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Do any of your grow these banana relatives? just wanted to share with you guys pictures of my flowering Heliconia chartacea 'Suriname Gold'.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/ghundu88/plants/heliconias/surinamegold.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/ghundu88/plants/heliconias/surinamegold2.jpg
momoese
09-26-2006, 10:06 AM
Very nice Ryan! I have 5 different types but none are in the ground yet. Next spring I'm going have lots of stuff ready to plant.
Steve L
09-26-2006, 03:45 PM
Ryan,
I'm growing Rostrata, Pedro Ortiz, Schiedeana, Latispatha Orange Gryo, Subulata, Hirsuta Costa Flores, Red Angusta, Eden Pink in the ground. I am growing Latispatha Distans, Firebird, Golden Torch, Sexy Pink, Hot Rio Nights, Valentine, Las Cruces, Sharonii and Oriole Orange in containers. I have pictures in my gallery of most of these plants in bloom. The heliconia in the ground are protected by two portable greenhouses during Dec., Jan, and Feb. with ceramic electric heaters. The ones in containers go in the permanent greenhouse heated with natural gas. These plants are actually my most favorite tropicals but they are a pain in the arse in my Zone 9. Sexy Pink is bloom size and I am hoping for a bloom before it goes into the greenhouse.
Steve
STEELVIPER
10-10-2006, 11:02 PM
How old or how long does it take for a dwarf rostrata to flower? mine is a year old and about 2-3 feet tall?
Steve L
10-11-2006, 07:39 AM
Steelviper,
I used to have Dwarf Rostrata but gave it away this year after it bloomed for the first time after 2 years. The only thing dwarf about this Rostrata is the size of the blooms. In a pot, it will grow almost as tall as regular Rostrata. Once the rhizome mass gets large enough, Rostrata will generally bloom at about 5 feet although I've seen blooms on 2 foot stalks. The blooms on the shorter stalks won't have as many bracts as a bloom on a taller stalks. I had one bloom this summer that reached 25 bracts and was almost 2 feet long. Really impressive. I didn't notice where you live but I'm in Zone 9a, coastal Louisiana, and this plant needs protection during the winter. It will survive 28 for a few hours but the combination of cold weather and wetness can kill the stalks. It will almost always come back from the root ball in the late spring but since this heliconia only blooms on second year growth, you've generally lost the oppurtunity for blooms once this happens.
The prevelant thought on heliconia is that since the inflos are modified leaves, a high Phosphorus fertilizer like Super Bloom won't stimulate blooms. A commercial heliconia grower in South Florida told me he stokes his heliconia(all grown in 7 gallon pots) with Super Bloom and the following year, he always gets blooms. I started doing this two years ago and have seen a significant difference in the number of blooms and in the size of the blooms. Once winter is over, you might try this in the spring. This plant will begin to show blooms in the spring, but I recently had a small stalk send out a bloom only a month ago. Cut down on water during the winter and stop fertilizing altogether.
Steve
MediaHound
10-11-2006, 08:55 AM
I grow Heliconias as well. I need to get more photos uploaded in my gallery. (would be nice to get more blooms, though, too :) )
Beautiful pictures!
Steve L
10-11-2006, 09:16 AM
Jarred,
Heliconia are really my favorite plants; then gingers, then bananas. If you see a heliconia from my list you want, email me. If I have enough, we'll do a trade.
Steve
MediaHound
10-11-2006, 09:36 AM
Excellent, thank you!
In going through them, I realize that I need a good heliconia book.
So I just searched this one up on Amazon, it has good reviews, too.
Heliconia - An Identification Guide
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/1560980079.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
Would you recommend any other good encyclopedia-style books on heliconias?
Steve L
10-11-2006, 09:44 AM
Jarred,
I've got the Berry and Kress Identification book and I refer to it frequently but it is just what it says it is, an identification book. Lots of great pictures but not any growing tips. My knowledge of heliconia has developed over the last 8 years and the fact that I have killed every heliconia I grow now at least once. I have also developed friendships with several people who were trying to grow heliconia out of zone and we shared experiences. Where you live, you should have great luck growing many heliconia in the ground.
Steve
MediaHound
10-11-2006, 09:54 AM
Thats pretty much what I needed to know.
ok let me go though your list and we will talk, I'll send you a PM.
Thanks again!
STEELVIPER
10-11-2006, 10:00 AM
Thank you for your great info and knowledge steve L.
steelviper<mark>:jalapenonaner:
Steve L
10-11-2006, 10:11 AM
Steelviper,
Happy to share the info. I looked at your location. You will have an extremely difficult time growing Rostrata in Riverside in the ground. Are you container growing it or growing it in the ground. I know of only 3 people in CA that have successfully grown Rostrata in the ground; one is in San Diego, one in Culver City and the third I don't remember. The combination of the wet and cold of your winter and the low humidity of your summer seems to doom the plant according to my friends who have tried along with the dry Santa Anna winds. Is this your first year growing it?
Steve
STEELVIPER
10-11-2006, 10:34 AM
Hello steve L. this is my first year growing any heliconias. I have my plant growng in a container. i have a pic of it in my gallery. I bought a rhizome last spring and it exploded in growth. i have it growing in 60% shade and 40% sun. when its in the shade it still gets high light. i keep the soil moist but far from soggy,and i have taken the bottom off the container for better water drainage. I used a real good soil mixture and added lots of humas.So far so good. ive had no probs with it,and i have it on the side of my house were it is wind protected. I plan to bring it indoors at night when it gets in the 40's. it was a very hot summer here<got to 114 f degrees here one day> but had no probs with the heat. The ground here is way to nasty to plant any heliconias. to much clay.
Steelviper<mark>
Steve L
10-11-2006, 10:56 AM
Steelviper,
If you are growing it in a container, it should do just fine. Just remember to cut down on your watering to maybe once a week. Since the plant will slow down its growth, it doesn't need as much water and will not require any fertilizer. Just give it as much outdoor time as your weather permits. I move my container heliconia in and out of my greenhouse all during the winter when the night time temps get above 50 for a few days. One other tip, watch out for spider mites. They love Rostrata and an indoor environment is the perfect place for mites. Mites will kill a stalk in a short period of time. They won't kill the plant but you could find yourself in the position of cutting off all of the old stalks that would have produced your second year growth blooms. I don't know if you have mite problems in CA like we do in Louisiana but they can get out of hand in a hurry. I'm not much into trying non toxic remedies for insects so when the mites arrive (and they will), I don't mess around; I go straight for the kill: Orthonex. If they are not that bad in CA, try a Neem or Dormant oil mixed with water in a spray bottle. You can repeat this procedure more often than with Orthonex. Feel free to email me with any questions. I enjoy talking about heliconia.
Steve
grammie
10-11-2006, 11:28 AM
mealy bugs love them too unfortunately! I love Orthonex too, when you have a full greenhouse, you just can't play around.
at least I can't. :mad:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/missytiG/what%20is%20it/DSCF1285.jpg
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v377/missytiG/what%20is%20it/DSCF1286.jpg
STEELVIPER
10-11-2006, 12:23 PM
Thanx all for the info. :weightliftingnaner:
Steelviper<mark>
STEELVIPER
10-11-2006, 04:09 PM
Steve L sorry to bug but i have one more question. With heliconias, when it comes to flowering, does it matter how much sun that they get, have anything to do with them flowering? or amount they may flower? sorry for the dumb question.
thanks
Steelviper <mark>:2200:
Steve L
10-11-2006, 04:35 PM
Steelviper,
Most definitely sun has an impact both on flowering and the size of the inflorescence on those heliconia that are sun lovers. With that being said, I try to give my heliconia that are reported to grow best in full sun at least 6 hours of direct sun, about the same amount as I give my plumeria. There are some shade loving heliconia such as Sharonii and Red Angusta that will burn to a crisp in 6 hours of sun but for the most part, heliconia like lots of sun. The more sun they get, the more hungrier they are; the more you feed them, the taller they get; the taller they get, the closer they are to blooming. But forget all of that during the winter except the sun.
As far as Rostrata, give them as much sun as you can. The leaves will let you know when the plant is thirsty; they will fold up during the day.
Steve
STEELVIPER
10-11-2006, 05:11 PM
Thanks again Steve. you are a gold mine of knowledge. Ill be sure to ask you any questions i have in the future.
thanks again!!
Steelviper<mark>
Steve L
10-11-2006, 08:00 PM
Steelviper,
Happy to pass on information to you obtained through my years of frustration occasionally interrupted by a few successes.
Steve
STEELVIPER
11-10-2006, 08:28 PM
WOW!!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Heliconia-illustris-aureo-striata_W0QQitemZ320047657454QQihZ011QQcategoryZ2033QQrdZ1QQcmdZ ViewItem?hash=item320047657454
MediaHound
11-11-2006, 10:11 AM
yep thats a beauty!
JoeS475
04-04-2007, 06:59 PM
I was at the New York Botanical Gardens today and for the first time got to see just how much heliconia is like a banana, and how fantastic the blooms are. One heliconia angusta was only about 2' tall and blooming. I looked in a book there and it said they can bloom after just 4-7 leaves.
My question is how long to bloom? Is the plant a fast grower, cause it takes no time for a banana to get 4-7 leaves. Which type would be the fastest and/or smallest? It would be really nice to have a blooming tropical like that in a container in NJ.
I read this thread and got the info you guys posted, but let me know if there's any other advice to growing this plant in a northern climate. I only get 4 good months of growing outdoors!
Thanks in advance!
~Joe
JoeS475
04-04-2007, 07:12 PM
Speaking of which you HAVE to check out this variegated heliconia on ebay...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Variegated-Heliconia_W0QQitemZ250101551126QQihZ015QQcategoryZ2033QQrdZ1QQcm dZViewItem
~Joe
Steve L
04-05-2007, 07:52 AM
Almost all of my heliconia are in containers. However, I do grow Heliconia Angusta Red Christmas in the ground. This heliconia is somewhat more cold tolerant than others but none can take a freeze. I erect a portable greenhouse over the mat of Angusta and have a small ceramic heater available if temps are predicted to drop below freezing. It's been in the ground for years.
To grow heliconia in your zone, you will need a greenhouse. They don't do well at all in the house during the winter. They require lots of sun and warm temps with high constant humidity. They absolutely do not go dormant like a banana or ginger. I also have a 10 x 14 permanent greenhouse where I move the heliconia in pots into for the winter with a gas heater and humidifier. I still lost 3 heliconia this past winter. Spider mites and mealy bugs were the culprit this time but I've also lost them in the past due to over watering. They are not easy to grow. I've attached pictures of my Angusta along with two of my favorites, Rostrata and Las Cruces.
Steve
STEELVIPER
04-05-2007, 03:26 PM
I have to agree with steve. I have 3 varieties of heliconias. I live here is SoCal, and it was a tuff winter. All survived,but it took a lot of work. All container grown. The key to growing them is heat and humidity. The heat part is not a prob out here ,but the humidity can be. I can remedy that with misting or a hose down. They do not like dry cold days. But!! they can survive short periods of cold.Mine were exposed to high 30's for a few hrs and did well. But i had to wheel them in every night and some days where the temps were just to cold to let them out.All are growing like weeds now, since are highs are in the 80's and the lows are in the 50's. I agree with steve that in your area, a greenhouse is the way to go. But you can try.
JoeS475
04-05-2007, 11:53 PM
Thanks for the replies Steve and Mark! I definitely have to try at least... I like a challenge. While I don't have a greenhouse (yet), I have a new sunroom, and with misting might be ok. Plus in spring and fall I'm used to dragging large plants indoors every night lol.
Do they grow as fast as bananas, or are they slower like a bird of paradise?
Steve, great pictures, thanks!
~Joe
MediaHound
04-06-2007, 12:13 AM
Some of mine grow really fast and some are really slow!
It just depends...
I have an marginata x bihai 'Rauliniana' that's really fast, for example.
Here's a site with a photo of it:
http://www.montosogardens.com/heliconia_marginata_x_bihai_rauliniana.htm
Mine should bloom this year! I've been waiting since last year when I got the 1 rhizome, now the clump consists of about 15 plants.
:nanawhopp:
MediaHound
04-06-2007, 12:14 AM
Right now, I have some dwarf lobster claw blooms cut and in vases around the house. Those grow really well for me here, too.
STEELVIPER
04-06-2007, 08:56 AM
Yeah my dwarf lobster claw is pushing out leaves like a banana. I expect it to bloom this year. They are a challenge for us not living in Florida. But i think all the hard work to keep them happy is so worth it.
Steve L
04-06-2007, 05:18 PM
JoeS,
For me, they don't grow as fast as bananas. More like gingers. If you decide to try heliconia, buy a plant, not a rhizome. A plant will give you a big head start. It took me two years to get Rostrata to bloom. Some I've never gotten to bloom; like Sexy Pink. If you decide to try one, send me a PM. I've killed a bunch trying to container grow them and I'll share with you my experience.
Steve
JoeS475
04-06-2007, 10:25 PM
Thanks again for the help - I've asked my local nursery to get me prices on 5 gallon heliconias, and if they're reasonable I'll have them get a couple of established plants for me. I'll be sure to let you know if I need further advice...
Regards,
~Joe
JoeS475
05-20-2007, 10:06 PM
Well a few days ago my nursery gave me a call. They had ordered Heliconia Andromeda for me. The plant is not even 12" tall, but flowering already! Perfect for me who has issues with space for overwintering. There are many pseudostems in the pot, so I should hopefully get a few more flowers this summer.
Can I divide these in the same way as bananas? I'd like to separate them soon so I have more plants, and a better chance of overwintering in the fall.
Thanks!
~Joe
Steve L
05-21-2007, 08:12 AM
Joe,
I used to grow psittacorums, particularly Choconiana and Lady Di, and over winter them in my greenhouse. They were always some of the toughest heliconia to keep alive; at least for me. They can be easily divided. They grow fast and will bloom all summer.
Steve
MediaHound
05-21-2007, 10:47 AM
Yep - just cut the rhizomes so each portion has stalk, rhizome, and root(s), and you should be all set. I was out there yesterday dividing some Heliconias :)
JoeS475
05-21-2007, 02:21 PM
Thanks for the help!
~Joe
JoeS475
06-19-2007, 06:20 PM
Here it is:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=3677&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3677)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=3678&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3678)
Recently they had a 12' tall rostrata, but for $150 and zero % chance of survival over the winter I obviously had to leave it...
~Joe
gomezinsj
07-13-2007, 09:14 PM
Great Thread...Newbe here...anyone in northern ca growing Heliconia? Here is a list I am currently growing.
Heliconia Angusta (RED)
Heliconia Schiedeana
Heliconia Psitticorum cv. Andromeda
Heliconia Tortuosa
They are all in various sized pots and are plunged in the ground in the summer months and are grown amongst giant Bamboo along with some Ginger (Hydechium).
When winter comes believe it or not I use christmas lights interwined in the bamboo to keep the frost from killing the Helconia...the Andromeda and the Tortuosa I usually drape with freeze cloth if we are going to dip in the 30's...I used to remove them and place them in a cold frame...(makeshift greenhouse with incandescent lights for heat)
If you are in Nor Cal and have any success...send me an e-mail...I'd like to know what you are growing.
also I have yellow angusta growing indoors in a sun room...I use Cyfluthrin in an Aerosol form to combat any pests...I use a misting system and ultrasonic humidifiers for moisture...My green tree pythons love it.
Peace & "B" Wild
][))
:aliennaner:
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