View Full Version : New Member who has just been bitten by the Banana Bug!
Hi
I just got bitten by the Banana Bug when I realized my Basjoo and Chinese Yellow bananas had survived the winter while my four (!), including a really big one 5+ years, Canary Date Palms had all died... Despite the excruciating efforts to cover them for the cold I spent! :(
Since then I have planted a few more bananas so now I have:
- 5 Basjoos, including a large one I found at a local nursery where I bought the trunk itself.
- 2 Ice Cream, one in the ground and one in a pot
- 3 Chinese Yellow
- 1 Margarita in the ground
- 2 Grand Nain in the ground (found them at Home Depot!)
- 1 Edible plant from CostCo which I think was California Gold. Bought it last year and put it in a pot which ended up spending winter in my garage before I put it in the ground this April. Any chance I will get fruit on it you think?
Now I am just waiting for my Dwarf Orinoco and an Iteran plant from GreenEarth Inc, ordered on the 22nd and still the site shows "shipping in 4-7 days" starting to wonder when they will show up...
Got one plant from Stokes Tropical that was fast efficient and plant showed up in great shape.
I live in Plano, which is just north of Dallas and should be zone 8 even if this winter we had down to 12F.
Anyone else in the forum live and try to grow palms in DFW area?
The plants in the ground I hope I can take the trunk from the edible ones so they can flower next year since I assume they wont otherwise.
It is starting to look great in the back of the house with that tropical flavor.
Looking forward to learn from you all here and share my experiences!
:03:
MediaHound
06-03-2010, 12:18 AM
Welcome aboard!
CoryS
06-03-2010, 02:23 AM
Welcome! I'm close to the Oklahoma/Kansas border so I don't know much about your growing conditions down there. But I know there are members here that live in Texas! I checked Greenearth before we ordered. I read that they're a tad slow but do get plants sent out and they seem to have a good record. I'm still waiting for a Thai Black banana plant, from them, but it's only been a few days. Good luck!
Dean W.
06-03-2010, 03:17 AM
Welcome. :waving:
Abnshrek
06-03-2010, 07:41 AM
Welcome to the Board. :^) A CDIP, I wouldn't even try here (unless it was in a box planter and I had a forklift). I lost 5 Mexican fan palms thanks to this last winter, and a pindo to boot (my smallest one). The other tree damage included the demise of 2 grapefruits , and one orange tree of 4. :^)
DaveE
06-03-2010, 09:21 AM
Welcome from San Antonio.
Bananaman88
06-03-2010, 09:25 AM
Welcome to the org! I'm in the Houston area.
summerandjosh
06-03-2010, 12:12 PM
Welcome! I live in west texas, Monahans to be exact. I have a washingtonia and 3 chinese fan palms along with many bananas and other plants. I have always desired a Canary Date but figured I would be at a loss after winter arrived... Good luck with all your plantings!
cowboyup4christ
06-03-2010, 12:43 PM
Hi
I just got bitten by the Banana Bug when I realized my Basjoo and Chinese Yellow bananas had survived the winter while my four (!), including a really big one 5+ years, Canary Date Palms had all died... Despite the excruciating efforts to cover them for the cold I spent! :(
Since then I have planted a few more bananas so now I have:
- 5 Basjoos, including a large one I found at a local nursery where I bought the trunk itself.
- 2 Ice Cream, one in the ground and one in a pot
- 3 Chinese Yellow
- 1 Margarita in the ground
- 2 Grand Nain in the ground (found them at Home Depot!)
- 1 Edible plant from CostCo which I think was California Gold. Bought it last year and put it in a pot which ended up spending winter in my garage before I put it in the ground this April. Any chance I will get fruit on it you think?
Now I am just waiting for my Dwarf Orinoco and an Iteran plant from GreenEarth Inc, ordered on the 22nd and still the site shows "shipping in 4-7 days" starting to wonder when they will show up...
Got one plant from Stokes Tropical that was fast efficient and plant showed up in great shape.
I live in Plano, which is just north of Dallas and should be zone 8 even if this winter we had down to 12F.
Anyone else in the forum live and try to grow palms in DFW area?
The plants in the ground I hope I can take the trunk from the edible ones so they can flower next year since I assume they wont otherwise.
It is starting to look great in the back of the house with that tropical flavor.
Looking forward to learn from you all here and share my experiences!
:03:
look at the plants for sale ad on here Jimmmy is in texas I think and has some nice blue java plants just got some from him today
LilRaverBoi
06-03-2010, 02:35 PM
Welcome to the site! I hope you enjoy it here and learn a lot! Sorry to hear some of your bananas died, but at least some survived. I know chinese yellow and basjoo are both pretty cold hardy. I'd dig up margarita and gran nain, though...pot them or send them into dormancy during winter or they probably won't survive.
Best of luck with your plants!
Thanks for the warm welcome!
Actually no banana died, they survived, it was the palm trees that died so given how fast the bananas grow (and the fact that I love to eat bananas)
I decided to switch from using exclusively palm trees to mostly bananas to create that back yard tropical look! :)
You are all right, growing bananas is great fun since they are so rewarding to see them grow like that!
Will probably take the advice to dig up the Gran Nain and the Margarita for the winter.
What do you think about Ice Cream and California Gold, leave in ground or dig up?
Thanks again
LilRaverBoi
06-03-2010, 11:59 PM
Ice Cream isn't too terribly cold hardy from what I've read on here. I'm not entirely sure on the cali gold, though. It apparently survives in cali....not sure what zone though. I'd check the wiki (http://www.bananas.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Allpages) or ask others here. I'm sure there are either people who can tell you the answer or it's already around on the site. This place is full of great information!
saltydad
06-04-2010, 12:29 AM
Welcome from the beautiful state of Maryland.
Caloosamusa
06-04-2010, 07:44 AM
Welcome to bananas dot org, nph!! :2239:
cucurbits
06-04-2010, 12:17 PM
Welcome. :woohoonaner: A minimum temperature of 12*F is still considered zone 8.
justjoan
06-04-2010, 03:47 PM
:coldbanana: Minnesota says Welcome too
scooterbug
06-05-2010, 10:25 PM
welcome to Bananas.org nph !
cherokee_greg
06-28-2010, 09:23 AM
Welcome from California
bananarama2
06-29-2010, 10:50 PM
Welcome to Bananas.org from the West Coast!
soundofthemusic1
06-30-2010, 11:05 PM
Hello and welcome from Georgia, NPH.
vBulletin® v3.6.8, Copyright ©2000-2020, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.