Rpiechow
08-17-2014, 11:36 AM
Hello everyone! This is my first real post here at bananas.org, and I have learned so much from all of you that I decided I needed to return the favor and share what I've been up to. I'm in the near west suburbs of Chicago (zone 5 or 5b depending). About 5 years ago we purchased a banana at Lowes. It said nothing other than "Banana Plant," so I have no idea what it really is. From everything I've read, it appears to be basjoo.
Until this year it lived in a clay pot about 16 inches in diameter. It did okay, and I would bring it into the house each winter; my overwintering tactic was to cut off all but the most recent leaf and put it in the basement where it received minimal light from about October through April or May.
Two or three years ago it flowered and we got just two little bananas. Nevertheless, I was thrilled to see it at least make the attempt. More pups and two stems later, this thing is getting really heavy and I am growing weary of hauling it in and out of the house each winter. This year I promised I would put it in the ground and take my chances this fall, despite the fact that our last winter here was brutally cold. Some years, we have really warm weather in March or April, but this year, it didn't get decent until into June.
Preparing the perfect spot first meant digging out an old tree stump, which became one of my objectives over a weeklong vacation I had scheduled. Removing the stump involved creating a hole about 3 feet in diameter, into which I placed the banana (now pot-free). I then filled around it using the best stuff I could find in the yard, mixed in with organic fertilizer.
So this didn't get into the ground until late June, but it seems to be much happier than when in the pot. I water about every other day and have been using a 6-4-6 organic fertilizer a little on the shy side of what its maker recommends. I don't want to overfertilize if the conditions aren't going to be right. This year has been mostly on the cool side, not many days over 80 and nothing in the mid-90s. Now I begin the task of figuring out which overwintering method to use.
I'll attempt to post photos below. If it doesn't work, I'll try again. Thanks again everyone for taking a look at my Chicago area tropical garden!
This shot shows placement in the yard:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=56575&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=56575)
Newest leaf emerging as of yesterday; this top leaf opened today and is about 40 inches long; total height to tip of this vertical leaf is about 7.5 feet:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=56574&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=56574)
One thing I've noticed since putting this in the ground is that the older leaves have not been dying off; the plant seems able to sustain a much higher level of mass:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=56572&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=56572)
Finally, an artistic shot:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=56576&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=56576)
Until this year it lived in a clay pot about 16 inches in diameter. It did okay, and I would bring it into the house each winter; my overwintering tactic was to cut off all but the most recent leaf and put it in the basement where it received minimal light from about October through April or May.
Two or three years ago it flowered and we got just two little bananas. Nevertheless, I was thrilled to see it at least make the attempt. More pups and two stems later, this thing is getting really heavy and I am growing weary of hauling it in and out of the house each winter. This year I promised I would put it in the ground and take my chances this fall, despite the fact that our last winter here was brutally cold. Some years, we have really warm weather in March or April, but this year, it didn't get decent until into June.
Preparing the perfect spot first meant digging out an old tree stump, which became one of my objectives over a weeklong vacation I had scheduled. Removing the stump involved creating a hole about 3 feet in diameter, into which I placed the banana (now pot-free). I then filled around it using the best stuff I could find in the yard, mixed in with organic fertilizer.
So this didn't get into the ground until late June, but it seems to be much happier than when in the pot. I water about every other day and have been using a 6-4-6 organic fertilizer a little on the shy side of what its maker recommends. I don't want to overfertilize if the conditions aren't going to be right. This year has been mostly on the cool side, not many days over 80 and nothing in the mid-90s. Now I begin the task of figuring out which overwintering method to use.
I'll attempt to post photos below. If it doesn't work, I'll try again. Thanks again everyone for taking a look at my Chicago area tropical garden!
This shot shows placement in the yard:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=56575&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=56575)
Newest leaf emerging as of yesterday; this top leaf opened today and is about 40 inches long; total height to tip of this vertical leaf is about 7.5 feet:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=56574&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=56574)
One thing I've noticed since putting this in the ground is that the older leaves have not been dying off; the plant seems able to sustain a much higher level of mass:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=56572&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=56572)
Finally, an artistic shot:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=56576&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=56576)