View Full Version : Storm damage from recent low pressure in FL
Natureboy
10-11-2011, 08:24 AM
Lost a few plants from the recent 2 days of wind here in C. Florida. There were 50 mph gusts - luckily, none of my other plants were uprooted. The D. Cavendish always seem to be the weakest rooted. Lost 2 Cavendish and a Praying Hands that was loaded with fruit and snapped half way up. Looks like the Praying Hands were mature enough to harvest, though. African Rhinohorn was shredded, but stayed upright. I had tied an Ice Cream to a fence post and that one weathered the storm as well.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=46249&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=46249&ppuser=10787)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=46248&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=46248&ppuser=10787)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=46246&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=46246&ppuser=10787)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=46250&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=46250&ppuser=10787)
bananimal
10-11-2011, 10:01 AM
Nate ------------ remember Fay?
I didn't think it would cause problems so nothing got tied up. It blew down the big SABA with fruit hanging and the big Pitogo. I stopped growing giants after that.
I also added 6" marine galvanized cleats to the top of all the 4x4 fence posts for future winds. I had nothing blow down last week. And the Pisang Klotek is a monster - still no flower though. Just got leaf shredd.
Dan
Dalmatiansoap
10-11-2011, 02:56 PM
Thats after 50mph gusts, and this is how it looks here after 24 hrs of constant 50mph winds in protected area
http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww305/dalmatiansoap/IMAG3202.jpg
http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww305/dalmatiansoap/IMAG3203.jpg
:(
Natureboy
10-11-2011, 04:28 PM
Nate ------------ remember Fay?
I didn't think it would cause problems so nothing got tied up. It blew down the big SABA with fruit hanging and the big Pitogo. I stopped growing giants after that.
I also added 6" marine galvanized cleats to the top of all the 4x4 fence posts for future winds. I had nothing blow down last week. And the Pisang Klotek is a monster - still no flower though. Just got leaf shredd.
Dan
Oh, yes - I remember TS Fay, although I didn't have nearly as many bananas at that point. Back to this recent storm, I really didn't think the winds were going to be as bad as they were. I say "50 mph" gusts, but the gusts could have been 70 mph for all I know - just an estimation. The combination of the heavy rains for 2 days (we got somewhere between 10-15") and the wind created "ripe" conditions for toppling. (No pun intended) I can see how your use of the marine cleats would make the tying a bit easier.
I've thought of growing SABA, but once I read that it can take 9 months or more for the fruit to mature after flowering, I'm leaning away from it.
Olafhenny
10-11-2011, 06:02 PM
With a total banana experience of about 18 months, I have learned one thing about them already, that is
their tremendous ability for recovery. If they were mine, I would just cut off most of the lower leaves
and stick the rest back into the ground. If my Basjoo can recover from being frozen down to about 8"
above the ground and my ornata can survive* being cut off right above the corm and then being hauled
in a suit case for almost 4 days, then your Cavendish have a relatively easy way back.
*Well it did not exactly "survive". The mother actually died but not before sending up a pup, which
now has a pup of its own.
So simply stick them back in. What have you got to loose?
palmtree
10-11-2011, 06:16 PM
Wow, its terrible to see that much damage. Im sure they will look great again in no time though! Hurricane Irene shredded my banana plants pretty badly (luckly I tied them all up and none were uprooted), but now you cant even notice the damaged leaves since they have grown at least 3-4 more leaves since then (about 6 weeks ago).
Did you at least get some needed rain, or were you not in a drought area? I know some parts of Florida needed the rain and other parts already had average rainfall.
That storm is coming here tomorrow. Not looking forward to more rain!
Natureboy
10-11-2011, 06:36 PM
Just saw something very interesting from the Weather Channel regarding the low pressure in my area, now possibly an "unnamed tropical storm"...
"Not only was there now a very well-defined, tight circulation (indicated by the red and green colors which show winds blowing in opposite directions in close juxtaposition), but the velocities measured by radar were upwards of 80 mph, at a low altitude of approximately 2400'. Even though winds certainly weren't sustained that strong down at the Earth's surface, this suggested both that it wasn't just a circulation way up in the atmosphere, and that very strong winds could be transferred down to the surface in gusts."
So, I guess I was low-balling it when I said 50mph gusts...
Due to how the Cavendish uprooted/broke at ground level, I wasn't able to prop them back up. Nature wins this round. :)
Did a tropical storm hit Florida last night? (http://www.weather.com/blog/weather/8_25746.html)
vBulletin® v3.6.8, Copyright ©2000-2020, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.