View Full Version : Hurricane Banana Defence
bananimal
08-25-2011, 02:31 PM
Tied up the Ae Ae’s and the tallest bananas with Irene winds coming today and tonight. After Wilma and Fay I added 6” marine cleats to the fence posts to support leaning naners, as well as protection from high winds. Note the slings from seat belt material I made to go around the trunks.
Dwarf Namwah and Datil
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=45302&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=45302&ppuser=820)
Dwarf Brazilian and Pisang Klotek
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=45299&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=45299&ppuser=820)
Goldfinger
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=45300&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=45300&ppuser=820)
oakshadows
08-25-2011, 03:14 PM
Good luck. Stay safe, bananas grow back with your help.
Worm_Farmer
08-25-2011, 03:51 PM
LoL, im doing NOTHING!
momoese
08-25-2011, 04:14 PM
I've tried tying plants together and it failed miserably in our Santa Ana winds. When one gets blown down it either pulls down the others with it, or snaps them in half. I'd think about removing the leaves and let them grow back later or just take a chance and do nothing like Mike.
Kostas
08-25-2011, 04:18 PM
Good luck Dan!!! Stay safe!
I hope your bananas and your other valuable possessions stay well and unfazed :)
palmtree
08-25-2011, 05:22 PM
Good luck, you should be okay by you, but some of those outer bands can bring some brief and gusty storms.
My bananas are getting tied up and pruned back a little tomorrow. Im very worried. Plumerias are going inside, palms are getting tied up, indoor furniture going inside, personal weather station getting re-inforced, and I have radios and lanterns and water ready also! It could be bad here and right now they are predicting 50+ mph winds and gusts up to 90mph which is something that has not been experienced in my area in many many years.
Good luck everyone! It looks like you have this hurricane prep for your bananas down to a science Dan!
kaczercat
08-25-2011, 07:47 PM
Just heard about the hurricane in the Bahamas , heading up the cost hope they stay up good Luck be safe.
Bananaman88
08-26-2011, 09:03 AM
Stay safe everyone!
Evostevo
08-26-2011, 09:03 AM
I was in a panic for a while when they had the storm heading in my direction here in Charleston.
Bananimal,
I like your setup. I'm going to do the same the next time a big storm comes this way. I hate to see my precious 'naners get destroyed. I baby them as much as or more than my collie (and she's spoiled rotten).
island cassie
08-26-2011, 11:33 AM
Good luck all!!
Irene came through here as a Cat 2 storm 50 miles offshore, and beforehand I cut down all the big bunches of fruit (some of 80lbs each) but left the little ones. I did nothing more, and the result was some bent and broken leaves (and all shredded of course), and a few plants leaning more than before - but that's all. In fact, I lay in the warm swimming pool until 3am and watched the storm thrash the palms, with the rain stinging my face and nearly blinding me.
I just took some before pics I'll post them with the after pics on Monday once Irene leaves town! :03:
palmtree
08-26-2011, 12:50 PM
Good luck all!!
Irene came through here as a Cat 2 storm 50 miles offshore, and beforehand I cut down all the big bunches of fruit (some of 80lbs each) but left the little ones. I did nothing more, and the result was some bent and broken leaves (and all shredded of course), and a few plants leaning more than before - but that's all. In fact, I lay in the warm swimming pool until 3am and watched the storm thrash the palms, with the rain stinging my face and nearly blinding me.
I think that I will have similar weather to you since Irene will likely be a Category 2 hurricane when it hits (or at least have the energy of a Cat 2). I dont want all my bananas to be shredded since they look so nice right now, but I guess there is nothing I can do. What was the max wind speed?
fishoifc
08-26-2011, 01:11 PM
Well it looks like the eye will go right over my house,I will do some before and after pics. I have had some good luck digging around the rootball and tipping the plant over going to try this again on a few. Good luck to everyone in the way. We have four weather channel guys in town that seem way to excited about this.
island cassie
08-26-2011, 01:27 PM
Well I don't have a wind gauge so my guestimate would be 60mph + - I could still walk against it. But the rain on the mountains caused more problems for the country than the wind.
kcj1219
08-26-2011, 01:43 PM
Well it looks like the eye will go right over my house,I will do some before and after pics. I have had some good luck digging around the rootball and tipping the plant over going to try this again on a few. Good luck to everyone in the way. We have four weather channel guys in town that seem way to excited about this.
Stay safe. Bananas will always come back but you won't. Too bad we don't grow from a corm....lol
sunfish
08-26-2011, 01:57 PM
Good luck all!!
Irene came through here as a Cat 2 storm 50 miles offshore, and beforehand I cut down all the big bunches of fruit (some of 80lbs each) but left the little ones. I did nothing more, and the result was some bent and broken leaves (and all shredded of course), and a few plants leaning more than before - but that's all. In fact, I lay in the warm swimming pool until 3am and watched the storm thrash the palms, with the rain stinging my face and nearly blinding me.
In fact, I lay in the warm swimming pool until 3am and watched the storm thrash the palms, with the rain stinging my face and nearly blinding me.
Like a line from a mystery novel
island cassie
08-26-2011, 02:27 PM
Some call me wierd - don't know why!!!:ha:
TrailGaiter
08-26-2011, 03:48 PM
Stay safe everyone, and I hope your bananas make it through the storm ok....
kcj1219
08-26-2011, 04:29 PM
I'm catching the outer bands right now. Not bad so far. So far....
saltydad
08-26-2011, 05:45 PM
I'm also bringing in all potted plants, furniture, erc. Already moved unbrellas inside. I went through Floyd while I was in NY. Flooded my car when Rt. 9 was flooded. Not a fun time.
bananimal
08-27-2011, 07:47 AM
No damage at all from H-cane Irene!!!! :woohoonaner:
Just leaf shredding.
So now I have ropes cut to length for the next one.
Wishing the best for everyone on the east coast.
fishoifc
08-29-2011, 07:37 AM
just got power back it was a long storm our little island got hammered prety good.I myself got very lucky there was heavy flooding all around and its very messy everywhere.lots of trees down marsh grass and random boats. No one got hurt and things should be back to normal here soon.
all my banana plants were badly twisted but no broken stems we were very lucky winds topped at around 80 for gust. Hard to imagine what a more intense storm would do.
A few of my smaller plants (matts) were broken at the ground,but all my favorites are still there at least the stems are.
I did dig two six footers and tip them over they look good just a few broken and shredded leaves hopefully there roots will regrow soon most of the dirt was washed off the exposed side of the root ball
kcj1219
08-29-2011, 09:40 AM
Glad everyone made it out okay! That's great to hear. I didn't even get leaf shredding here in Charleston. But Charleston is due!
bananimal
08-29-2011, 10:09 AM
Fish ---- glad you had min damage at home. How is the boat?
BTW - snook keeper season opens down here Thurs. I'll be working the bridges and docks for the slots in my little Sailfish 18 ft cc.
Still concerned for Alex in Staten Island. A lot of folks won't be able to report till they get power back.
Dan
oakshadows
08-29-2011, 10:41 AM
Anyone get news from the NE. Winds were weaker but the rains and flooding must be terrible.
momoese
08-29-2011, 11:14 AM
Vermont is toast.
oakshadows
08-29-2011, 01:25 PM
Bad news. Very nice state and some nice people.
john_ny
08-29-2011, 01:59 PM
Dan (bananimal)- I'm in Staten Island. Alex is in New York City, but I don't think in Staten Island.
I didn't make any special preparations for the storm, with the plants. I stacked up some plastic chairs, and things like that. I have a few basjoos, growing in the ground, and they got no damage. I have a bunch of containers, with various bananas, and other tropical plants, like Mandevilla, Allamanda, Hibiscus, etc., etc. The only damage there was two leaves broken off one potted basjoo.
We lost power for 32 hours, starting at 5:30 AM, on Sunday. My property runs from street to street, and I had big broken branches, reaching to the middle of both the front and back streets. I also had an uprooted Granny Smith apple tree, with about a 10 inch diameter trunk. We got a little water in the cellar and, with no power, the sump pump wouldn't work. We're just about at the top of a hill, so there was no other water damage.
I was going to take a couple of pictures, but the batteries were dead and, again with no power, I couldn't charge them, Maybe tomorrow.
bananimal
08-29-2011, 07:09 PM
John,
Alex - palmtree - told me he is in SI and 2 blocks from the beach. He estimates 30 ft above sea level. I know that areas of SI are hilly from driving around, and he did mention Todt hill is really up there at 400 ft.
Still, 2 blocks is too close. No report yet so he may be in trouble. Waiting to hear.
Oh yeah - the other thing I remember about SI is that almost every Italian restaurant makes good clams oreganata. Not the case here where I am.
Dan
saltydad
08-30-2011, 12:41 AM
Glad to hear things are pretty good now for you, John. If anyone hears from Alex please post ASAP> Thanks.
I live in Mass. halfway between Boston and Providence. Took before pics to compare with after pics, but damage was negligible, not even worth taking pics. Very minor shredding, I even had very light items left out that were overlooked and they are still in their original spots. We lost power for seven hours, and the towns around are still without power. The next town over, Foxboro is still without power and the Pats had to look at game tapes somewhere else. The western part of Mass. got hit pretty hard, they are just south of Vermont.
john_ny
08-30-2011, 05:34 PM
My update: I have a friend (JimZone7) who is a member here, and has a landscape business. I was going to have his crew remove the branches, but his crew supervisor told me to try the City of NY, to see if they would do it. I called 311 (our city's non-emergency question/information/complaint line), and repoprted the problem, at about 3 PM, Monday. The respopnse was that the info had been turned over to the forestry division of the parks department, and it might take them up to 5 days to evaluate, and then, if approved, up to 30 days to resolve. When I went out this morning, I found a couple of firemen out there cutting the branch, and pushing it against the curb. When my wife came home from work, she asked me what the machine was up front, (Our property is 200 feet deep, and my wife parks in the back driveway; it's closer to the house) I said that I would take a look and, when I got up there, I saw a big truck with a grabber on it, and they were just about finishing picking up the pieces of the branch. I spoke to the guys, and told them that I had another similar branch on the back street. After picking up another tree, down at the corner, they came around the block and got the one on the back street.
I couldn't believe this. This city, which has given my nursery business nothing but grief, in all the years that I have had it, actually picked up the branches on both streets within 24 hours!
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