhough my previous landscaper told me to move them. I have just the spot along the fence for the pup. No they don't have any red or blue coloration. I got the pup in a trade some years ago and I lost the one that I had with the red coloration I had in a container.
My DIL wants to pick the brand new bloom before it opens. She sut it at the base of the bud But I actually gave her a pup tree to plant so she can have her own
Make a fire in the ground make sure the hole will accomodate a large pan and still have room around the sides,wrap your seasoned pork in the leaves( I use sazon). Place it in a duch oven with a lid, cover pork about 1/2 way with water,place the pan on the fire, add coals around the sides. Cover the hole with a sheet of metal, Cook for about 4 hours depending on the size of the pork side.
Thanks! Since we already have an in-ground BBQ pit, I can prolly do it in there! And I am definitely a pork lover!
Dor,
When you pot the banana plant and bring it in for the winter, be sure you don't water it more than about once a month. They grow very slow, in winter, even under perfect conditions inside.
Thanks Trax, I will keep them inside in pots just in case. I don't want to lose another one. When I first moved here I didn't know anything abour tropicals. A few blocks away a gentleman has some banana trees and I never noticed but I would smell bananas when I would have my windows down. Finally I told my youngest when she was riding with me. She went to junior and high school with the daughter. She told me look my classmates father grows bananas and his trees were full of bananas. He still grows them but I haven't seen bananas in a while.
Will do!
Gawd, they grow fast!
Trax
Active Member
Ron,
My friends have another way of saying that (wealth of info) that doesn't sound as good (lol) but yeah, I do like reading... a lot! Btw, did you know that only politicians are allowed to make a malluma with banana leaves in Sri Lanka? It's prolly the same in southern India, too. Kind of strange but banana leaves ARE considered sacred in India so... But anyway, steaming banana leaves with vegies adds a really sweet flavor! I might even consider making a malluma (cooked leaves) with banana leaves sometime... since I'm not a Hindu!
My friends have another way of saying that (wealth of info) that doesn't sound as good (lol) but yeah, I do like reading... a lot! Btw, did you know that only politicians are allowed to make a malluma with banana leaves in Sri Lanka? It's prolly the same in southern India, too. Kind of strange but banana leaves ARE considered sacred in India so... But anyway, steaming banana leaves with vegies adds a really sweet flavor! I might even consider making a malluma (cooked leaves) with banana leaves sometime... since I'm not a Hindu!
I do a lot of reading online on particular perennials that are winter hardy in my zone 5/6!
Right now I'm concentrating on growing cacti (various species) that will survive my winters! Priclky Pear (Opuntia) is one of the main cacti species, but have various species of the pin cushiun types! I have some seedlings that I will not be able to identify until they develop and grow more! I grow all of them from seed, since there are no local growers!
We all push the envelop on what we can grow, and researching is the way to go to help cut loses and money
All the perennials I'm growing have two thing, in common, and that is that they require well drained sandy soil, and have to be draught tolerant!
They are not the usual ones that you will find at any garden centre!
It is amazing what I can grow here on the north shore of Lake Erie!!
The more I research the more species I find.....just need to search out seed suppliers!
Seeds are a lot cheaper then plants, and are easier to buy cross border, whereas there are restrictions on importing plants!
All the excess plants, after I plant what I need, will be up for sale during the warmer months! Selling them will help feed my addition!
With global warming changing the local climate I maybe able to grow bananas eventually, as well as palm trees!
Right now I'm concentrating on growing cacti (various species) that will survive my winters! Priclky Pear (Opuntia) is one of the main cacti species, but have various species of the pin cushiun types! I have some seedlings that I will not be able to identify until they develop and grow more! I grow all of them from seed, since there are no local growers!
We all push the envelop on what we can grow, and researching is the way to go to help cut loses and money
All the perennials I'm growing have two thing, in common, and that is that they require well drained sandy soil, and have to be draught tolerant!
They are not the usual ones that you will find at any garden centre!
It is amazing what I can grow here on the north shore of Lake Erie!!
The more I research the more species I find.....just need to search out seed suppliers!
Seeds are a lot cheaper then plants, and are easier to buy cross border, whereas there are restrictions on importing plants!
All the excess plants, after I plant what I need, will be up for sale during the warmer months! Selling them will help feed my addition!
With global warming changing the local climate I maybe able to grow bananas eventually, as well as palm trees!
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Trax
Active Member
We have a huge prickly pear cactus here (unfortunately) that I have sat on several times and had stuck to my hands! If I could send it to you, I would!! But it does make big red apples and awesome yellow flowers so I guess it's not too bad... at a distance, LOL! If you ever want some seed, just let me know!
I like stretching the limits too! The company we got the Robert Young and Red Margin bamboos from said they prolly wouldn't survive here and, if they did, that they would never get very big. They are over 25 feet tall now and some culms are 2 1/2 inches wide! I think I proved they're wrong!
But yeah, there are people growing banana plants in Ontario! They bring them indoors in the winter and plant them again in the spring. The trick with bananas is that they only have to make 30-40 leaves and then they make fruit. So if they make 15 leaves one summer and 15 more the next summer, you can put them back out for a 3rd summer and very likely get bananas! And the bananas you get will be a lot sweeter than the ones at the store!
My next project for stretching limits is Hibiscus! But maybe with global warming and all the rain & humidity we've been getting I could even grow orchids and mushrooms, lol!
But it does make big red apples and awesome yellow flowers so I guess it's not too bad... at a distance, LOL! If you ever want some seed, just let me know!I like stretching the limits too! The company we got the Robert Young and Red Margin bamboos from said they prolly wouldn't survive here and, if they did, that they would never get very big. They are over 25 feet tall now and some culms are 2 1/2 inches wide! I think I proved they're wrong!
But yeah, there are people growing banana plants in Ontario! They bring them indoors in the winter and plant them again in the spring. The trick with bananas is that they only have to make 30-40 leaves and then they make fruit. So if they make 15 leaves one summer and 15 more the next summer, you can put them back out for a 3rd summer and very likely get bananas!
And the bananas you get will be a lot sweeter than the ones at the store!My next project for stretching limits is Hibiscus! But maybe with global warming and all the rain & humidity we've been getting I could even grow orchids and mushrooms, lol!
Mexicans and cubans use banana leaves when roasting pork in the ground and it is outstanding! That is actually one reason I have banana trees. My daughter-in-law is Cambodian and she actually like to eat the blooms fried. I have not tried tham as I would prefer the bananas.
Dor
Active Member
Sorry to hear about your banana, Dor. There are some tricks you can use that help, though. If you cover the banana tree with mulch, wrap it in plastic, and string Christmas lights around that, it should be able to survive a Texas winter easilly. The only time you'd need to turn on the Christmas lights would be when the temps fell into the single digits. A friend of mine in Ontario Canada used that method and it worked really good for him.
Treva: Thanks for the offer!
Just one more thing you might like to know (just disregard anything you already know):
Banana plants are actually herbs. The base of the plant (below ground) is called the corm. You can actually cut the whole top of a banana plant off at ground level, dig up the corm, and store it between 50-60 degrees for the winter then plant it again in the spring. When you plant it, it will send up either a whole new plant or several pups. It acts very much like a bulb.
Thanks for the info Trax. My son wrapped my banana in a tarp by no Christmas lights. I will this year if we have a cold year. Did you see the pic of my pup. I am going to did her up in fall. Can you tell what kind it is fromt he pic?
Trax
Active Member
Crabbergirl,
Thanks for the idea about roasting pork with banana leaves! I needa try that sometime! Btw, when banana plants flower, they make the hands of bananas and the big head of the flower is still there. You can actually pick the bananas and slice and fry the head of the flower too!
Dor,
Thanks for sharing the photos! It looks like it's maybe 12 feet tall, has slender leaves, and I don't see any red or blue colorations on the plant. I will need to check some photos and will try to narrow it down. Btw, both of them look very healthy! I don't see a flag leaf yet but, as big as it is, it looks like it could happen this year! I hope you'll show some more photos if it does!
Thanks for the idea about roasting pork with banana leaves!
I needa try that sometime! Btw, when banana plants flower, they make the hands of bananas and the big head of the flower is still there. You can actually pick the bananas and slice and fry the head of the flower too!Dor,
Thanks for sharing the photos!
It looks like it's maybe 12 feet tall, has slender leaves, and I don't see any red or blue colorations on the plant. I will need to check some photos and will try to narrow it down. Btw, both of them look very healthy! I don't see a flag leaf yet but, as big as it is, it looks like it could happen this year! I hope you'll show some more photos if it does!
Dor
Active Member
Crabbergirl,
Thanks for the idea about roasting pork with banana leaves!
Dor,
Thanks for sharing the photos!
I will watch closely for bananas this year. I counted 15 leaves and new ones opening up every day. She is so big baby boy/girl will have to be moved but it is just too hot here. I don't want to kill her. I may pot it if I do dig it up before fall. They are both healthy and in a good spot eventhough my previous landscaper told me to move them. I have just the spot along the fence for the pup. No they don't have any red or blue coloration. I got the pup in a trade some years ago and I lost the one that I had with the red coloration I had in a container.
Crabbergirl,
Thanks for the idea about roasting pork with banana leaves!
My DIL wants to pick the brand new bloom before it opens. She sut it at the base of the bud
But I actually gave her a pup tree to plant so she can have her own Make a fire in the ground make sure the hole will accomodate a large pan and still have room around the sides,wrap your seasoned pork in the leaves( I use sazon). Place it in a duch oven with a lid, cover pork about 1/2 way with water,place the pan on the fire, add coals around the sides. Cover the hole with a sheet of metal, Cook for about 4 hours depending on the size of the pork side.
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Trax
Active Member
My DIL wants to pick the brand new bloom before it opens. She sut it at the base of the bud
Make a fire in the ground make sure the hole will accomodate a large pan and still have room around the sides,wrap your seasoned pork in the leaves( I use sazon). Place it in a duch oven with a lid, cover pork about 1/2 way with water,place the pan on the fire, add coals around the sides. Cover the hole with a sheet of metal, Cook for about 4 hours depending on the size of the pork side.
Thanks!
Since we already have an in-ground BBQ pit, I can prolly do it in there! And I am definitely a pork lover! Dor,
When you pot the banana plant and bring it in for the winter, be sure you don't water it more than about once a month. They grow very slow, in winter, even under perfect conditions inside.
Dor
Active Member
Trax, I went our Yesterday in the late evening and low and behold I have two more banana pups. One is just coming up and one is on the left of the mom. I don't know how I missed it. I have really got to find a home for those babies.
The first one is on the left and very clost to the mama and the seond one is in the middle the tiny pup just coming up. I will take it up because it gets too large but I need to let it get larger that what it is now.
The first one is on the left and very clost to the mama and the seond one is in the middle the tiny pup just coming up. I will take it up because it gets too large but I need to let it get larger that what it is now.
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Trax
Active Member
Awesome Dor!
Congrats on the new pups! My dwarf Cavendish pup is finally putting up a second leaf and my Zebrina banana plants are finally growing! I was getting worries about that since it took so long for them to get started.
Btw, you should definitely keep those pups inside this winter. I had an Ice Cream banana pup that I found this spring, only about 1 inch tall. Now it's about 8 feet tall and growing very fast! Since I mostly just want banana plants cause they look great, I'll prolly just overwinter pups. I'll still keep the big plants but as dormant corms. This will be the second winter I've ever overwintered plants so I still have some important decisions to make.
Congrats on the new pups! My dwarf Cavendish pup is finally putting up a second leaf and my Zebrina banana plants are finally growing!
I was getting worries about that since it took so long for them to get started.Btw, you should definitely keep those pups inside this winter. I had an Ice Cream banana pup that I found this spring, only about 1 inch tall. Now it's about 8 feet tall and growing very fast! Since I mostly just want banana plants cause they look great, I'll prolly just overwinter pups. I'll still keep the big plants but as dormant corms. This will be the second winter I've ever overwintered plants so I still have some important decisions to make.
Dor
Active Member
Awesome Dor!
Congrats on the new pups! My dwarf Cavendish pup is finally putting up a second leaf and my Zebrina banana plants are finally growing!
Btw, you should definitely keep those pups inside this winter. I had an Ice Cream banana pup that I found this spring, only about 1 inch tall. Now it's about 8 feet tall and growing very fast! Since I mostly just want banana plants cause they look great, I'll prolly just overwinter pups. I'll still keep the big plants but as dormant corms. This will be the second winter I've ever overwintered plants so I still have some important decisions to make.
Thanks Trax, I will keep them inside in pots just in case. I don't want to lose another one. When I first moved here I didn't know anything abour tropicals. A few blocks away a gentleman has some banana trees and I never noticed but I would smell bananas when I would have my windows down. Finally I told my youngest when she was riding with me. She went to junior and high school with the daughter. She told me look my classmates father grows bananas and his trees were full of bananas. He still grows them but I haven't seen bananas in a while.
I have a few pups coming on too, seems a little late for my area but I am not complaining! I will move one of my nanners this weekend to a beeter location. It has just not done well. I wanted it close to the house so it would over hang the court yard but it won't get over a few feet tall.
Trax
Active Member
Dor,
Good idea! I discovered, last winter, that even a chopped off corm that looks dead can still send up a new banana pup! The corm I got that 1 inch pup from looked and felt as dead as paper. Btw, I'm learning as much about banana plants as I can. I found a diagram that shows what all the parts of the plant are. I also found out what they like: very little nitrogen but lots of phosphorous and tons of potassium. I also found out (when I did my rose thread here) that bonemeal has lots of phosphorous in it. I also learned (from dad) that beans make nitrogen and put it in the ground. I still don't know what to use for potassium but I'll find out. I never thought about fertilizing but since it is saving the rose bushes, it's prolly a really good idea! I read that there are 3 numbers on fertilizers and each tells how much of each of those are in it. I needa learn more about that too.
Crabbergirl,
If that spot your banana plant is in is too shady, it might not be getting enough sunlight. Most of the banana plants I've tried seem to like lots of sun! If you transplant it, it may take 2 weeks to start growing again but if it grows a lot faster, then it might make up for any time loss... plus! You can prolly still get a banana plant to hang over the courtyard if you plant (or transplant) a 6-8 foot tall one in the spring! I planted my three 7 foot tall banana plants last spring and they are doing super! They are prolly about 12-14 feet tall now!
Good idea! I discovered, last winter, that even a chopped off corm that looks dead can still send up a new banana pup! The corm I got that 1 inch pup from looked and felt as dead as paper. Btw, I'm learning as much about banana plants as I can. I found a diagram that shows what all the parts of the plant are. I also found out what they like: very little nitrogen but lots of phosphorous and tons of potassium. I also found out (when I did my rose thread here) that bonemeal has lots of phosphorous in it. I also learned (from dad) that beans make nitrogen and put it in the ground. I still don't know what to use for potassium but I'll find out. I never thought about fertilizing but since it is saving the rose bushes, it's prolly a really good idea! I read that there are 3 numbers on fertilizers and each tells how much of each of those are in it. I needa learn more about that too.
Crabbergirl,
If that spot your banana plant is in is too shady, it might not be getting enough sunlight. Most of the banana plants I've tried seem to like lots of sun! If you transplant it, it may take 2 weeks to start growing again but if it grows a lot faster, then it might make up for any time loss... plus! You can prolly still get a banana plant to hang over the courtyard if you plant (or transplant) a 6-8 foot tall one in the spring! I planted my three 7 foot tall banana plants last spring and they are doing super! They are prolly about 12-14 feet tall now!
Trax
Active Member
It's November 2 now and I took this photo yesterday. Since I bought so many Ice Cream banana plants I'm gonna see how long this one can survive outside. If it starts to look like it's hurting i'll def dig it up and bring it in. This is how it looked yesterday:
I'll take a photo before I have to dig it up. I made a project with this and even kept a record of the high/low temps for all of October and now November so other people will know how long it can stay out, even including the weather!
Okay, I just measured! It is 5 feet 2 inches to the start of the first leaf, then about 5 more feet to the top of the leaf in the left part of the photo!
To see a bigger photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gopikom/
I'll take a photo before I have to dig it up. I made a project with this and even kept a record of the high/low temps for all of October and now November so other people will know how long it can stay out, even including the weather!
Okay, I just measured! It is 5 feet 2 inches to the start of the first leaf, then about 5 more feet to the top of the leaf in the left part of the photo!
To see a bigger photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gopikom/
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I'm impressed Josh!
That's quite a nice looking banana plant!
Love the bamboo in the background too!
That's quite a nice looking banana plant!
Love the bamboo in the background too!
Nice Trax! I have decided to wait until spring to move mine. It is too late in the year and they won't have time to recover before winter. In the south (further south than me) they do grow well in the shade. However I think more light will be better. There is no way for me to trim the canopy of the trees as they are huge oaks. Some a move it is. It actually has several pups I hope to move also.
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