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View Full Version : Losing My Tropical Banana Plant Virginity


rocco
02-26-2008, 07:59 PM
Hello everyone,

I am new to tropical planting in general, and after reading this forum and others, and narrowing down the tropicals I'll like to have in my new garden, started last spring, banana plants was right up there on my list.

Anyhoo....I purchased Musa Basjoo plants today for $15.99 each, from Millionplants garden center in St Catherines ON Canada. I got them home and transplanted them into a bigger pot ( 10" pot ).

Here is the picture

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c279/ikennedy/IMG_3361.jpg

I plan to put one on the front lawn when the last frost is over ( May 24th )

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c279/ikennedy/IMG_3203.jpg

and

The other one in the backyard

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c279/ikennedy/IMG_3180.jpg


Please share you tips on how to make this plants grow taller in the first season, care and maintenance, how to wintererize them if I choose to bring them in and store in the basement?

I am also going to be growing castor bean plants, which I have going under growlights in the basement at the moment.

Cheers

jellyfish_sky
02-26-2008, 08:14 PM
Welcome Rocco!

You are from St Catharines? That's great to have another Canadian on board :) I'm looking forward to receiving my own basjoo, you got yours for a really great price!!!

Since St Catharines is more at south than Mtl, I guess your weather is a tiny bit warmer than here. Maybe you could keep some indoors in your basement and leave one outside to try to overwinter it (I'll probably do that) ! We need more people to experiment in our weather ;)

You'll find tons of advice here, enjoy the forum! :2748:

rocco
02-26-2008, 08:53 PM
Thanks Celine! Where did you order yours from? I am from Ancaster, which is just further west of Hamilton.

I'll probably do what you suggested, leave 1 outside and take the other one down to the basement.

Cheers

jellyfish_sky
02-26-2008, 09:25 PM
I ordered some from Corolla Tropicals (a small nursery in Toronto) and they should be shipped at the end of March, depending on the weather conditions. It is quite hard to find bananas at nurseries in Mtl other than Super Dwarf Cavendish. I've also sprouted some seeds recently and waiting for results :)
There are other members in Canada who are also experimenting with their bananas, but we are so few!

mm4birds
02-26-2008, 09:32 PM
If you're not careful the basjoo will take over your entire yard. I started with one plant and now have three large clumps one with over twenty plants.Good luck. They do make your lawn look really tropical.:islandsharkbanana:

Lodewijkp
02-27-2008, 11:17 AM
if you want em pretty keep them out of the wind as much as possible

musa_monkey
02-27-2008, 01:28 PM
Very nice plants, they will be over 6 feet tall by the end of the season, good luck with them

mskitty38583
02-27-2008, 03:53 PM
welcome. those are pretty looking nanas. you came to the right place for info. on them. welcome again.

cactus6103
02-27-2008, 05:15 PM
Welcome to the group. Red

rocco
02-27-2008, 07:12 PM
Thanks people! So should I start fertilizing now with a higher nitrogen, and how much water should I give them?

rocco
02-28-2008, 07:26 AM
Tips anyone?

rocco
03-01-2008, 07:39 AM
What is this water I keep seeing on my musa basjoos? Kind of like tears

CookieCows
03-01-2008, 07:53 AM
What is this water I keep seeing on my musa basjoos? Kind of like tears

:ha: I had the same question a couple months ago with my first plants. Apparently it's what they do.

Welcome aboard.

mm4birds ... I'm sure hoping that basjoos will take over my yard!

Taylor
03-01-2008, 09:49 AM
What is this water I keep seeing on my musa basjoos? Kind of like tears

That's transpiration!

Lagniappe
03-01-2008, 09:52 AM
Crying Plants | Guttation | Why do plants and leaves cry? (http://www.plant-care.com/crying-plants.html)

rocco
03-01-2008, 11:25 AM
Thank you everyone. I am sure hoping these 2 take over my yard too. That will be something to :2698: about

rocco
03-02-2008, 11:12 AM
The middle leaf on the right hand side plant is now opening. There is also another leaf sprouting out of the left hand plant.

So it looks like they are growing.

Here is a sprout from an Ensete I started from seeds on Jan 26th 2008

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c279/ikennedy/IMG_3352.jpg

1 week later I have this after transplanting

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c279/ikennedy/IMG_3360.jpg

This past week, that leaf has now unraveled, and there is another one forming

AllenF
03-02-2008, 12:47 PM
I'm glad that your ensetes are growing.

I use Miracle-gro All Purpose 24-8-16 with micronutrients. It's not cheap but it covers just about everything. Once the plants are outside, I put a couple of inches of compost on top of the soil June 1st and July 15th. You could add a tablespoon of epson salts every month and a half once that they get to a decent size. Keep the soil moist. While they will handle partially drying out they need a lot of water and fertilizer to grow as quickly as we want them to.

I don't use any fertilizer on seedlings as I think that there is enough in potting soil to take care of their needs. Water enough to keep the soil moist. While I can grow almost anything from seed, I have had no luck with bananas, so far.

Welcome to the forum. We can always use another Canadian.

Allen

rocco
03-02-2008, 01:50 PM
Thanks Allen for the advice and warm welcome. I was only able to get 1 seed to germinate though, out of 8 or 10 that was in the packet I bought.

I guess the ratio of fertilizer means we just want a higher nitrogen ( height ), no blooms and the lat number for the general purpose

rocco
03-21-2008, 09:12 AM
Looks like my Basjoos can't wait to get into the ground. When I brought them home, the 1 that had 2 leafs, now has 5 in total, with another leaf making it's way up. :416:

How tall can I expect these to get once they get planted on my front lawn, and what will be my best bet for support from the wind?

Cheers

rocco
03-24-2008, 05:52 AM
Any suggestions for guarding my musa basjoos from the wind when I plant them outside on the front lawn?

Pictures of stuff to use from big box stores are appreciated

rocco
04-06-2008, 02:07 PM
Hi Bananaramas,

One of my musa basjoos, now has a pup that is nearly a foot long, how do I separate this pup from from the main basjoo, without causing any damage?

Cheers

rocco
04-08-2008, 07:48 AM
I guess no one has split a pup from the main nana before then?

Bananaman88
04-08-2008, 08:32 AM
Rocco,
Look in the Photo Galleries section under Banana Diagrams and you'll find a handy guide on how to do this exact thing. It's pretty simple, though we all sometimes mess it up if we don't get the angle just right or try to do it too soon (before the pup has had a chance to form its own roots). Let me know if you have any questions after reading.