My project

[momoese]

Is it really winter already??? My bananas are still growing, but barely. Today was gloomy and rained lightly most of the day so it's been a good day for reading and getting my son to shell a lot of walnuts.

Finally catching up on old e-mails. A friend from another group took advantage of a tip passed on from Pete to me and than from me to him and bought 16 slightly used 400w metal hallide lights for about $65 and he'll make me a deal on a couple so that I can skip the winter for a portion of my plants. ;)

Thanks Richard,

Harvey


He bought 16 400w units for $65?

[harveyc]

Oops, my mistake. It was $66.00! :D These were large commercial units. I even showed them to my wife because I was thinking of bidding on the eBay auction but really didn't know how I'd go about unloading most of them since I didn't need that many. Since my friend owns a hardware store, he was the ideal buyer and will pass on a deal to me for a couple.

[bencelest]

Hey Benny,

About 10 months ago you asked me to convert the PDF gardening guides on my website to HTML for easier reading. Today I managed to do just that!
Monthly column (http://www.plantsthatproduce.com/column)
Guides (http://www.plantsthatproduce.com/guides)

Just in time for winter reading :ha:

I am very grateful Richard.
This sure helps me a lot.

[bencelest]

THAT are CHEAP! You got a really good bargain Harvey.

[harveyc]

Benny. our friend Kern bought them but I'll probably buy two from him. :)

[bencelest]

When I came back from a 3-week vacation this is how my pergola plat looked like in the middle of winter.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15154&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15154)

[bencelest]

I am surprise to see my California Gold having a flower in the middle of Winter. And it is green planted inside my pergola plat but my other bananas planted in the open their leaves were all burnt and crispy but their trunk are still green.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15155&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15155)

[bencelest]

And here is my Dwarf Brazilian whose fruit do not grow big but still they are gree planted beside the California Gold

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15156&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15156)

[harveyc]

Wow, Benny!!! Congrats on getting your Cal Gold to look so good in the winter and even flower!!!

[Richard]

Ditto! Your pergola is looking great!

[bencelest]

Thanks Harvey and Richard.
They are in the open except I put clear plastic cover on the roof top and clear plastics on the south side where the cold wind is coming from. I did not cover them or put Christmas lights this time. So apparently in zone 9 you can get away with burnt leaves by just covering the top with clear plastics with protection from the wind. That should save me electricity for the whole winter. Come next winter I will have a green house enclosed on top and south side with glass and I will install a gas vent free heater with thermostat. I had them enclosed now except without the gas heater. That's where my potted bananas, citrus guavas, pepper plants , cherimoya and other plants are stored. They are all doing great. I already bought the gas vent free heater but I had to run about 70 feet of gas line with 5 90's. I am wondering if I use 3/4" or 1/2" size pipe to use. Any takers?

[mskitty38583]

ok ladies....we have another yard to scope out!!! i mean scoop out. lol.

[bencelest]

MsKitty: eh?

[bencelest]

Here's some of my bananas left in the open with no protection

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15169&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15169)

[bencelest]

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15164&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15164)



and here's what's left of the persimmons as of 1 5 09

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15166&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15166)

another persimmon tree

[Richard]

See? Your weather is better for persimmon harvests! All of my persimmons ripened and/or dropped to the ground last month.

[CookieCows]

I haven't seen all your plant growth and project progress for awhile and it is wonderful as I had expected!! I always love looking at your photos.

Deb

[mskitty38583]

MsKitty: eh?

:ha:

[bencelest]

Thanks Richard and Deb.

MsKtty: ha-hah-hah!!!

[bencelest]

Hey, guys, here's how my cal gold looks like today 1/16/09

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15497&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15497)

[bencelest]

And here's how my Calf gold looks today 2/14/09

<img src="http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/4139/califgold21409bk1.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

[Taylor]

Congrats!!!
How many?

[bencelest]

Thanks Taylor. I only have one banana plant blooming and beside it about 3 feet distance is another dwarf Brazilian with few fingers showing, but if you are asking how many individual fingers, I really don't know. I guess it is too early to tell and besides I can't go near it because too many leaves and pups all over at shoulder high because all of them are dwarf varieties. The tempt sometimes still getting to near 32 degrees here at night.

[harveyc]

Congrats, Benny, you're getting more fingers than I had expected from your prior photo. The bud looked so skinny I thought you might not get a dozen fingers, truth be told. I think your plant looks great and you should get a long growing season for those bananas to mature and ripen up. A great reward for all of your hard work.

Please clarify - are you providing any heat to these plants at all or is it simply protected by the cover and sides? From what I recall reading in one of your earlier posts you are not providing heat and that is very impressive.

Good going!

Harvey

[bencelest]

Harvey:
I am not providing any heat at all. I found out in zone 9 we can do away without heat provided that there are some covers on the canopy. That is the secret- provide a cover on the canopy. I found this out a couple of years ago when I'd just stick 4 wooden stick on each corner of my bananas planted on the ground and put clear plastics on top. But then I put Christmas lights around the trunk also. But I found out later I did not need any Christmas lights and so here I am. I can save dollars by not using them.
I am not sure if there will be hard frost continuously for days but so far we had a mild winter.

[harveyc]

That's what I thought. Based on your experiences I was telling our mutual friend Kern two weeks ago that I am tentatively planning on using some large 6" steel poles I have and leaving them 12'-15' high in the corners and maybe 20' in the center to construct a structure to put up a cover over an area of about 25'-30' wide by 50' long. I'll use this area for my bananas, avocados, lychee, guava, and maybe even a try a jackfruit. A portion of the area I'll cover with shade cloth in the summer for my Ae Ae, etc. Since I have a swimming pool adjacent to this area that should provide some additional protection during cold spells (I hope). In January 2007 we got down into the low 20s for several days and I'd expect plants to still get some damage in such events, but those are fairly rare (once every 8-10 years).

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Harvey

[Westwood]

hey benny your in zone 9 ?
what is the temp normally there and do you have colder winters ?
Im in 9 but we had snow this yr Really freaked out my dog the first time he lifted his leg to my potted Banana tree LOL Ouch Tammy

[bencelest]

Harvey:
It will help a lot more if you can cover the sides assuring green leaves for your bananas. I have part of my yard like that. I installed glass roof that came from bathroom sliding doors and I covered the sides with 6 meal clear plastics to protect from wind. That's where my potted bananas, citrus, guavas and peppers are residing right now. The tempt still are the same as outside temperature but most of the leaves are staying green of all my plants. There are lots of holes actually all over the sides but next year I will make it as air tight as possible so I can install the ventless gas heater that I bought from E-bay. I don't think guavas and some tropical plants will thrive even with covered canopy. When the sun comes up, inside my covered "greenhouse" heats up rapidly and gets hotter than the outside temperature. I noticed more than 10 degrees difference.
20 feet from the center? Wow! That's a tall order. And 50 feet long? That's another 2 wows! That I have to see. I wish you all the luck.
Westwood:
The tempt here during the winter hoovers on the low 40's at night and high on the low to high 60's. during daytime. Occasionally there are some nights that deep into 33 degrees but it comes less that 5 times a year. We have snow for a day or two but it happens very very seldom. But sometimes we have arctic blast that gets really really cold which are devastating to my bananas and citrus.

[Westwood]

Benny , Thank you . we have the same here. Im on the Coast of Oregon so snow is suprise if we get it last yr 5 days during the artic Blast.

Ive been growing indoors during Winter and out doors during summer all my plants are in pots.
my Apple Banana the largest of them all is in a 50 G pot i took her pup but left her out side the others 5 ft i pulled and put in the attic . i had some smaller ones that i got from Jarred and left them in the dinning room.

for pests i use the Old Praying mantis and that really works .
i have some damage on the apple banana mom and the pups is doing well .
Yesterday it was 45 F here and in green house 80 so i put all the plants out there. Tammy

[harveyc]

That is the secret- provide a cover on the canopy. I found this out a couple of years ago when I'd just stick 4 wooden stick on each corner of my bananas planted on the ground and put clear plastics on top.

Harvey:
It will help a lot more if you can cover the sides assuring green leaves for your bananas.........The tempt still are the same as outside temperature but most of the leaves are staying green of all my plants.

Benny, from your own experiences I wonder if sides are really necessary in normal years like we've had the past two years. We haven't got below 28F here this year but had about 25-30 days of frost and if we can just protect our plants from frost I see that as a big advantage. Since you've found the inside temperature to be the same as the outside, I don't see what benefit the sides would be doing. Certainly, if we got down to the low 20s and we were going to add a source of heat, sides would be important.

To help for those days when we have cold temperatures accompanies with wind I am tentatively going to some mandarins, etc. planted on the north edge of my structure. I can add some heat when we have really cold events like January 2007 (a week in the low 20s) or I can just expect to deal with some losses in those years. That only happens once every 5-10 years. A cover can prevent frost damage and that should be enough for most years, I believe.

By using poles and cables I can pull back the cover fairly easily and avoid the big increase in temperatures in the summer. If your structure gets too hot in the summer you might want to look into a misting system that is hooked up to a thermostat. This can be run inside on the plants as well as on the roof itself.

Thanks,

Harvey

[BabyBlue11371]

Benny,
Glad to see the CG is doing well!! I've been holding my breath hoping it would make it ok...
I look forward to a report on how well the fruit taste inspite of the weather..
Gina *BabyBlue*

[Patty in Wisc]

Benny, I have been watching your posts w/ pics even though I haven't had time to say so, on this & the other forum -SO THERE LOL. Your yard looks very nice & I remember it from 4-5 or more years ago. Congrats on your nana fruits! I'll be there to taste one or 2 ha ha.

[bencelest]

Thank you Gina and Patty. I am also very excited hoping that it can wither this winter. It is always nice to look at it in the morning that it is still there.
We are almost out of the woods. The night temperature is not as cold as before . Provided that it stays this ways.
Yes, it's been so long now since I thought I was a newbie.
Ha-ha-ha!
You are always welcome to come to my place Patty.
You know, I still don't know how to cook a strawberry pancake syrup . I've been trying to look everywhere but what they say is just doesn't seem right. You know when you eat in a restaurant and serve you that syrup on top of your pancake?
I am tired of putting the regular syrup you buy in a bottle. OH, well it is just a wishful thinking.

[bencelest]

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15870&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15870)

California Gold 2/25/09

[island cassie]

Benny - that is a very interesting looking plant -just gorgeous!

[Patty in Wisc]

Did you stand on a ladder to take that pic? How tall is the plant? Sure looks good!
How many nanas on it?

[harveyc]

Wow, Benny, looks like you're going to be rewarded with a great bunch, especially for this time of year!

Congrats!

[bencelest]

Thanks a lot guys, Island Casie, Patty and Harvey!
The nana bunches are less than 5 feet tall. But the P-stem is about 6 feet tall.
On its right side P-stem showing, is a dwarf Brazilian but it has 2 small bunches and they seemed they aren't growing(hidden from view). But I am hoping it will when the tempt goes higher come spring time.
Yes, Harvey, I just take it for granted and ignored it until when I saw it I told myself, hey,that's a nice one to take pictures.
Nowadays I am so busy doing my taxes and grafting the scions that we got last month at the scion exchange during my resting time.(And killing and hunting newly hatched snails).
It will be interesting because I have new plums, cherries, and peaches to graft and see them grow this summer. And maybe fruit.

[bencelest]

Patty:
Correction : I measured it this morning: at the middle of the bunches it measured 4' 6" and the top of the Pstem meaning the top base of the fruit stem is 5'4".
I am going to take picture of the itty bitty fruit of my Brazilian next to CG soon.

[bencelest]

Here's my CG in full view.


http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15908&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15908)

[bencelest]

and here's my Dwarf Brazilian fruit. Too bad it has only a few banana fruit. Don't know why.
Is there any hope that they will ripen?
Notice the CG in the background.

And BTW they are all planted and grown at my pergola plat.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=15907&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15907)

[bencelest]

Here's my Cal Gold as of 3 26 09


http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16300&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16300)

[harveyc]

Benny, we haven't heard from you in a while. I hope you're okay. Please give us an update when you get a chance.

Best wishes,

Harvey

[bencelest]

This is to show my citrus and my bananas to a friend of mine who is joining soon.