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PNWZonePusher · 03-18-2024, 11:19 PM

Hi there! My name is Josh, and I love near Salem, Oregon with my wife and three boys. Like my username implies, I like to grow things a little outside our zone 8b climate. I have a Owari Satsuma, a Meyer Lemon, and a Bearss Lime tree, all in ground against the south face of our house, and through low tunneling with Christmas lights, they've kicked through a couple of our winters with a few 15° nights. The lime tree got burned a bit this year when I opted to skip the plant jackets, but I digress...

Ann just purchased me a couple baby banana pups on my Amazon wishlist, and I'm excited to coddle them along up here!

First off was a Blue Java, which now I hear is often either a mislabeled or misrepresented Namwa (either way it sounds like a good variety to me), and it is teeny tiny. It is probably 6" tall with two open leaves and a third on the way. It looks a bit peckish, with some brown spotting in some areas. I potted it into a 4" container with some well draining mix, and let it acclimate for a couple days before giving it a light dose of AgriThrive liquid fertilizer - 2-3-3 I believe, but I kept it a little less diluted than I do for my annual seedlings since I hear these bananas are HUNGRY plants. It seems to be a little happier already, showing transpiration in the leaves, and opening up a bit further.

The second is a Dwarf Orinoco, and it seems to be much further along. It also had a little browning in spots, so I treated it similarly. Both have now been getting several hours a day sitting at our south facing sliding door, with the screen door in front to filter the light a bit.

We recently had a nice handful of days in the 70s, with lows in the 40s. Soon we are headed back to our usual spring rain season, but I think the frosts and freezes are behind us this time (fingers crossed). I plan to take them outside once they're seeming a bit happier and maybe even after they're potted up a second time. We have a hobby greenhouse in the backyard, with some plants to add some wood chip heating if I can get it pulled together soon enough. I thought I might bring the pups in there for the heat, with a shade cloth draped over the top of the greenhouse. But any advice you could give would be awesome!

03-18-2024, 11:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
PNWZonePusher Location: Sublimity, OR Zone: 8b Join Date: Mar 2024 Posts: 6 BananaBucks : 941 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1 Times Was Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Proud New Banana Parent Hi there! My name is Josh, and I love near Salem, Oregon with my wife and three boys. Like my username implies, I like to grow things a little outside our zone 8b climate. I have a Owari Satsuma, a Meyer Lemon, and a Bearss Lime tree, all in ground against the south face of our house, and through low tunneling with Christmas lights, they've kicked through a couple of our winters with a few 15° nights. The lime tree got burned a bit this year when I opted to skip the plant jackets, but I digress... Ann just purchased me a couple baby banana pups on my Amazon wishlist, and I'm excited to coddle them along up here! First off was a Blue Java, which now I hear is often either a mislabeled or misrepresented Namwa (either way it sounds like a good variety to me), and it is teeny tiny. It is probably 6" tall with two open leaves and a third on the way. It looks a bit peckish, with some brown spotting in some areas. I potted it into a 4" container with some well draining mix, and let it acclimate for a couple days before giving it a light dose of AgriThrive liquid fertilizer - 2-3-3 I believe, but I kept it a little less diluted than I do for my annual seedlings since I hear these bananas are HUNGRY plants. It seems to be a little happier already, showing transpiration in the leaves, and opening up a bit further. The second is a Dwarf Orinoco, and it seems to be much further along. It also had a little browning in spots, so I treated it similarly. Both have now been getting several hours a day sitting at our south facing sliding door, with the screen door in front to filter the light a bit. We recently had a nice handful of days in the 70s, with lows in the 40s. Soon we are headed back to our usual spring rain season, but I think the frosts and freezes are behind us this time (fingers crossed). I plan to take them outside once they're seeming a bit happier and maybe even after they're potted up a second time. We have a hobby greenhouse in the backyard, with some plants to add some wood chip heating if I can get it pulled together soon enough. I thought I might bring the pups in there for the heat, with a shade cloth draped over the top of the greenhouse. But any advice you could give would be awesome!