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View Full Version : Do Mekong Giant grow slow?


siege2050
10-13-2013, 03:01 PM
I got my Mekong giant in the mail not to long ago, and compared to Basjoo, its really slow. After looking at some post on here about the same thing, I am starting to think that unless they have a specific climate, Mekong giant is blah. What is your opinion?:0517:

cincinnana
10-13-2013, 03:55 PM
I got my Mekong giant in the mail not to long ago, and compared to Basjoo, its really slow. After looking at some post on here about the same thing, I am starting to think that unless they have a specific climate, Mekong giant is blah. What is your opinion?:0517:

First month it sleeps
Second month it creeps
Third month it leaps.
I think you will be fine ....sometimes mine take awhile to get rolling .

siege2050
10-13-2013, 04:32 PM
Its finally started putting out a leaf, when I got my Basjoo, it was like 2 days and already putting one up.:08:

cannasrus
10-14-2013, 02:06 AM
My baby from last yearlooked about like a small canna when I put it out in the spring, it went nutz over the summer when I brought it in over the weekend its base is well over 20 inches around. Keep it happy over the winter and You will have a giant next year.

siege2050
10-14-2013, 03:17 AM
My baby from last yearlooked about like a small canna when I put it out in the spring, it went nutz over the summer when I brought it in over the weekend its base is well over 20 inches around. Keep it happy over the winter and You will have a giant next year.

Awesome, I cant wait till next spring to put it outside. I am going to grow it indoors this winter so it will get some height, I hope its not a mistake lol.

cannasrus
10-14-2013, 04:57 AM
Mine didnt gain much over the winter indoors, it put on lots of leaves and kept them all
winter, then the first 2 weeks in the spring I thought it was going to die, shock I guess. then
it went Nuts. I would see 4 and 5 footers around and get Banana envy. The longest leaf I had to
cut off was over 6 feet long. with the leaves on I would guess 12 to 14 feet tall

coast crab
10-14-2013, 07:51 AM
My MG was very slow to establish, and the first summer managed to make it to the eave of the house. It seemed to sulk in the heat of the summer. This year has been very different. We actually had a real spring this year here on the north Gulf Coast and it really appreciated it. Not only did it shoot up like crazy, it also started to pup - 8 or 10 feet from the mother plant! I ended up transplanting it to another location back in July and it never missed a beat. It truly is a very tall, slim giant of a banana. I'll try to remember how to upload pictures later.

Russell

siege2050
10-14-2013, 11:52 AM
My MG was very slow to establish, and the first summer managed to make it to the eave of the house. It seemed to sulk in the heat of the summer. This year has been very different. We actually had a real spring this year here on the north Gulf Coast and it really appreciated it. Not only did it shoot up like crazy, it also started to pup - 8 or 10 feet from the mother plant! I ended up transplanting it to another location back in July and it never missed a beat. It truly is a very tall, slim giant of a banana. I'll try to remember how to upload pictures later.

Russell

Wow thats crazy lol, I am glad I have quite a bit of space here, I planted some golden bamboo out by itself because its kinda the same way. I think I will put the Mekong Giant beside it so I don't have pups coming up in weird places lol.

cannasrus
10-14-2013, 02:22 PM
Mine all seemed to enjoy a wind block and a sun block. They were 10 to 12 feet away from a building, Blocking afternoon sun

siege2050
10-14-2013, 02:42 PM
Mine all seemed to enjoy a wind block and a sun block. They were 10 to 12 feet away from a building, Blocking afternoon sun

Thats perfect, I have a lightly shaded and protected spot near some very tall oak trees, and it just so happens that I planted some golden bamboo on the other side so that should help block the wind.

Naz
10-14-2013, 07:09 PM
when i got mine it was about 3 feet tall and i placed it in a spot where it gets only an hours of direct morning sunlight and then just shade the rest of the day.
after 3 months its now 8 feet... it grows pretty fast! enjoy it.

sman87
10-14-2013, 08:31 PM
They're very beautiful bananas, with great looking pseudostems that have a purplish hue to them in the sun when they mature. I got mine as 4 inch starter plants in mid March and planted them in the ground in May. Now they are about 6.5 feet tall at the end of this growing season. They definitely do a little better in more shady areas with protection from harsh midday sun and protected from wind. They are also not "stocky/ bushy" in appearance as Basjoos tend to be. take on a more slender and sturdy look. P.S. ...Watch out for the rhizomes!