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Mauro Gibo
03-13-2014, 08:23 PM
Musa Basjoo Journal

Information collected by Mauro Z. Gibo in the 14th of March 2014, at Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture, Japan.


It is written in this report that there are about 40 known varieties of M. Basjoo in the world and that the Musa Basjoo cultivated in Japan is the most cold resistant of all.
In 1988, Tokyo University of Agriculture sent a questionnaire to 382 high schools around the country and got the results from 305 high schools. 41 high schools grew the M. Basjoo in their school yard at the time. It is also written that M. Basjoo is grown in all the Provinces of Japan, excluding Okinawa Prefecture and the Bonin Islands. These 2 Archipelagos have a subtropical climate and they grow mostly the edible banana such as Monkey Banana and the Shima Banana including the M. Balbisiana (M. Liukiuensis).

My personal experience in growing Musa Basjoo

I started growing Musa Basjoo in the year 2000 at Kameyama, in a farm which I bought from local farmers. It is a mountainous area so I found it proper to grow bananas. I planted many varieties of edible bananas, but they all died during the winter. The only banana that survived was the famous cold hardy Musa Basjoo which I got from a farmer at Tsu City, about 30 kilometers from my farm. The pups I planted were all clones from the same mat. I’ve never heard of anyone growing Musa Basjoo from seeds. I have about 10 met of Basjoo full grown in the farm producing fruits every year. I noticed that the Basjoo blooms in the fall so the fruits do not have enough time to ripen before the cold winter, therefore dying prematurely. You can’t get a good seed from a premature banana. This means that the Musa Basjoo natural habitat is not my region. Fortunately in the end of December, last year, I was able to harvest two bunches of bananas full grown and about to ripen. I wrapped the two bunches with newspaper to keep them warm and two weeks later the whole bunches turned yellow. I removed about 200 seeds from the ripen bananas in January 21, 2014 and separated them in bags. Each bag contained 50 seeds. One bag of seeds I kept inside an incubator to hatch eggs imbedded in white wet cotton to keep the seeds moist. I set the incubator temperature at 28 degrees centigrade to keep them warm enough. Another bag of seeds I planted in a vase and kept inside the house at room temperature which varies from minus 2 to 6 degrees centigrade. The other 2 bags I kept in a drawer. In March 6, I took the seeds of the bags in the drawer and put them in a glass full of water and noticed that the seeds did not sink to the bottom of the glass. Reason: They were all dead. I checked the inside of the seeds and they were all empty. No embryos. Conclusion: Musa Basjoo seeds are short lived and do not survive more than one month. The seeds I kept moist inside the incubator all sank to the bottom of the glass, they were all viable. Part of the viable seeds I soaked in water for 2 days but they did not absorb any moister, the seeds did not expand. Strategy: Scrape one side of the shell (coating) of the seed with a nail clipper file until you can see the pulp, white flesh of the seed. Don’t overdue it or you will damage the embryo.
After soaking 25 scraped seeds for 24 hours I planted them in a vase and put them outside the house where it could get enough sun light to stimulate growth.
I am now waiting for germination of the seeds.
Bye for now, Cheers!

Richard
03-13-2014, 08:37 PM
Welcome back :)

griphuz
03-14-2014, 10:05 AM
Very curious what will come of the seeds Mauro! Nice to hear!

Do you have the title (or the article itself) of the Musa basjoo clones? I'd be very interested in that!
Kind regards,
Remko.

Mauro Gibo
03-14-2014, 07:13 PM
Very curious what will come of the seeds Mauro! Nice to hear!

Do you have the title (or the article itself) of the Musa basjoo clones? I'd be very interested in that!
Kind regards,
Remko. Hi Remko! The Title of the article is "Cultivation Area of the Musa Basjoo Sieb. et Zucc. in Japan". I have the PDF file of the article, I tried to paste it but I failed. Part of the file is in the Japanese language. Japan has 47 provinces, you can find the Musa Basjoo cultivated in 45 provinces, even in Hokkaido where the temperature is very low during the winter, minus 10 degrees centigrade below zero or lower.
I planted the Musa Basjoo in Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, Japan but the plant died during the hot summer. It seems that the Basjoo doesn't like tropical climate.

Best Wishes,
Mauro

sunfish
05-20-2014, 06:41 PM
Musa Basjoo Journal

Information collected by Mauro Z. Gibo in the 14th of March 2014, at Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture, Japan.


It is written in this report that there are about 40 known varieties of M. Basjoo in the world and that the Musa Basjoo cultivated in Japan is the most cold resistant of all.
In 1988, Tokyo University of Agriculture sent a questionnaire to 382 high schools around the country and got the results from 305 high schools. 41 high schools grew the M. Basjoo in their school yard at the time. It is also written that M. Basjoo is grown in all the Provinces of Japan, excluding Okinawa Prefecture and the Bonin Islands. These 2 Archipelagos have a subtropical climate and they grow mostly the edible banana such as Monkey Banana and the Shima Banana including the M. Balbisiana (M. Liukiuensis).

My personal experience in growing Musa Basjoo

I started growing Musa Basjoo in the year 2000 at Kameyama, in a farm which I bought from local farmers. It is a mountainous area so I found it proper to grow bananas. I planted many varieties of edible bananas, but they all died during the winter. The only banana that survived was the famous cold hardy Musa Basjoo which I got from a farmer at Tsu City, about 30 kilometers from my farm. The pups I planted were all clones from the same mat. I’ve never heard of anyone growing Musa Basjoo from seeds. I have about 10 met of Basjoo full grown in the farm producing fruits every year. I noticed that the Basjoo blooms in the fall so the fruits do not have enough time to ripen before the cold winter, therefore dying prematurely. You can’t get a good seed from a premature banana. This means that the Musa Basjoo natural habitat is not my region. Fortunately in the end of December, last year, I was able to harvest two bunches of bananas full grown and about to ripen. I wrapped the two bunches with newspaper to keep them warm and two weeks later the whole bunches turned yellow. I removed about 200 seeds from the ripen bananas in January 21, 2014 and separated them in bags. Each bag contained 50 seeds. One bag of seeds I kept inside an incubator to hatch eggs imbedded in white wet cotton to keep the seeds moist. I set the incubator temperature at 28 degrees centigrade to keep them warm enough. Another bag of seeds I planted in a vase and kept inside the house at room temperature which varies from minus 2 to 6 degrees centigrade. The other 2 bags I kept in a drawer. In March 6, I took the seeds of the bags in the drawer and put them in a glass full of water and noticed that the seeds did not sink to the bottom of the glass. Reason: They were all dead. I checked the inside of the seeds and they were all empty. No embryos. Conclusion: Musa Basjoo seeds are short lived and do not survive more than one month. The seeds I kept moist inside the incubator all sank to the bottom of the glass, they were all viable. Part of the viable seeds I soaked in water for 2 days but they did not absorb any moister, the seeds did not expand. Strategy: Scrape one side of the shell (coating) of the seed with a nail clipper file until you can see the pulp, white flesh of the seed. Don’t overdue it or you will damage the embryo.
After soaking 25 scraped seeds for 24 hours I planted them in a vase and put them outside the house where it could get enough sun light to stimulate growth.
I am now waiting for germination of the seeds.
Bye for now, Cheers!

Bye bye :08:

Mauro Gibo
06-20-2014, 08:09 AM
Musa Basjoo Journal

Information collected by Mauro Z. Gibo in the 14th of March 2014, at Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture, Japan.


It is written in this report that there are about 40 known varieties of M. Basjoo in the world and that the Musa Basjoo cultivated in Japan is the most cold resistant of all.
In 1988, Tokyo University of Agriculture sent a questionnaire to 382 high schools around the country and got the results from 305 high schools. 41 high schools grew the M. Basjoo in their school yard at the time. It is also written that M. Basjoo is grown in all the Provinces of Japan, excluding Okinawa Prefecture and the Bonin Islands. These 2 Archipelagos have a subtropical climate and they grow mostly the edible banana such as Monkey Banana and the Shima Banana including the M. Balbisiana (M. Liukiuensis).

My personal experience in growing Musa Basjoo

I started growing Musa Basjoo in the year 2000 at Kameyama, in a farm which I bought from local farmers. It is a mountainous area so I found it proper to grow bananas. I planted many varieties of edible bananas, but they all died during the winter. The only banana that survived was the famous cold hardy Musa Basjoo which I got from a farmer at Tsu City, about 30 kilometers from my farm. The pups I planted were all clones from the same mat. I’ve never heard of anyone growing Musa Basjoo from seeds. I have about 10 met of Basjoo full grown in the farm producing fruits every year. I noticed that the Basjoo blooms in the fall so the fruits do not have enough time to ripen before the cold winter, therefore dying prematurely. You can’t get a good seed from a premature banana. This means that the Musa Basjoo natural habitat is not my region. Fortunately in the end of December, last year, I was able to harvest two bunches of bananas full grown and about to ripen. I wrapped the two bunches with newspaper to keep them warm and two weeks later the whole bunches turned yellow. I removed about 200 seeds from the ripen bananas in January 21, 2014 and separated them in bags. Each bag contained 50 seeds. One bag of seeds I kept inside an incubator to hatch eggs imbedded in white wet cotton to keep the seeds moist. I set the incubator temperature at 28 degrees centigrade to keep them warm enough. Another bag of seeds I planted in a vase and kept inside the house at room temperature which varies from minus 2 to 6 degrees centigrade. The other 2 bags I kept in a drawer. In March 6, I took the seeds of the bags in the drawer and put them in a glass full of water and noticed that the seeds did not sink to the bottom of the glass. Reason: They were all dead. I checked the inside of the seeds and they were all empty. No embryos. Conclusion: Musa Basjoo seeds are short lived and do not survive more than one month. The seeds I kept moist inside the incubator all sank to the bottom of the glass, they were all viable. Part of the viable seeds I soaked in water for 2 days but they did not absorb any moister, the seeds did not expand. Strategy: Scrape one side of the shell (coating) of the seed with a nail clipper file until you can see the pulp, white flesh of the seed. Don’t overdue it or you will damage the embryo.
After soaking 25 scraped seeds for 24 hours I planted them in a vase and put them outside the house where it could get enough sun light to stimulate growth.
I am now waiting for germination of the seeds.
Bye for now, Cheers! Hi folks I'm back. Well I'm very sorry but I think I had the wrong conclusion about the Musa Basjoo of Japan. In December 18, 2013 I found 2 bunches of ripe Basjoo in my mountain. In January 18, I found another bunch of good bananas with seeds in the middle of the snow. In March 19 and 20th, I found 2 more bunches of ripe bananas with viable seeds, the bananas were not mummified, like I've seen before during the cold winter. Anyway, I collected most of the seeds and tried all sorts of methods to make them germinate such as soaking them in water for days, stratification, scarification, etc,etc,. Out of about a thousand seeds only one seed germinated around June 18. As I had collected too many seeds before and didn't want to throw the bananas away, I buried the whole banana in a vase with good soil. All about 4 bananas and put the vase outside with no protection at all. In June 8, three seeds sprouted and are growing very well. At present I have the total of 4 seedlings that sprouted this spring. I came to the conclution that the seeds will germinate only when they want to. It's no use messing around with them. Another thing I noticed is that the pseudostems that were dormant during the winter bloomed in the early spring that means that the Basjoo will bear fruits all year round. So Japan could be the natural habitat of the Musa Basjoo, not China as many botanists believe. I am very happy with my seedlings which are new generations of the Basjoo and I don't have to depend on clones anymore. So long, Mauro the insistent banana grower.

siege2050
06-21-2014, 08:00 AM
Hi folks I'm back. Well I'm very sorry but I think I had the wrong conclusion about the Musa Basjoo of Japan. In December 18, 2013 I found 2 bunches of ripe Basjoo in my mountain. In January 18, I found another bunch of good bananas with seeds in the middle of the snow. In March 19 and 20th, I found 2 more bunches of ripe bananas with viable seeds, the bananas were not mummified, like I've seen before during the cold winter. Anyway, I collected most of the seeds and tried all sorts of methods to make them germinate such as soaking them in water for days, stratification, scarification, etc,etc,. Out of about a thousand seeds only one seed germinated around June 18. As I had collected too many seeds before and didn't want to throw the bananas away, I buried the whole banana in a vase with good soil. All about 4 bananas and put the vase outside with no protection at all. In June 8, three seeds sprouted and are growing very well. At present I have the total of 4 seedlings that sprouted this spring. I came to the conclution that the seeds will germinate only when they want to. It's no use messing around with them. Another thing I noticed is that the pseudostems that were dormant during the winter bloomed in the early spring that means that the Basjoo will bear fruits all year round. So Japan could be the natural habitat of the Musa Basjoo, not China as many botanists believe. I am very happy with my seedlings which are new generations of the Basjoo and I don't have to depend on clones anymore. So long, Mauro the insistent banana grower.
Since most Bajoo are clones, I wonder how the seedlings will differ?

Mauro Gibo
06-21-2014, 06:54 PM
Since most Bajoo are clones, I wonder how the seedlings will differ? I don't know anything about the Basjoo varieties that grow in China. I only grow the Japanese variety of Basjoo that some botanists say they were brought to Japan with the introduction of Budhism in the 10th century to be planted in front of temples like they did in China. Remember, they are just theories nobody knows for sure. If the Japanese Budhist monks brought the Basjoo from China, they would probably be clones of one single species and up to the present its natural habitat has not been found in China, yet. The truth about Musa basjoo (http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~drc/the_truth_about_musa_basjoo.htm)
A French botanist, took a clone from Hokkaido, Japan, to Paris in the 1800's and from there to London and it spread around the world. All clones of course. I haven't heard of anyone who has grown a Basjoo from a seed. By the way you can't find true Basjoo seeds for sale in the market 'cause they won't germinate. Now, I have 4 gorgeous Basjoo seedlings which sprouted this month of June 2014, collected from my Basjoo clones planted in my garden, which I consider the mother, but who is the father? In my area there is no other species of Musas. Where did the bats get the pollen of a male flower to pollinate the female flowers? Did they get the pollen of a male flower from another clone of the same species? If they did do so, aren't the seeds sterile? Other varieties of Musas grown in Japan are a thousand miles from my area. The only possibility I can imagine is the Golden Lotus that I grow in my garden and blooms continually for 300 days a year. Can anyone in the forum give me a hint? Do I have to wait until my seedlings grow and bear fruits do know the answer? Can someone share your point of view?
Thanks in advance,
Mauro, the lucky fella!

siege2050
06-21-2014, 10:51 PM
I don't know anything about the Basjoo varieties that grow in China. I only grow the Japanese variety of Basjoo that some botanists say they were brought to Japan with the introduction of Budhism in the 10th century to be planted in front of temples like they did in China. Remember, they are just theories nobody knows for sure. If the Japanese Budhist monks brought the Basjoo from China, they would probably be clones of one single species and up to the present its natural habitat has not been found in China, yet. The truth about Musa basjoo (http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~drc/the_truth_about_musa_basjoo.htm)
A French botanist, took a clone from Hokkaido, Japan, to Paris in the 1800's and from there to London and it spread around the world. All clones of course. I haven't heard of anyone who has grown a Basjoo from a seed. By the way you can't find true Basjoo seeds for sale in the market 'cause they won't germinate. Now, I have 4 gorgeous Basjoo seedlings which sprouted this month of June 2014, collected from my Basjoo clones planted in my garden, which I consider the mother, but who is the father? In my area there is no other species of Musas. Where did the bats get the pollen of a male flower to pollinate the female flowers? Did they get the pollen of a male flower from another clone of the same species? If they did do so, aren't the seeds sterile? Other varieties of Musas grown in Japan are a thousand miles from my area. The only possibility I can imagine is the Golden Lotus that I grow in my garden and blooms continually for 300 days a year. Can anyone in the forum give me a hint? Do I have to wait until my seedlings grow and bear fruits do know the answer? Can someone share your point of view?
Thanks in advance,
Mauro, the lucky fella!

I know with some hybrid Canna that are supposed to be sterile, you can sometimes get a fertile seed out of hundreds of empty pods to germinate. Makes me wonder if Basjoo was originally a hybrid. Let us know later, if there are differences in the seedlings, and the clone adult. :woohoonaner:

Mauro Gibo
06-22-2014, 04:47 AM
I know with some hybrid Canna that are supposed to be sterile, you can sometimes get a fertile seed out of hundreds of empty pods to germinate. Makes me wonder if Basjoo was originally a hybrid. Let us know later, if there are differences in the seedlings, and the clone adult. :woohoonaner: Thank you for sharing your point of view Siege 2050. It sounds interesting, I didn't know about it, it's new information for me. I will take good care of the seedlings and wait to see their characteristics.
Best Wishes,
Mauro

Mauro Gibo
06-24-2014, 01:23 AM
Thank you for sharing your point of view Siege 2050. It sounds interesting, I didn't know about it, it's new information for me. I will take good care of the seedlings and wait to see their characteristics.
Best Wishes,
Mauro Here is some photos of M. Balbisiana harvested at my backyard in Okinawa, Japan. Library Slideshow by sittingbull193 | Photobucket (http://s629.photobucket.com/user/sittingbull193/slideshow/)

Cheers!
Mauro