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Crabbergirl,
Yeah, they'll def grow a lot bigger with lots of sunlight! I planted that one too close to the bamboo and it only gets sun in the afternoon cause that's the west side of the bamboo. And yeah, def wait till spring! Then you can give it water when it needs it while it's making new roots. In the fall extra water can cause corm-rot, ouch!
Well, i was wrong. I panicked and dug up my last Ice Cream banana plant (zone 7) a while back but a friend of mine still has 2 that i let him plant in the yard and he hasn't come back to dig them up yet. They're doing great and it's November 18th when i took this pic (yesterday)! I'm def gonna remember this next year! Here's the pic i took yesterday. The plants behind it are some of my bamboos:
Hey Josh!
If you are worried about keeping them, Just keep them potted in large pots. That way you won't have to dig next year. I know people that keep them potted year round.
Did the one ypou move die , or is it just looking bad? It maybe fine next year. Besides I think you know you are due for much colder weather anytime now
Banana plants are pretty cool. I was given 1 by a very good friend of mine when it was about 3" in height. ( Today,it's height is taller then me - over 6' )
Yes,they love the sunlight very well. I have it in my kitchen ( of all places ) by a patio door where it can get the morning sunlight. I have never placed it outdoors as I have several chippies that seem to like my plants for some odd reason. ( the buggers,but I'll behave and just call them that here )
Anyway,I wish ya loads of luck on banana plants,they can be very interesting and spark a good conversation as well! Trax, very cool pics of your banana and bamboo here - thanks for sharin' with us all! * ( I'm waiting until I get some bananas on my plant. It's about 5 yrs.old now and when I do,I'll be sure to pass some around and share them with you guys that wish to have a taste ) *
Have fun!!
Trax, if you like stuffed cabbage your going to love it with banana leaves, you can even use grape leaves, I like to stuff grape leaves with pulled pork or with chopped chicken
Hey Crabbergirl!
Thanx! It's December 18th now and all my banana plants are still alive and green indoors! And you're def right, this has been a really cold winter so far!
Hey PRH!
Thanx! and yeah, they like sunlight 4 sure, tons of it! You needa share some pics of yours too! I read that after a banana plant makes about 35 leaves then it makes bananas! The plant dies though so be sure and keep some pups. Oh, and the thing I like about bamboo is it stays green all year and makes me remember summer!
Hey GardenBear1!
I def needa try banana leaves cause I read that the whole banana plant is edible! Never thought about using grape leaves though, hmmm.... We have muscadine grape vines so I think I'll try some of those next summer!
Pink bracts, flowers will make it a more easily identifiable, because most varieties are more purple bracts. Did you get a mature hand yet? If there are no seeds bananas, then it is likely to be an edible.
I haven't gotten any bananas (fruit) from mine yet and prolly wont this summer either (when summer gets here).
PROGRESS:
Not real good but not total fail. I have 2 Ice Cream banana plants that went dormant and are very healthy. One is 3 feet tall, the other is 8 feet tall.
I also have a Zebrina and an Orinoco that went dormant and are also very healthy. They are both about 2 feet tall.
I've also been doctoring a dwarf Cavendish and an Ensete Maurelli. They are kinda small but I think they will survive. I'm keeping them very warm and watering them a little every 2 days. I started that project 4 days ago.
Anyway, I only have 6 banana plants left so I'll prolly wanna buy some more when spring gets here.
How are you guyz bananas doing?
I wonder if that word Orinoco has anything to do with a tune called Orinoco Flow. That is a piece done by the group called Celtic Woman and I really like it.
I moved one of my plants on Sunday to a more protected area. It was on the northside of the house and I think it gets too cold and not enough sun. They really like southern exposure, but I wanted a banana tree there.
My biggest ones are going to make it I think they actually look pretty good. We have had the second record winter in a row. I hope that means next year will be warmer.
Hey Randy,
Orinoco flow would def fit! The reason they're called Orinoco banana trees is cause they grow along the shores of the Orinoco river in South America.
Hey CrabberGirl,
I hope your banana trees survive. If they look like they might be dying, dig them up and bring them inside. If they're big enough they wont even need a pot. But be sure and get lots of roots.
I have an Orinoco and a Zebrina that are both 3 feet tall and dont have any leaves. The stems are solid so they will def grow great this spring when I chop off some of the top and plant them outside!
I also have an 8 foot and a 4 foot tall Ice Cream banana trees. They dont have leaves and one of them isn't even in a pot. But the stems are solid so they'll def do great too!
But I've been taking care of my little Dwarf Cavendish banana tree and it's putting up it's first leaf! I cant wait till it puts up another one! Here's a pic I took today:
Anyway, it looked like it was trying to die so I chopped off the top and started watering it again. I def didn't wanna lose that one!
This is fascinating to me....I honestly didn't now there were so many types of banana trees! I wonder how many types of coconut trees there are? There are 17 species of penguins Curbie
Josh,
I think they will be fine. It was 70 yesterday and I looked to see how bad they had gotten it. The trunks are still green and firm not mushy at all. I know the roots will be fine but I didn't want to start from ground zero as they are so big. My tallest one tops about 12 feet. It has/had several pups last year that I didn't see until the freezes. I would have dug them had I seen them sooner. Time will tell.
I think spring is here the robins are everywhere and the maples are budding! Keep your paws crossed winter may be coming to an end.
This is fascinating to me....I honestly didn't now there were so many types of banana trees! I wonder how many types of coconut trees there are? There are 17 species of penguins Curbie
I have 3 types in my yard ( bananas not penguins) anywa not sure which ones they are may be when they come back I will post pics for Trax so he can tell me.
I am not that person who just has to know and I have such little time to do those look ups. I would rather just be out in the yard. palying in the dirt
Thanx guyz! Yay! I want some Penguin banana trees!
Hey CrabberGirl,
If you ever do find any soft spots you can cut them off with a sharp clean knife. I even had to cut off part of a corm underground one time and the tree survived!
If your banana plants have at least 3 leaves I can prolly ID them for you. I've been studying banana plants and one thing that's different is how the leaves grow around the stem. We'll def figure out what kind of bananas you have!
I know you would be my guy for ID. Right now they have just frozen brown leaves. They got hit hard with the repeated freezes. Somewhere in my way back I have pictures of one of them blooming and fruiting. I'll see if I can't find that when I have time
Okay, here's an update on my dwarf Cavendish banana project! It's making a new leaf! This is a photo I took about an hour ago. Those seeds in the 2nd photo are cherry tomatoes and tangerine pimiento peppers I'll be starting indoors!
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I planted that one too close to the bamboo and it only gets sun in the afternoon cause that's the west side of the bamboo. And yeah, def wait till spring! Then you can give it water when it needs it while it's making new roots. In the fall extra water can cause corm-rot, ouch!
