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View Full Version : My first year basjoo


Kevin2685
08-23-2014, 10:49 AM
Well thanks to all the people on here I have learned a lot
Thought I would share some pictures of my first year growing bananas and really first year doing any gardening.

Here is a picture of when I first got my basjoo TC plant.
Purchased it from wellspringgardens.org
It arrived in the beginning of March in a 4 inch pot and I grew it under 2 - 125 watt cfl lights.

<a href="http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/kevinmeredith1977/media/DCB28E14-356D-4944-B1E3-BB7411C4E4FF_zpsnbutpxzh.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b498/kevinmeredith1977/DCB28E14-356D-4944-B1E3-BB7411C4E4FF_zpsnbutpxzh.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo DCB28E14-356D-4944-B1E3-BB7411C4E4FF_zpsnbutpxzh.jpg"/></a>


Here is pictures the day I was putting it in the ground.
I mixed the soil with a bag of manure and then spread a bag of manure around the top of the soil and then mulched it.

<a href="http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/kevinmeredith1977/media/E9E80B29-5161-4475-B3A7-1FB4691E662E_zpstrb98hjo.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b498/kevinmeredith1977/E9E80B29-5161-4475-B3A7-1FB4691E662E_zpstrb98hjo.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo E9E80B29-5161-4475-B3A7-1FB4691E662E_zpstrb98hjo.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/kevinmeredith1977/media/C76DE925-5323-4B26-B530-4AC1E01798F5_zpsxwnduaeb.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b498/kevinmeredith1977/C76DE925-5323-4B26-B530-4AC1E01798F5_zpsxwnduaeb.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo C76DE925-5323-4B26-B530-4AC1E01798F5_zpsxwnduaeb.jpg"/></a>

And here is couple pictures of it today august 23rd

<a href="http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/kevinmeredith1977/media/8C730F70-53CF-4B66-9F5A-5EDC15438BB1_zpsxvkqbcm3.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b498/kevinmeredith1977/8C730F70-53CF-4B66-9F5A-5EDC15438BB1_zpsxvkqbcm3.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 8C730F70-53CF-4B66-9F5A-5EDC15438BB1_zpsxvkqbcm3.jpg"/></a>


<a href="http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/kevinmeredith1977/media/03B80737-B48B-4FDC-9409-863EC8D84FE3_zps6cvt7ub5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b498/kevinmeredith1977/03B80737-B48B-4FDC-9409-863EC8D84FE3_zps6cvt7ub5.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 03B80737-B48B-4FDC-9409-863EC8D84FE3_zps6cvt7ub5.jpg"/></a>

So thanks everyone for your time in helping the newbies starting out with sharing the wealth of information you guys have.

Now comes the hard part for me in trying to figure out the best way to overwinter it in the ground.

I would like to cut all the pups up and pot them up and bring them inside for the winter. Don't really care about gaining much growth but more about saving them as a back up and some to plant out in the front yard next year.
Do you think that is possible or are the pups to big ?

Should I just pot them up in well draining soil the same way I was growing before I planted it outside but not under any lights just natural sunlight from the windows ?

kubali
08-23-2014, 11:06 AM
If it was me ,I would keep with the plan u executed to get it where it is today.
looks to me like you have done a very good job for your first time around. congrats to you. your plant looks really healthy and happy.
pull the pups and put them under your grow lights for the winter and keep up the good job your doing, u know what they say(If it's not broke, Why try and fix it...

RobG7aChattTN
08-24-2014, 09:46 AM
I've found basjoo very difficult to over-winter indoors (while most other types have been easy). I'd be tempted to just leave it in the ground with a covered cage full of mulch. You can always divide the pups when the real heat of summer just starts so that your potted pups have more time to grow roots and your parent plant has time to recover. I just had a guy tell me that he over wintered Basjoo in the ground last winter (I think he got down to -22F!) in zone 5.

designshark
08-25-2014, 10:33 AM
Nice! My potted indoor basjoos pups look pretty bad by the time spring rolls around but once planted they take off!

Kevin2685
08-25-2014, 12:43 PM
How big are they when you pot them up?
Mine are all really big around 3 foot and a really thick pstem
What size pots do you pot them up in
I'm thinking of using 15 gallon nursery pots I have a friend that works for a huge wholesale nursery so I can get whatever size really I need for free just don't want to go to big cause it will be a pain to get out next spring.
They will have minimal light inside just natural light through a couple windows
Don't want them to grow that big inside just looking to keep them alive till spring with minimal growth.

TikiMom
08-27-2014, 10:14 PM
Wow your yard and bananas are beautiful!!! I'm in nj zone 6b-7 and I always dig one pup to bring in "just in case". I've had mine growing for 8 years now and have even moved them several times. They are fairly resilient. When you dig up a pup, make sure it has the stringy roots attached to it, not just the tuber. Put it in a pot in the shade. It will go into shock; the leaves will wilt and turn brown. Cut them off and let new healthy leaves begin to grow from the center of the plant. It will not grow much over the winter but that's ok. Once spring comes and it's back outside it will grow like crazy.

RafaelNJ
09-17-2014, 11:25 AM
Wow your yard and bananas are beautiful!!! I'm in nj zone 6b-7 and I always dig one pup to bring in "just in case". I've had mine growing for 8 years now and have even moved them several times. They are fairly resilient. When you dig up a pup, make sure it has the stringy roots attached to it, not just the tuber. Put it in a pot in the shade. It will go into shock; the leaves will wilt and turn brown. Cut them off and let new healthy leaves begin to grow from the center of the plant. It will not grow much over the winter but that's ok. Once spring comes and it's back outside it will grow like crazy.

what do you mean in a shade? outside? I am pretty sure they would die in NJ. Or do you mean inside the house/basement?

Kevin2685
09-17-2014, 12:14 PM
Cut them off before winter hits and then keep them in a shady location to let them adjust from being cut from the mother. They won't have many roots you want to let them adjust and start forming new roots. Bring them inside before it starts getting really cold outside. I cut one off so far I will probally just take one more off. Mine has lost all leaves and is just sitting there which is how I imagine it will be for awhile till it starts developing roots. I will bring the pups in soon probally in couple weeks and just sit them inside a spare room with light coming in from a window and hopefully they will make it till spring so I can plant some in my front yard. Only leaf left on my pup is the one it was starting to push out before I cut it from the mother. Will try to post a picture later.

sandy0225
09-18-2014, 06:33 PM
i'd just leave it alone and let it winter outside. I'm in Muncie. Now when you planted it, did you plant it a foot deeper or just at regular level?, if you planted it a foot deeper, then don't mulch it, don't cut it off, just let it shrivel up and fall down to the ground,. if you planted it level, put bags of leaves over it to mulch it after you cut it off in the fall.

Kevin2685
09-18-2014, 06:50 PM
Unfortunately I didn't plant it deep it was to little.
I will just cut it down to ground this year. I wanted to take 2 pups off to put out front next year but I might just buy couple big ones next spring instead.
Can I just cut them down then just mulch it heavy instead of using bags of leaves ?

cincinnana
09-19-2014, 07:41 PM
Check out the thread Hibernating a Basjoo it will be useful once your plants get to size.
http://www.bananas.org/f10/hibernating-basjoo-19512.html#post235281

Kevin2685
09-20-2014, 12:30 PM
Yeah I looked at that it was very useful. My plants are really big the mother stalk is about 6 foot of pstem and as thick as my leg.
So should I use a tarp over it after I mulch it to keep all the snow out.

leilanieaton
09-25-2014, 07:00 AM
how old are your banjoo... which kind of fertilizer you are using..
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Kevin2685
09-25-2014, 08:32 AM
It's their first year I bought it back in March actually I was wrong I bought it from 9greenbox as a tissue cultured plant that was about 3 or 4 inches.
The fertilizer I use is called banana fuel