Sounds like a Sherlock Holmes Movie!!~!
About time too,was getting ready to send out Dr. Watson out to look for them!!!LOL
The return of the Basjoo's
You will have monster nanas in no time! My basjoos are already 5' tall. Once they start growing there is no stopping them.
WoW! Now thats some fast growing from dormant to 5 ft,just this spring!!!
What the heck you feeding them??
Well I trusted all the reports that said it was hardy here and left it in the ground. I see no signs of it yet. So I think it's a goner. Glad to see yours came back TM and Mel I think I just need to raid you. lol
Oh nice job TM! I've been reading about Basjoo and I'm going to find a good place for it and plant one next year. I assume you mulch it good to keep it coming back each year? What is that huge looking ee in the ground that hasn't started coming back yet? Just above the basjoo?
My basjoos are on a diet of manure and wood ash tea. They came back from the crown and that is why they have the height this early in the season.
Peggy, give me a shout if you need a pup!
Mel
How far north does anyone have one winter over?
I know it "SAYS" zone 5
and I do want to try to leave one in the ground this year but I am curious .....who lives the farthest north with one that wintered over in the ground
mel,I can't beleive how big yours are
Mel, I am jealous of your Basjoo! Mine have been in the ground for over a year and they are not much taller than me. They are the shortest banana I have. I must not be feeding them enough. I had one bloom and it set bananas but they all fell off. It's flower isn't as pretty as the orinoco and Ice Cream flowers.
My neighbor said he's going to get horse poo, maybe I should have him bring me a load?
My only secret is in the poo...and when I cut a leaf down, I throw it back on top of the soil. I also scatter wood ashes around them. They are in hard clay soil with the exception of the poo. Other than that, they are on their own!
Susie, you may have banana envy but I have a dreadful case of zone envy when it comes to you!!
CC, lots of folks in your zone build a chicken wire cage to put around the base of their basjoos. The cages are then filled with mulch, which protects the plant over winter. I just remove most of the top leaves after it frosts and throw them back down around the plant for the winter. It is worked so far, but, we have not had a really cold winter since I have had my plant.
it gets to -28 here
think it will make it???
Tropicman I see the two shoots coming up but are there pups coming up around it as well. Why I ask is I have a Purple Flower Banana that I started from seed and it looks like those coming out of the ground. I am having a terrible time with my Banana plant. Everytime it gets two or three leaves on it the wind tears them up. I had three nice leaves on them and then Sunday night we had that wind and rain and there they went again;. I cut them back and moved them to where they would have some cover from the west side and my house blocks the south wind. I haven't gotten it planted in the ground yet. My baby that I started from seed is still in the house in a south window. Probably will stay there until next year.
BTW what do you feed yours? I have just been using MiracleGro.
Oops. Wrong forum.
This message was edited May 24, 2005 8:38 PM
Brinda,thats not a ear thats a corm that just today is sending up a stalk,looks like its the smaller corms that are sending up first then the big corms send up last,don't know why it comes out that way.
I feed mine a lot of compost mixed with a little potash,then when I get some leaves up and growing,I folar feed with peters 20-20-20.
Since that photo was taken the stalk has grown like mad,about 6 inches,there up and running now!
I throw straw over mine,for winter protection,and any pampas grass I have when I cut them back.
CC,I think they will make it if you throw lots of straw over them,whats even better is to plant them in a raised bed,keep as much moisture off the roots over the winter to keep them from turning into mush!!!
2 pugdogs,yep that wind has broken about 3 of my other bananas about in half ,get one leaf,and wind cathes it,and snap,the stem hasn't harden up enough,still a little somewhat soft,and they break very easy!