WHAT A MISTAKE!!
Is this way too late in the season? The skin is such a tender newborn pink. I should have left the old stems on for frost protection shouldn't I have?? SHOOT. Am I in trouble?? I took about half off of the diameter. It was so round I couldn't get my arms around it. Actually, I probably still can't.
This message was edited Aug 24, 2005 12:05 AM
what is it?
Sorry, I got sidetracked. LOL I was chat mailing with a friend. A banana.
I have had this banana for years. I got it when it was very small. It is in the back yard on the side and I now can see it towering over my roof from the road
I can't get it all in one picture where it is and because of how big it is. See the roof line, it branches into leaves at the roof line.
Here it is last year or maybe it was 2 years ago. No leaves even were shredded then. See the roof line for comparison.
I took a lot of old leaves off to the ground.
The inside of them is so neat.
It is such a big and strong looking banana.
The top
The tippy top, well 1 side of it.
Ok... I'm new to Nana's .... should I be trimming the lower leaves off my Musa ...?
Oh Kell! That is a beauty! Do you know what kind it is and does it fruit? I took my largest in last year at 10'. My tallest so far this year is around 6'. I still have time. LOL
In your zone, I am not sure. I remove dead stuff in the spring and summer but leave it on going into fall unless it is yucky or looks really awful. I am sure someone knows more than I do. hahaha
Kell, you don't get a frost before December do you? It should have time to toughen up by then. If not, just wrap some butcher's paper or a blanket around the trunk in case of a freeze.
WOW VS1099, I just love your yard. It looks so colorful. Do n t ask me, I know little. LOL. In the past I have cut mine off in spring but this year I started gardening late and did not get to it. I take the old messy leaves off .
Are we suppose to cut them to the ground or cut them just below the leaf?? Susie, I forget what you told me. I should have done it then and not waited so long.
Do you leave yorus outside inthe winter Chele? This one has never fruited. I thihnk it is too cold here. Susie do you remember the name I told you? I have no mind anymore CHele. Gone but not fogtten. Yet.
I better start knitting Kin. LOL
You're asking ME if I remember??? When I cut my banana leaves, I first cut right where the leaf joins the trunk, then as that part turns brown, I cut it off at the ground but there shouldn't be any problem with removing the leaf all the way to the ground all in one step. I never cut my bananas back to the ground unless they've been broken or fruited or we've had freak frost.
Do you believe Susie that Tom was going to cut this down the other day? That is why I finally trimmed off the dead leaves. We were cleaning up that side of the yard. We have an apple tree that had 1/3 dead. I will send you pics to diagnose. And an apricot that is slowly dying from borers that had a few limbs to be cut off. Anyway, then Tom turned to the banana and started to cut. I screamed..........WHAT ARE YOU DOING???????????????????? LOL. He said the leaves on top were tattered and it needed to go. I said STOPPPPPPPPPP, THEY GET LIKE THAT FROM TH E WIND!!!!!
He almost died that day.
"He almost died that day"
hahahahahahahaha
My husband hates my plants. I do not blame him. I am nuts. But he best not touch them with a machete. LOL
Yes, Susie. You always remember plant names.
Kell, Bill threatened my Lady Margaret passiflora with the weedeater the other day. I asked him if his life insurance was paid up!
Of our many compromises, the morning glories are not amongst them. Every time I turn my back, there is a pile of wilting vineage sitting with the mound of other weeds. She has, however, allowed a group of them to ascend some nasty looking utility line that goes up a good 15' or so up the siding.
I really enjoy working native plants into our landscape, and when it comes to weeding I sometimes have to contain my frustration of finding that various seedlings disappear that I had been nurturing. It is REALLY hard to reprimand the kids for their "Oh, I forgot" when their mother uses that line every time I turn my back.
These senseless acts of horticultural mutilation must stop. This aggression will not stand!
Thus my laughter earlier. Quite often I'll sulk away from discovering another "alien abduction" and start looking for my machete ... Katie often hears me mumbling, "One of these days ... I'm going to cut you into little pieces ..."
(for those of you concerned about my mental/emotional stability, that's a reference to an old Pink Floyd song. Fortunately, she gets the humor that I'm using to divert my irritation)
I hope you don't sound as creepy as the growling voice in "One of These Days" from Meddle.
Oh no! lol .... but she laughs knowing that that's exactly what I am muttering all the same! :o)
My favorite tune from that album, and perhaps my favorite Floyd tune of all time, though, was San Tropez!
Poor Tom... He has to live with a Plant Nut!! LOL
I'm sure your Nana will be ok Kell. I also don't think Tom would have an easy time trying to get rid of that huge Nana. They are tough guys!!
I ran across this Musa Basjoo in the neighborhood I work in. It really multiplied and grew tall this summer due to the mild winter we had. I'm afraid it's gonna take over their front yard in several more years though. LOL
I need to show that picture to my Basjoo, show it what it's "supposed" to look like. I think it's too hot here for Basjoo but most other musa do well.
Bogweedbuck, some days I am so sad my DH deos not share my love, but others I am so glad. Imagine if he wanted to plant other stuff than what I wanted in the yard. We would fight all the time. LOL. Does your wife do gardening too other than cutting off your MGs??
Gosh KIn, that one is beautiful!!!! I have a Crape Myrtle that is taking over my front just like that. I cut it down to a few feet as soon as it stops flowering but it comes back even bigger in the spring. I so goofed by planting the wrong variety in a small space.
My banana has never pupped, not even once. Is that odd? I never realized that before. I love it though. It is really a pretty one with its red ribs. And look at its trunk. So pretty!!! I must find its name again. It is huge.
Kell we never trim or cut back until spring. All the floage hanging down help protect aginst frost too.
kell -- oh yeah, she enjoys the heck out of the gardens and gardening as well. It really boils down to differing opinions of whatever our particular "obsession du jour" might be. Last night's discussions revolved around "When is enough 'enough'?" in regards to my elephant ear fetish. She had me walk her through the gardens and, unbeknownst to me, was counting each different species. She pointed out that we currently have 16 species in the yard, one in the house, another at the office, and yet still ANOTHER enroute (a new Alocasia Robusta! :o).
When she inquired as to the ultimate/potential dimensions of the Robusta (which, in Borneo, can attain a leaf size of 10 feet or more in length) ... before she could object properly, I pointed out, "But honey .... you did say you wanted a tree over by the shed, right???"
Her response was as humorous as it was profound, "Since when is a tree a 'tender perennial' that needs to be dug up every fall?"
I do not know how we found ourselves such realistic people who like to burst our bubbles. LOL. Your wife should come here to lament with my husband. I have about 300 brugmansias in my backyard. They are lined up nursery style. He can't even sit on his backporch anymore. Covered in seedlings. He would either make your wife thrilled she had you with yoru 16 ears or put her in frear of her future and make her ran as fast as she could from you. LOL
I do not know what I was thinking Donna. I am sick over it. This is what it looked like when I cut it. I had just skipped one spring of cleaning it up.
300 brugs?
Woah ... I have several dozen 'ears, but ... 300?
lolololol (that is just too funny!)
And I rent plots miles away to grow more. Tell your wife to be happy and count her few blessings! LOL
Kell it does look better after you trimmed up your banana. I would die for a nana like yours or the one that is in Kin's neighborhood. Or even if I had one like VS71099, mine are starting to look better since I have started to feed them. They are only about a ft. tall I don't know why I hadn't been feeding them but I thought I had read somewhere the only way to feed was to put it in the ground when it was planted. But I do have some 15-5-30 Premium Water Soluble Fertilizer w/minor elements especially for bananas coming. Hopefully they will like it real will to start growing faster.
You know on another thread, I volunteered some of my ground for you to plant. Will that still stands. But you have to bring that banana with you. My husband doesn't do much in the yard with my plants, unless I ask for it, but he isn't retired yet either. But he does like to sit out in the yard and compliment me on all our flowers. Did you get that he always says ours. At times I wonder what he has in his pocket.
All kidding aside your nana is simply beautiful, as will is VS71099.
Kin we need the address of your neighbor that has that huge nana in front of there house.
I'm looking for the thread on getting the pups "weaned" Linda - If I have any success you can have you a pup from the nana in the pic .....
VS, Susie will know how to do it. Look at all your land, VS. I am so jealous.
I am so land starved I may just take you up on your offer Linda. LOL. Now I drive an hour, I could just hop on the plane a couple times a week to water. LOL.
You know this banana never gets watered. NEVER. Or fed. I think it must have found the ground water. It is on the side of the yard the hose has a hard time reaching. I have Oleanders and a big brug, none of them get watered and all live. I 'd say my neighbors water was coming over to them but they don't water either. Bu their yard looks like it. LOL
here in ky we wrap the trunk in a metal animal fencing with pvc conduit to make a cage the fill them with hay and wrap the outer layer with burlap so moister can escape but i have also heard of people wrapping the big christmas lights around it looks funny but it can add 10 to 15 degrees to the coldest winter hope that helps. just please check on her often to keep it form rotting she is a beauty
Kell, that is the biggest nana tree I've ever seen! It looks like it's growing out like a big fan. Mabe that's just the photo. Rj
It is bigger than my house Rj. From the street now I can see it towering over the house in the back corner. i get a thrill out of that. Such old friends they become.
Thanks CarlaB68. I hope it is a real warm winter or I will be tryng to do that!! Zone 6A even wants nanas. LOL
yes i have 15 unknown nanners 5 basjoo 3 ensete superbaum 3 ensete maurelii 5 musa lasiocarpa 3 musa zebrina over 300 canna but alot are seedlings about 10 amorphophallus about 16 ee's from macrorihiza to pink china black majic portadora i just started15 moon flowers and 15 cartor plants and all do great in the summer but i have to greenhouse for the winter and dig all the bulbs for the canna's
It is a good thing you are so young to buck your zone like that. Sounds like such a great collection. I will look forward to lots of pictures from you!! I sure hope you come up with some great hybrids.
carlab68..... please share pics.... your collection sounds awesome
ok i have some of my pics online but look at brians colection as mine are still babies or alot are but take a look.
brian has around the 3rd largest collection in the country i think
www.voodoo-lily.smugmug.com
look under flowers
