Apchasse

Hello all,

As the title says, I live in Zone 9B. I tried planting bananas last year, but did it all wrong. Just got some small pups from a friend of a friend and stuck them in the ground, in the sand to be specific, with mulch on top. Needless to say, they haven't thrived, and I'm pretty sure after doing a bunch of research, I only got water suckers anyway. Not a clue what kind

I am going to start fresh with some sword suckers, and purchased plants, and take all the old ones out (they're looking really bad). A couple questions.

1. I travel, and wont be back home to do this until the second week of August. Do you think it'll be a little too late to get and stick some bananas in the ground? Should I wait until spring?

2. I've heard that you want the bananas in full sun. However, when you see bananas growing in the wild, a lot of times they're in dappled sun, under a canopy. What have you guys had success with?

3. Anyone in the Clearwater area recommend a place to buy pups at? If I'm going to spend the money, I want a good plant to start with.

Thanks so much for the help.