Early this spring my wife and I were very excited to plant our first musa basjoo's in the ground around our home. And up until about a month ago, they put out a lot of new leaves but never seemed to gain much height. Last month the larger finally grew some fairly large leaves. One has reached around 4' tall (when I received it, it was around 2' and the frost at Easter nearly got it). The other was around 2.5' and now is 3.5' or so.
They were all well watered and fertilized this year, and have sent up a number of pups (some quite large). Both get good sun and have been well cared for. They are in good soil that drains well.
Question is... why didn't they grow any larger? First year establishment I'm guessing. I seem to remember reading comments about it taking them a year or more to get going strong and become larger plants. Just wanted to confirm we're not doing anything wrong. Feels like we have dwarf banana's that I expected to be 7' or more this year.
When the first frost threatens, should I chop them off at the ground and throw some mulch on top of them? Hopefully next year they'll come back strong and get substantially larger. I've already got 3 more in pots (about 2' tall) that I'll over winter and plant next spring.
Thanks,
John
This message was edited Oct 1, 2007 2:42 PM
Will our musa basjoo's do better next year?
I think you are right with the first year establishment theory. The second year for mine is totally different-large stalks ( over 10'-at least) and alot of heavy clumping. Last fall, I just let the freezes get them and then cut them to the base about 6-8" from the ground. I mulched them about 5" high and that was it. All my bananas in the ground have grown better this summer than last-even with this drought.
Thanks tigerlily, makes me feel better... So you didn't cut yours until after the frost? I may let mine go that way too then. No sense cutting them earlier than necessary I guess. Not a whole lot to cut, LOL.
Thanks again..
DO NOT chop them back!!! in Lexington where you live, they will keep their pseudostem, and come out in the and simply resume their growing like nothing happened. just this year my grandparents' have really gotten big, and they've been in for about 2 yrs
PS they live on Park Road in Parkside
This message was edited Oct 1, 2007 7:04 PM
I have three nanners, two are one year old and one two years old, I've never had problems with growth I also have never put fertilizer on them and they grow like weeds. Just sunshine and water
My psuedostem turns to mush by the end of the winter-but the clump that I got w/out the stem in the summer after the winter was big, so I don't think it really matters. The coldest I got was 17 degrees a few times this past winter. What was the coldest that you guys got last winter? Just curious comparing zones
here mid 20's
Definately do NOT cut them back. Wait until after the last frost and then cut them back. The foliage as bad as it looks helps to protect the tree.
People around here cut them down to different heights, from way down to the ground to 4', they come back pretty much no matter what. It's hard to kill a banana tree.....except that after mine have bananas they die. Does anyone know if they all do this? I was told they do..... :0(
We started out with 23 three years ago, and have over 80. They put out babies so fast!
Yes they should do better next year! I have some that took a couple of years to pick up height, and others that grew tall the first season....it does vary.
This message was edited Oct 1, 2007 6:05 PM
what i do tho the g-parents' bananas is tie the leaves down after they ar already droopy. in the spring after last frost, i take the dead leaves off, and leave the rest of the live pseudostem.... this way, no time is wasted getting back up to height!
I have done that before, but they got sooooooooo tall that I could not reach them to cut the dead leaves off the next year! If you have a very tall person around, or don't mind standing on a ladder....that works!!!!!!!!!
oh.... havent had that problem.......
I thought I was so smart.....until the next year when they towered way above me......so this year they got cut way down, probably about 2 ft high.....and they are right back up there, but at least I can reach most of the leaves. I used to be a fanatic about cutting a leaf when it yellowed, but this year with all of the rain we've had I've just left them. They all need trimming at the moment.
lets have a pic of it now!
It's dark outside......LOL
Found a couple of pictures but will have to add them in below....as you can see below, the
banana trees are much taller than the canopy......These were taken in Sept. 06.
This message was edited Oct 1, 2007 8:35 PM
This message was edited Oct 1, 2007 9:16 PM
oh, i meant one that you may have had from last year.... but ok.....
OK, newbie musa question. What exactly IS the psuedostem? The whole trunk?
We got into the mid-20's here during one spell last winter. I think we maybe hit the teens once, but that's rare. It was the frost of Easter that really hit us hard this year. It hit this banana and killed all my leaves, even though I'd protected it. I'd put it under a trashcan, but that burned the leaves. So I think I actually burned it versus the frost - go figure? I cut all the leaves off but the newest and it kept growing.... It has a pup out there as large as it is now; just looked tonight...
So let me make sure I'm reading this right. Basically I don't need to cut it at all... just let it die back during the winter (let the leaves droop/drop).... Then next spring when new growth resumes, just cut off the dead leaves like I did at Easter?
Thanks again.
yes you got it! the pseudostem is a false trunk made by the stems of the leaves that are actually attached to the corm. the trunk is just a bundle of leaf stems.... gingers have pseudostems also
Thanks guys. Glad I asked now. Half my neighbors keep telling me I have to dig it up. I try to explain it's a Basjoo, but I get funny looks, LOL.
I think they confuse the Basjoo with the two Dwarf Cavendish I have in pots. I also have a Pink Flowering Banana in a pot, but it hasn't done to well lately, I think the drought/heat really got to it, even with my watering.
If that pink flowering banana is a M. velutina , it is very hardy for you (and me!)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/979/
So should I dig up all my bananas except the musa bajoo? I have a dwarf cavendish and an ice cream banana also. I guess you're saying to dig those and pot them inside for winter? Would the garage be warm enough (could freeze in there, too)?
they should be fine in the garage... i think the ice crea one will b fine in the ground
Diehrd,
Here's a few pix for you.....These were taken in Sept. 2006.
This message was edited Oct 1, 2007 9:22 PM
And another
One more
great yard! i see what you mean now...
Thanks, but it's beginning to look like a jungle....some people just don't know when to stop......someone told me....as long as there is grass to mow you have room for plants....well, there is still grass to mow, so I guess we're OK!
Wish I could find an affordable green house to go in the space where the pool is. It gets taken down for the winter anyway; but the GH would have to come down for the summer as well....a lot of work!
go to plumeria 101 here http://plumeria101.com/greenhouse.html you can build your own temporary one or buy a temporary one. i'm looking at this one http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/flowerhouse-farm.shtml
I like the one with the tote bag....don't see a price...how much is it? That would be perfect!
if you are talking about the farm house, that would be $289, but there are others with tote bags i think.... here http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/flowerhouse.shtml
We purchased the Farmhouse and Dreamhouse for our Garage, though I moved one out into the yard so I'd only have to use one 1000W halide. I love them...definitely worth the money.
Texasgal77, I seriously need your help on our backyard, I love those photos. I can only dream of turning ours into a tropical paradise like that. What I'd give to be just a zone or two warmer....
Here's the site we purchased our Greenhouses from:
http://www.teakwickerandmore.com/Polyethylene-l541-c10458-A4209%7E11288.html
They do offer free shipping and no sales tax.
This message was edited Oct 30, 2007 1:49 PM
i'm asking for a farm house for christmas.... which one would you reccomend for a beginner that may all of a sudden get a whole lot fo plants at once? farm house of dream house?
Given the price difference, I'd go ahead and ask for the Farmhouse. The Dreamhouse, where I purchased it, was $225 and the Farmhouse was $289. The Farmhouse is 8' high and 9'x9' - it's quite large and should house several tall plants. Unfortunately mine is slightly too short for my palm, so it'll have to stay beside the GH in the garage (raising the GH up wasn't a feasible option).
By comparison though the Dreamhouse is 6.5' in height and is 8'x8'. The height is pretty substantial IMHO. I only needed the smaller bc of my garage door railing being so low down.
Edit: I also should note these GH's are remarkable stable and come with stakes to keep them steady in the wind, including some on taunt string that really help tie it down. I didn't use the later, as the ground stakes seemed fine for mine outside. My only complaint was that you have to build the thing from the inside out. I tried to do it by myself, but my wife had to help. It was quite funny I'm sure if anyone was watching us.
This message was edited Oct 2, 2007 12:30 AM
Yes, I will have to find a less expensive one....it's a little out of my budget!!!
Oh, thank you Keonikale! We lived in Hawaii when I was I teenager. My Dad was in the Marine Corps. We spent 2 years 8 mos there, but it left a lasting impression on me. I have always loved the islands, and have tried to create a "Little Hawaii" in my own backyard. My daughter planted a lot of the palms as a Mother's Day gift after I retired. My son made the hut for me. He and my grandson planted the banana trees. My grandchildren have all helped pot or plant something. It's been four years in the making!
I didn't know about DG then but I found the book "Sunset Landscaping with Tropical plants". I made a list of what I wanted....and little by little I've been able to get most of them. There's still a few I don't have. I got the book at Lowes.
The canopy has canvas sides that zip so during Jan and Feb. thru March 15 as much as we can carry goes in there. I want to enclose the hut as well this year. But even with that I think we could still use a GH except that I can clean out the garage cheaper than I can buy a GH. LOL.
We'are in zone 9a. Last year we had at least four freezes where it got down to 28 for at least four hours, so I lost a few plants, and don't want to do that again this year. We're only one zone from you! The banana trees would make it there....but they do look pretty rough from Dec-March!
The back yard has consumed all of my time and energy. I would like to do something with the side and front. I do have enough plants out back that I think I can spare a few for the other areas. LOL
The front gets much more sun, so I have to take that into consideration. It's been trial and error.....but would be glad to answer any questions....I really am a beginner also!
Thanks for the compliments!
I meant to ask another Basjoo question earlier. I had three seedlings I received in the spring, and all are close to 3' now. Is it too late to put them in the ground for next years growing season, or should I just leave them in their pots and put them in the ground next April/May?
I just repotted them yesterday actually, moved from 10" to 12" pots.
Thanks,
John
When is your first freeze? If it's going to be a few months....like Jan....they would have time to get established in the ground. You might want to mulch around them.
It's not going to hurt to leave them in their pots. I have one in a pot that made it thru the winter. I was going to relocate it, and just never got it planted.
Either way they should be OK.
Diehrd....what do you think?
I want to say our first frost will come in November sometime. The weather seems to be crazy here in Fall/Spring now. Back at Eater it warmed up and then wham, freeze. Usually if we get to freezing though, at least until late Jan or Feb it's not too bad.
I'll keep them in the pots in the GH all winter if need be. I just noticed how slow my other two (in the ground) took off, and I was hoping to give these guys a jump start on the growing season by letting their roots expand a bit more than their pot.
Yeah....I think I'd wait, esp. since you have the GH!
but, since you have sooooo many other things in the gh, i'm sure they could handle it... just mulch extra
I might try one of them and see what happens, put the other two in the GH. I'll probably order more sprouts offline, or dig up a few of my pups also.
In fact, *thinking out loud* why didn't I think about the pups before. It's not like I don't have a dozen to spare. I am guessing it won't hurt to grab a few of those for planting next spring also?
How exactly do I chop those off?
make sure they are large enough! only get those that look like a real banana leaf... if they are hardly a sliver of a leaf, then dont dig them they should come back next year. if they already have ridges and resemble a small banana leaf, there should be enough roots to support them. this will set the plant back, if that is what you're gonna do, then do it! simply cut the pup off of the main plant/corm, and get as many roots as possible.