View Full Version : It's finally time to plant em all out
Longwoods Tropicals
05-05-2015, 01:44 PM
Up here in the Great Lakes we've had two consecutive brutal winters, it feels so good to get the tropical plants growing outdoors again.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q750/LongwoodsTropicals/DSCN1085_zpsdo1optez.jpg
As you can see this year was a good test of musa basjoo's hardiness.
Here they are late 2014 right before bedtime.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q750/LongwoodsTropicals/20141107_082616_zpsc8955271.jpg
And here they are this afternoon.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q750/LongwoodsTropicals/DSCN1205_zpszmk56kgp.jpg
I managed to save some p-stem but have over twenty little ones coming up, it appears I didn't lose any.
Here are my tropical ones up by the house, in these shots are Cavendish, SDC, Zebrina and ensete Glaucum and Maurelii.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q750/LongwoodsTropicals/DSCN1194_zps6rmkdnx7.jpg
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q750/LongwoodsTropicals/DSCN1197_zpsv9yd1vcb.jpg
It sure is sizing up as a great summer show to come, I hope everyone else up north has similar good luck this spring.
pmurphy
05-05-2015, 01:51 PM
Congrats on their survival!
Here on the west coast we had a very mild winter - if you can call it that - and everything is at least 3 weeks ahead of last year. I even put most of my tender bananas and hardier tropicals (cycads, some palms and coffee tree) outside at the end of March.....they sulked a bit when the night temps dropped below 8C but are starting to grow now :)
drobbins
05-05-2015, 06:06 PM
looking really good
am I correct in thinking everything besides the basjoo spent the winter inside or in a crawl space?
I overwintered some ensete inside that are rocking now and I wonder about trying to leave them outside. My winters here are much warmer than yours
looks like your have huge p-stems, how old are they?
Dave
Dave
Longwoods Tropicals
05-05-2015, 06:56 PM
am I correct in thinking everything besides the basjoo spent the winter inside or in a crawl space?
Yes, I had two glaucums, I decided to experiment and sacrificed one of them to see if I could reproduce them in the same manner as maureliis, by division, sadly it was a fail, the other one was huge a six foot p-stem...so I cleaved it with a machete down to about 20 inches, threw it in a huge pot and set it out in my heated north facing sun room with all the rest of the tropical plants for the winter.
like your have huge p-stems, how old are they?
All of my ensetes are going into their third season, the maureliis were a decent size when I bought them, about a foot of p-stem, and the glaucums were mail order and tiny seedlings. Last year they were huge but never started to rock until mid June, they are about a week away from getting there right now, so I'm stoked.
Longwoods Tropicals
05-05-2015, 07:09 PM
I even put most of my tender bananas and hardier tropicals (cycads, some palms and coffee tree) outside at the end of March.
March...wow I'm jealous, two years ago all my tender bananas went out on April 28th only to get set back a month by a super rare light frost on the May 24 weekend, it also killed all my cukes and tomatoes. It's rolling the dice planting out this early ...especially in my zone 5/6, but the pay-off can be big come August.
I'm guessing you're in zone 7 or 8.
pmurphy
05-05-2015, 10:17 PM
March...wow I'm jealous, two years ago all my tender bananas went out on April 28th only to get set back a month by a super rare light frost on the May 24 weekend, it also killed all my cukes and tomatoes. It's rolling the dice planting out this early ...especially in my zone 5/6, but the pay-off can be big come August.
I'm guessing you're in zone 7 or 8.
Micro-climate zone 8b so I get to experiment with plants and even have some zone 9 "tropicals" that have survived the winters without protection including a couple of bottlebrush (one of which is getting ready to flower) as well as several palms - including sabal minor and bamboo palm Chamaedorea microspadix (this one is only about a foot tall so it does get winter protection)......
Nate74
05-06-2015, 03:03 PM
Everything looks like its off to a great start. Can't wait to see how it all fills out this year.
drobbins
05-06-2015, 03:57 PM
I have 2 glaucums that are a year behind yours, they're currently in pots and thriving. Looking at your pics I guess I need to get to work and build a couple of beds so I can get those guys in the ground.
And we do all this work so we can have HUGE plants we gotta drag inside in the winter, I guess we got it bad:nanadrink:
a.hulva@coxinet.net
05-10-2015, 06:53 PM
Congrats on their survival!
Here on the west coast we had a very mild winter - if you can call it that - and everything is at least 3 weeks ahead of last year. I even put most of my tender bananas and hardier tropicals (cycads, some palms and coffee tree) outside at the end of March.....they sulked a bit when the night temps dropped below 8C but are starting to grow now :)
This is a test for uploading a photo
Longwoods Tropicals
05-14-2015, 05:57 AM
Well.. you know that bit about how planting out this early is rolling the dice?
Here's the scene this morning.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q750/LongwoodsTropicals/DSCN1219_zpsuplotwrh.jpg
The temp was 31 F so I expect some setback...how much is TBD, but ultimately it is what it is...LOL
Nate74
05-14-2015, 07:26 AM
Oh nooooo!
Longwoods Tropicals
05-14-2015, 12:55 PM
It is now apparent which ones were most affected by this mornings temps.
I'll post some photos later.
As expected the Cavs the regulars and SDC were hit hardest. I've had to cut back P-stems in previous years..this time the leaves (which were badly sunburned and on their way out anyhow) are toast but the base of the spears are still green and firm and look to be carrying right on, so that's good.
The Basjoos and Zebrina seems to be barely affected, as is the Maurelii, the Glaucum has some significant browning but the spear, at least the base of it looks good.
Unfortunately both the European and GFS weather models are forcasting similar lows next Tues/Wed and Saturday a week from now.. hopefully that changes, either way I'm ready for it.
JCA433
05-16-2015, 09:23 PM
Frost in May really sucks! It should never get that cold in May even that far north. The temperatures here have been in the 80s F from about 8 in the morning until almost midnight! That is too warm and feels like summer for sure! Some of that chill from up north would be really refreshing down here.
I hope your plants recover fast. Growing your own bananas is tremendously rewarding!
subsonicdrone
05-17-2015, 08:17 AM
heavy looking frost !
Longwoods Tropicals
05-23-2015, 07:11 AM
One more dip down to about 30 f again this morning, it looks as if the Cav's will get cut back to the ground, oh well.
The worst of it is my Glaucum appears to have succumbed to the cold, it appeared okay after the initial cold morning nine days ago but after a week it was obvious that it was under heavy stress, after this morning I imagine it's done for.
The basjoos though continue to grow with little adverse effects visible.
Nate74
06-13-2015, 10:02 AM
So, how did everything make out?
Snarkie
06-14-2015, 07:43 AM
Hey LT-
I put my basjoos out the second week in March, and two nights it dipped down like yours. I covered them with Totes and put a droplight in each one. Since yours are bigger than my yearlings, next time try the same approach with your covering. Drape them all the way, and put a light in there. It should do the trick.
BTW, what are the spindly looking things in the background of pic 2 that look like thin yuccas?
Longwoods Tropicals
06-14-2015, 11:53 AM
Thanks Snarkie, I may give that a try next year.
The spindly things are common accent spikes green and red ones...aka cordylines, they are 2 or 3 years old (brought in for the winter in small pots), there is also a ponytail palm in with them.
Also to update the present situation almost a month after the freeze/frost
Everything seems to have survived :bananas_beven the cavendish and ensete glaucum that I had all but wrote off a week after have recovered. All of the basjoos that I divided and moved are now thriving in their new permanent homes.
I'll upload some progress shots in about a week.
Nate74
06-14-2015, 12:13 PM
that is great to hear
Longwoods Tropicals
07-09-2015, 08:20 AM
Just a quick update:
The basjoos are healthy yet battered in appearance due to several windy, rainy, low pressure systems. They don't have the normal vigor, mostly because of the lack of sustained heat. Late May seems to be the peak of this summer.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q750/LongwoodsTropicals/DSCN1389_zpszhsqg7gy.jpg
The cavs have all lost some p-stem except for the one on the left side of this shot. Also note this maurelii on the right didn't skip a beat.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q750/LongwoodsTropicals/DSCN1388_zpsnvjsrjac.jpg
Here are the super dwarf and the zebrina (both at the back), not bad, especially the zebrina.
Sorry for the poor focus quality.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q750/LongwoodsTropicals/DSCN1362_zpsvsfjtux1.jpg
The poor ensete glaucum is alive but lacking any vigor whatsoever.
http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/q750/LongwoodsTropicals/DSCN1345_zpsgwjmgpyz.jpg
Hopefully things will improve through August, everything will probably look great early October...right before they get put to bed or in the house..LOL.
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