View Full Version : Bananas as waterplants???
sunsetsammy
05-12-2008, 08:02 PM
Okay, so I'm in one of the local nurseries today looking for some elephant ear plants. I head to the waterplant section to find what I'm looking for.
I was just there a couple days earlier and was surprised to see a bunch of familiar looking banana leaves. Apparently a new shipment of banana trees came in. Mostly little baby Basjoos, some dwarf cavendish, and a couple ensete maurelli. Even more surprising to me was that they had all of these bananas growing with the pots either half or totally submerged underwater.
I checked the tags on the plants and only the ensete said "Likes moist soil but not soaking." I've heard and read many times that bananas don't like their feet wet. Am I mistaken? Is it different for small plants?
Anyhow I usually wouldn't care about something like this. If I'm at the plant store and see a potted cedar or something else tipped over I wouldn't think twice about it. However these were bananas and up until this year they have been really hard to find around here. I really do like these plants and it p!ssed me off to think that these guys might be murdering all these banana plants.
So I take my elephant ear up to the till and after paying I asked the lady politely why all their banana plants are being grown as waterplants? Her response was "Oh, those aren't REAL banana plants they are just look alikes." I said "Sorry but I grow those exact same plants and I'm quite sure they are bananas. I'm not an expert but everything I've read says that bananas don't like their feet wet."
So she says "I'm not sure lets call the expert." So the expert comes over and the woman at the till explains that I'm curious about the banana plants. The expert says "Oh that's how banana plants like it. They ARE waterplants." I responded with "I really don't think they are. I grow those plants and read about them all the time." She replies with "Well, have you ever been anywhere tropical cuz I can assure you that they do grow in water!" At this point she seems quite annoyed with me questioning her "expertise".
"Oh well" I said, "I'm not trying to start an argument. I hope that someone comes and buys them all real quick before they rot." Then I walked out with the expert glaring at me!
Now I normally don't get confrontational but some of those plants were looking pretty sad and I really just wanted to help.
Am I wrong? Can bananas grow as waterplants?
If not, was I wrong for saying something? What would you do?
:)
austinl01
05-12-2008, 08:59 PM
Cannas can be grown as water plants. Maybe they really weren't bananas?
natedogg1026
05-12-2008, 09:05 PM
Sammy, I gotta agree w/you on this one. I've never heard of such a thing. I know they can handle a LOT of water but probably not a good idea to have them completely submerged. Maybe if they got some major aeration goin on they'd live for a while but I would not consider them water plants. They often grow near water but that's because they are such heavy drinkers. Lets see what some of the experts have to say.
chong
05-13-2008, 12:46 AM
Okay, so I'm in one of the local nurseries today looking for some elephant ear plants. I head to the waterplant section to find what I'm looking for.
I was just there a couple days earlier and was surprised to see a bunch of familiar looking banana leaves. Apparently a new shipment of banana trees came in. Mostly little baby Basjoos, some dwarf cavendish, and a couple ensete maurelli. Even more surprising to me was that they had all of these bananas growing with the pots either half or totally submerged underwater.
I checked the tags on the plants and only the ensete said "Likes moist soil but not soaking." I've heard and read many times that bananas don't like their feet wet. Am I mistaken? Is it different for small plants?
Anyhow I usually wouldn't care about something like this. If I'm at the plant store and see a potted cedar or something else tipped over I wouldn't think twice about it. However these were bananas and up until this year they have been really hard to find around here. I really do like these plants and it p!ssed me off to think that these guys might be murdering all these banana plants.
So I take my elephant ear up to the till and after paying I asked the lady politely why all their banana plants are being grown as waterplants? Her response was "Oh, those aren't REAL banana plants they are just look alikes." I said "Sorry but I grow those exact same plants and I'm quite sure they are bananas. I'm not an expert but everything I've read says that bananas don't like their feet wet."
So she says "I'm not sure lets call the expert." So the expert comes over and the woman at the till explains that I'm curious about the banana plants. The expert says "Oh that's how banana plants like it. They ARE waterplants." I responded with "I really don't think they are. I grow those plants and read about them all the time." She replies with "Well, have you ever been anywhere tropical cuz I can assure you that they do grow in water!" At this point she seems quite annoyed with me questioning her "expertise".
"Oh well" I said, "I'm not trying to start an argument. I hope that someone comes and buys them all real quick before they rot." Then I walked out with the expert glaring at me!
Now I normally don't get confrontational but some of those plants were looking pretty sad and I really just wanted to help.
Am I wrong? Can bananas grow as waterplants?
If not, was I wrong for saying something? What would you do?
:)
No, the fruit bearing bananas that we are growing wil not grow as water plants. The only banana plants that I know that will grow in water is the aquarium type banana plants, which are not Musa sp.
From your description, I can only assume that the plants you saw are recent arrivals, wherein the soil in the pots have dried out. By soaking them for a few hours, it will saturate the soil, as well as, any undamaged, shriveled roots. Saturation of the soil to the point of swelling will ensure a thorough and even distribution of the water through the soil in subsequent waterings. I do not believe that they (the nursery people) are intending to keep the bananas submerged in the water all their life.
Regarding the so-called experts that you talked to, I will quote Gen. Patton, they are "NUTS!" Wish I could have been the one talking to them. I was born and raised in the tropics. The people that you talked to are not knowledgeable about plants. They are clerks who are experts in inventory and merchandising. When it comes to technical aspects of plants, most "managers" of the plant section in nurseries or hardware stores like HD and Lowe's, don't have a clue about tropical plants. The person that asked if you've ever been in the tropics, that's his(her) way of establishing credibility by intimidating you. Particularly if you've actually never been to the tropics. The person probably gave you that "matter-of-factly" look while he's saying it.
It's like two different garden center managers and one interiors section manager at HD, on separate occasions keep offering me lime, when I asked for sulfuric acid. they asked me what I need it for. I told them I need to lower the pH of my soil. Fine, they said this is was you need, pointing to bags of dolomite lime. I told them that those would make my soil pH higher. Then to defend their position they showed me the description of dolomite lime, which starts out as "This product will sweeten your soil if your soil is acidic." But I told them that my soil was alkaline, which means that the pH was high. If I put lime in, it will raise it more! I want it to go acidic.
Finally, another employee( a go-fer, not an expert), who had an aquarium, overheard us and asked me what I was looking for. When I told him I was looking for sulfuric acid to lower the pH of my soil, he offered to show me what he uses for his aquarium because it was safe for the fish. OK, I told myself, what the heck, I might as well look. He found a bottle of acetic acid and showed it to me. And instead of reading me the description, he asked if I thought it might help with my soil. The label said that it contained 27% acetic acid and it was safe for aquarium plants and fish. I told him yes, and gratefully acknowledged his kind help.
I was lucky to run into a non-expert to help me. Not try to show me off. Otherwise, my 3 trips to HD would have been for naught.
Randy4ut
05-13-2008, 05:31 AM
Tammy,
You done good... Bite your tongue and leave with the satisfaction that you are right and they were by no means right. Only thing you may want to do is to go back and tell the 'expert' that you are a member of the International Banana Society and that you got to talking to some friends of yours on the forum and thought it would be a great addition to our society if she, the 'expert', would come on board and enlighten all the other banana "fiends" all over the world on how to care for bananas. Invite her to visit our website and help in any way she can. Just a thought. Some folks simply know less than they think they do and like to try and intimidate others with their knowledge, or lack there of... Good job!!!
damaclese
05-13-2008, 07:32 AM
had to be a Home Depo right! they are ((&*^&^#^$) u cant ask them any thing they think they are so cool with all ther advice but take it from me after they did a kichin remodal wish cost me over 27grand for a 10 by 12 room
and resalted in my having to talk to the vice precident of costmer servis and never geting most of it resalve all tell you one thang about HD the VP told me that they are on the verg of Bankrupsy and that it was as a direct resalt of there bad responses to costomer servie conplants
I was shocked to say the least that he would say this but i think it was a last dich atempt to get my sipatheas as he was afrad i was going to name him persanaly in a law suit (i dont know were he Got that idea) lol sorry im goin on and it probly wasint even a HD they just get my gote :parachutenanner: but i have to thank your for trying to help the poor nanas of the wold and you wander why they planet is in such bad shape hmmmmm! profit over intalect
musa_monkey
05-13-2008, 07:45 AM
Very bizzare, in my experience to much water only leads to on thing rot and plant failure.
mskitty38583
05-13-2008, 08:50 AM
i have learned from my own experiences....too much water will kill a nana if its left to sit in it. these so called experts make me so angry. and i think randy is right, invite her here and maybe shell learn just like the rest of us about a thing called root rot. and i dont believe you have to go to the tropics to understand the needs and wants of tropical and sub tropical plants. she was just trying to make herself feel more important and superior to you. glad to see you stood your ground( pardon the pun) and stood up for all nana nuts in the world without punching her square in the nose. kudos, kudos.
momoese
05-13-2008, 10:08 AM
Gabe once posted a picture of Bananas growing in water. I think it can be done.
D_&_T
05-13-2008, 10:34 AM
Sandy I believe had one in her pond last year or at least at the edge(potted), but don't remember the variety.
chong
05-13-2008, 01:26 PM
Gabe once posted a picture of Bananas growing in water. I think it can be done.
That would be a sight to see!
sunsetsammy
05-13-2008, 02:21 PM
Hello original poster here.
Just for the record the place wasn't Home Depot.
Anyhow I visited another nursery today and they also have a bunch of Ensete Maurelli growing underwater!! They have them right along side all of the canna plants.
I asked one of the staff how long they've had the plants in the water like that and she said they've been there for 2 or 3 weeks. These plants however didn't look as bad as the ones at the place yesterday.
I was going to inquire once again at the till but there were a lot of people there and I wasn't wanting to make a scene.
It's really weird. They are definitely ensete. The tag says so and there is no mistaking those leaves.
Maybe there will be less of a crowd next time and I'll ask what the deal is.
Gabe15
05-13-2008, 02:37 PM
I've seen this at nurseries too, and as Mitchel mentioned, I have seen 'Orinoco' growing pretty much in water with no problems. If there is enough heat and sun to pull all that water thru the plant, it shouldn't be a problem. 99% of water taken up by plants is lost thru transpiration, and they can take up a lot, especially something like bananas with such a large leaf area. The reasons plants need certain amounts of different things like sunlight, water, warmth and humidity is because they are in a struggle to keep a balance essentially. However, if one or more of these things are missing there are things you can do to help keep your plant growing. If the humidity is very low, this means it will be losing water much quicker than normal which can be helped by giving it more water. Basically, the things which lead to increased water uptake is heat, sunlight, wind and low humidity (probably a few more im not thinking of right now), so if you have some of these elements affecting the plant, than you may be able to get away with giving it way more water than it normally needs, such as growing it semi-aquatically. I think what it really comes down to though is oxygen availability to the roots. Being submerged in mud is much different that in water. I don't think you will have problems growing banana semi-aquatically if you maintain some root contact with dry soil or the air, or maybe oxygenate the water (pretty much getting into hydroponics here, which bananas can do great in). If you want to experiment, you could try just slightly submerging a potted plant, or planting at the edge of a pond as in the photos. However, most of what I just wrote is speculation (though I have seen it done), and if you try this and your plants die its not my fault!:p
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=426 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=426&ppuser=5)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=425 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=425&ppuser=5)
chong
05-13-2008, 05:17 PM
Now I'm homesick after looking at those pictures. And I agree that bananas will grow at the edge of a pond or river, creek, etc. Notice from the pictures, too, that that's as far as they will go. They will even grow on a small 5'x5' island in the middle of the pond, as long as the mat is elevated from the water most of the time.
My impression from Sunsetsammy was that the bananas at the nursery were soaking in water. Unless the container was pretty small that the water content got soaked up pretty quickly(like daily), those 'naners are goners.
Gabe, your suggestion to place a plant at the edge of the water will work, as long as it's not IN the water. When I had trays of TC Orinocos in 4" pots, the tray had drain holes 1/4" up from the bottom. This kept 1/4" standing water in the tray which my first thought was to give moisture from under the pots. But as the plants grew, and sometimes I forget the scheduled watering, I noticed that while the top of the soil was dry, the plants were OK. This was because they had stretched their roots below the pots and were all over the tray, in the water, until they soaked it all up. On thing to point out is that the pots had a layer of pebbles at the bottom under the soil.
mskitty38583
05-13-2008, 06:09 PM
wow is all i can say, but you still run the risk of rot. and i for one do not want to subject my nana to death. lol. the pictures were amazing. jmo
Zacarias
05-13-2008, 06:31 PM
Ok this happened to me! I live in Phoenix AZ and went to a local nursery (expensive, they think they are the bomb....) and saw water plants. Sure enough, they had three dwarf cavendishes soaking in water and labeled as water plants. It even told you how deep to plant them in water. Now it was mid 80s then and now is mid 90s. I feasibly see how they COULD do well but like mskitty says, it can be a risk especially for us growing nanners in non-native conditions even if it is hot. I'm plenty happy with giving my bananas tons of water in this weather but soaking indefinitely?... hmm
Zach
sunsetsammy
05-13-2008, 06:48 PM
Hey Folks, Sam here again.
I stopped in the 2nd nursery again to buy a couple more plants and maybe talk to the staff about those ensete's that are totally submerged.
Before I did though, I looked at the tag. On the front it shows a beautiful ensete maurelli. However, on the back, sure enough, just as Zacarias has said, there were planting instructions showing how deep in the water the plants should go. There was a diagram showing a plant with its pot totally submerged and something that said "DEPTH LEVEL 1".
**However at the bottom of the tag it said "Likes moist soil, but not soaking wet."
Huh?? Talk about conflicting instructions!
With the tag showing it as an aquatic plant I didn't care to argue with the staff. I guess I'll just watch these plants for the next little while and see what happens. I drive by this nursery everyday on the way to work and stop in there often.
xavierdlc61887
05-13-2008, 06:55 PM
wow must be easy to just take a pup off with little effort :P
Gabe15
05-14-2008, 01:01 AM
If you liked those photos, take a look at these. I saw this plant on a hike I went on today, I had also seen the same one about a month ago in the same condition, it seems to be doing just fine. This one however is actually in the middle of a stream, not just on the side, and though its not in the deepest part (fairly shallow, about an inch or two only in this part), it is completely surrounded by running water at all times and in very, very wet soil. They seem to do just fine with lots of water like this under certain circumstances. Of course this wont work all the time, but it can be done.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9618&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9618)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9621&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9621)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9620&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9620)
NanaNut2
05-14-2008, 06:51 AM
This is so interesting. Now I'm not as worried about the 'water holding' soil that my new Maurellii is in. After all, this is the soil that it had been growing in for months for the seller. In the summer when inside temps get into the 90's, I was growing my first SDC partially submerged in water (4 inches) for the first 2 years. It stayed healthy. I only lost it in the winter when a storm took out our power for days and temps dipped below 40 deg F.
And by the way, HD is on the verge of bankruptcy. Its been all over the news. If an area can't support a particular chain store, then they would be right to close it. However, I'd hate to see it take down the whole chain.
damaclese
05-14-2008, 07:27 AM
OK this is probably silly Question but i had thees thoughts wail reading Gabe's comments one could ruining water differ from stagnate water in the following way ie. contributing to the health of a plant standing in water
1 running water has more O2?
2 running water has less Bactria?
3 running water could possibly have more dissolved nutrients ie. minerals and organic mater?
just some thoughts have no idea if that makes any sense
MediaHound
05-14-2008, 08:22 AM
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9620&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9620)
Would you call that a water pup? :2784::ha:
MediaHound
05-14-2008, 08:24 AM
The aquarium plant referred to as the banana is Nymphoides aquatica
Nymphoides aquatica - Google Image Search (http://images.google.com/images?q=Nymphoides%20aquatica)
sandy0225
05-14-2008, 10:18 AM
I grew bordelons in the pond for the last two years, I'm just getting ready to divide/repot and put them back in. The pot has 4 pups in it now.
You plant them in a small shallow pot, like a mum pan. You use regular garden soil,not potting soil (like for all your aquatic plants), you top them off with about an inch of gravel to keep the fish from digging in there. You get them growing really well so that they are rootbound, then you put them into the edge of the pond, with only an inch or so of water over the top of the pot. They do just fine. When it gets ready to frost, pull them out and put them inside.
You can do the same with cannas, elephant ears, hostas, ruellia, and I've tried it also with sweet potato vines,(ornamental)
I forgot and left mine in the pond for a few hard frosts last year and I thought it was a goner, but I threw it in the greenhouse when I remembered it in early November. It didn't grow any over the winter, but came back to growing about 2 months ago.
I used bordelon only because I had a lot of them (expendable at the time).
I think it also helps if you wait until your pond water is good and warm.
microfarmer
05-14-2008, 12:58 PM
Hey Folks, Sam here again.
I stopped in the 2nd nursery again to buy a couple more plants and maybe talk to the staff about those ensete's that are totally submerged.
Before I did though, I looked at the tag. On the front it shows a beautiful ensete maurelli. However, on the back, sure enough, just as Zacarias has said, there were planting instructions showing how deep in the water the plants should go. There was a diagram showing a plant with its pot totally submerged and something that said "DEPTH LEVEL 1".
**However at the bottom of the tag it said "Likes moist soil, but not soaking wet."
Huh?? Talk about conflicting instructions!
With the tag showing it as an aquatic plant I didn't care to argue with the staff. I guess I'll just watch these plants for the next little while and see what happens. I drive by this nursery everyday on the way to work and stop in there often.
The blame needs to go to the store's supplier. Many people don't know that some aquatics and terrestrials are in fact the same plant (except for the tag), and that labelled aquatics will fetch a higher price than the same terrestrial would. Many plants can tolerate and even thrive in an environment that isn't their ideal habitat...
Plants are tough and can survive marginal habitat, but may never reach their full potential.
If you liked those photos, take a look at these. I saw this plant on a hike I went on today, I had also seen the same one about a month ago in the same condition, it seems to be doing just fine. This one however is actually in the middle of a stream, not just on the side, and though its not in the deepest part (fairly shallow, about an inch or two only in this part), it is completely surrounded by running water at all times and in very, very wet soil. They seem to do just fine with lots of water like this under certain circumstances. Of course this wont work all the time, but it can be done.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9618&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9618)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9621&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9621)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=9620&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9620)
Great pics Gabe! I doubt that the plants in your pics would thrive if the temp was cooler, the oxygen content of the moving water went down, or they recieved less light. The lack of a dense stand says to me that they are stressed and in a marginal habitat despite their good looks and pups...
damaclese
05-14-2008, 01:25 PM
you think that this mite be a good way to help with the desert heat we have in Vegas ie. growing nanas in water? certainly would help with the humidity problem?
Dean W.
05-14-2008, 01:45 PM
Very intresting. I didn't know that bananas could grow in that close of proximity to water. Nor, did I know that people were growing them in water. I guess there is no solid conclusion, yet.
sandy0225
05-23-2008, 01:26 PM
I have a bordelon that I experimented with last year. I put it in regular old clay soil and put it in my pond display. It grew really well there all summer, I put it there in June. I forgot to take it out and it frosted real hard, but then I took it out and put it in the greenhouse. I didn't really water it all winter because I thought it was dead. Well it's growing back so well now that there's like one big stalk and three pups, all growing in a large mum pot. It's now split the side of the pot with the roots and a pup coming out. I'm going to put it back in the pond display in shallow water (8") again this year, but maybe do a repot job first because it won't hardly stand up in that little pot anymore.
I didn't put it out until the water got warm though. I really don't think they'd like cold water. There isn't any extra aeration in the display, just water about 8" deep.
mskitty38583
05-23-2008, 06:37 PM
this is gonna change the way some of us think about growing nanas. i would love to do a small scale water feature with water cannas and maybe a nana or two. wow, just about says it all.
sunsetsammy
05-24-2008, 02:24 PM
Hey all,
Original poster here,
I was back at that nursery a couple days back and all those bananas growing underwater are looking extremely bad!!
The ensete maurelli's are looking the best but the basjoo and dwarf cavendish types are really suffering. All their leaves are pale yellow and have a million little black dots on them. There is no way that anyone would buy those plants now looking the way they do.
I almost want to bring one up to the counter and say "See! I told ya so!"
Oh well.
chong
05-24-2008, 02:38 PM
Those black spots are telltale signs of over watering. Parts of their roots are starting to rot. If they just had the bottom tip of the pot just barely touching the water, could have been a different story. The water surface is oxygenated.
You were very polite biting your lip.
mskitty38583
05-25-2008, 05:42 PM
so chong are you saying that if the botton of a pot(about 1/2 in to an inch) is in oxogenated water, and the rest of the pot is above the water then the nana would fare well? like sit it on a rock in the pond with moving water....just a little interested in this idea. i would think you could still have problems with root rot, maybe its just a little paranoia on my part but would love some input. there might be a water feature in my future backyard plans.
Mike_J
05-25-2008, 05:51 PM
I am no expert on anything but Cars lol. I went to a local nursery and they said that certain plants can grow water roots? I have no Idea what that means. They said if you have a potted plant trim the roots off and put the plant in the water and it will grow roots that can handle water. Is this possible?
chong
05-25-2008, 08:23 PM
so chong are you saying that if the botton of a pot(about 1/2 in to an inch) is in oxogenated water, and the rest of the pot is above the water then the nana would fare well? like sit it on a rock in the pond with moving water....just a little interested in this idea. i would think you could still have problems with root rot, maybe its just a little paranoia on my part but would love some input. there might be a water feature in my future backyard plans.
Yes, Miss Sam, you can. If you have a pond with water cascading or spraying, as in a fountain, your water will be oxygenated. You only need to separate the bottom of the soil 2"(+/-) from the bottom of the base of the pot. You can do this by lining the bottom of the pot with 3/4" diameter gravel 2" deep and placing a screen (i.e., as in plastic window screen) over them. The screen keeps the soil from covering and mixing with the gravel. You will need the spaces between the gravel allow air movement. Drill several 1/4" holes (3 or 4, or as much as you want but make sure you don't put so much that it weakens tha pot.) 1-1/2" from the bottom of the pot. Fill the pot with soil and plant as you normally would. Place the potted plant on a base in the water, such that the 1/4" holes are just above the water line.
If you want the pot to be self-watering:
Before placing the gravel and screen, place a small pot with perforated sides, equivalent to 15% to 20% of the area of the main pot, at the bottom, then place the gravel around it. Make a cutout in the screen to just allow the pot to get through. One way to avoid having to make a cutout is to position the small pot along the perimeter of the big pot. This way, you only need to fold it up the edge of the pot. To do this, it would be easier with a square pot.
Fill the pot with soil, starting with the inner pot, then over the screen. Push the soil into inner pot real good to make sure that there are no air pockets. The inner pot's soil acts as a wick to draw the water by capillary action. After planting, water the soil thoroughly. Place the potted plant as described above. You will probably never have to water your plant this way, as long as you keep the bottom 1", or so, of the pot in the water. You don't have a pond? Use a pan large enough to hold 1" of water and a couple of inches around the big pot.
It's been reported that this makes plants grow faster, esp., if the pot is exposed to the sun because it warms up the soil.
I'm putting together a pictorial of the above procedure. If you are in a hurry, Google "alternative Earthbox® designs".
mskitty38583
05-25-2008, 09:07 PM
thanks chong i appriciate the info. the water feature is in a near future plans maybe next spring or the following fall. i wanted to do a dry creekbed but i think that a partial pond and dry creekbed would be better. so this is very interesting to me. thank you agin for the info.:waving:
gazjoo
05-26-2008, 05:48 AM
I think Gabe has has hit the nail on the head with 'oxygen availability'. I have grown many plants sitting in water (tropical and non-tropical) that were not aquatics. If your gonna try this you need to have the water flowing nicely to deliver the oxygen. Lack of oxygen is what causes things to rot. I don't know how many times I have seen a bunch of different house plants growing fine in an aquarium shop, totally submerged. A very well oxygenated tank can do this for a lot of plants.
damaclese
05-26-2008, 11:04 AM
Wow chong thanks for all the info i never imagined this thread could take such an interesting turn you Know this type of growing mite prove vary rewarding for those of us living in vary dry conditions one of the problems with dry heat is the inability to keep plants water in a even fashion (i know gos with out saying) but and this is the problem i have that in order to keep the plants for expiring i have to water some times every day or even twice a day just to keep the plants cool that makes the soil at times water logged rot is a real problem if you aren't paying vary closes attn. to your plants coupled this with the fact that molds and bacteria are extremely aggressive in are area i assume this is because of the dry weather makes them have to reproduce fast wail their is water available. now that iv stated the obvious the point to all this is that perhaps this earth box system mite even out the water cycles and there by elevate the stress that plants get being water so frequently which of course washes the nutrients out of pots quickly I'm going to accelerate my water
feature project and try this with some of the bananas it sounds almost to good to be true time will tell!
mskitty38583
05-26-2008, 01:28 PM
when i do my pond and dry creekbed i think im gonna start with the basjoos, and see how they do over a course of a season. if they do well ill add d.o's and maybe a musella. thanks again for the advise chong, i have so wanted a water feature with nanas "in" it not just around it.:D
CookieCows
05-26-2008, 03:55 PM
when i do my pond and dry creekbed i think im gonna start with the basjoos, and see how they do over a course of a season. if they do well ill add d.o's and maybe a musella. thanks again for the advise chong, i have so wanted a water feature with nanas "in" it not just around it.:D
Throw some gold fish in that pond Mskitty and you'll have great fertilizer circulating around those roots. :2223:
mskitty38583
05-26-2008, 04:16 PM
i was thinking about that cookie, i just cant throw shredded cabbage in there to fert.( i relized that a little while ago. lack of sleep gets you to thinking all kinds of crazy things. lol!) ill just have to make the pond part about 18-24 inches deep so my little fishies will be safe from the ice(ha ha) in the winter and keep the kitties out of it. i have designed a dry creekbed with the little pond to the right of center( i dont like semetry, it looks weird to me) but yes goldfishies would be great, they potty a lot. lol!
gazjoo
05-27-2008, 04:44 AM
The more fertilizer (or goldfish) the more water movement you want. The airstones used in a fishtank add oxygen because they create a flow of water from the bottom to the surface (as someone else mentioned, thats where the oxygen enters the water) but anything to move the water around. Running water doesn't have less bacteria (probably more) just different types of bacteria. Aerobic bacteria intsead of anaerobic. These are good bacteria for a pond system as it is these bacteria which break down fish wastes, rotting leaves (organic matter) etc. into plant nutrients.
CookieCows
05-27-2008, 07:23 AM
I know it's not as simple as I made it sound and I apologize for that. You'd need to learn about aquaponic gardening to really make it work but I think it can be done and next year I'm going to try! :D
mskitty38583
05-27-2008, 07:52 AM
:) :nanabath::nanabath::nanabath: :)
JohnC
05-27-2008, 01:13 PM
Just came across this thread.
I too saw the same plants in the same nursery last weekend (it's not Home Depot, it's Art Knapps, a small chain nursery) and I can report that the ones I saw are *all* looking very sickly.
They are in a raised "table" outside the covered area exposed to the weather. The table is basically like a big washing tub with black plastic liner in it and the water is just standing still, no aeration or movement at all.
The whole thing is jammed full of all sorts of aquatic plants and the bananas are in about 1 gallon or smaller squarish pots and some are flopped over and basically floating like a capsized boat but the majority have their pots completely submerged.
They have a label from the wholesaler on them that has the conflicting advice on it.
Funny thing is they have a separate covered area where they have basjoos and lasiocarpes (sp?) sitting in pots on a regular counter looking pretty healthy.
I hadn't seen this thread before I was in there and I too spoke to the checkout lady and said as far as I know there are no bananas that can grow completely underwater and that theirs were looking pretty sick. I also pointed out the conflicting label. She must have been a different person than Sammy ran into because she seemed to take it seriously and said she would talk to someone else about it.
That nursery has a pretty good replacement policy which we've had to take advantage of rarely so I guess in the end it's going to work out for people but I hate to see the plants killed like that.
I should bring my camera the next time I'm in there and get a picture of them if they're still in the water table with the wholesaler info from the label to get to the bottom of it.
I know that most plants can be grown in water if there is very good aeration, you can grow just about anything hydroponically if you put aquarium aerators in the tank with it. I'm guessing a stream bed with good running water qualifies as aeration but a pond of stagnant water seems problematic.
I know there is a certain type of bamboo Phyllostachys Heteroclada that has an adaptation of hollow rhizomes to allow it to grow in semi wet areas but most regular bamboo would die in those same areas. Perhaps some bananas have hollow rhizomes or some other way of dealing with being submerged and others don't.
PR-Giants
11-14-2012, 06:31 PM
Bump
Yuri Barros
11-15-2012, 05:10 AM
There is a Banana species that grows freely in Tocantins state of Brazil..........
The Place is called "Fervedouros do Jalapćo"...................
I think that this is a wild strain..............the fruits are Purple Brown...........and seems to have seeds..................
I think that it“s a different species from the species that is cultivated by Indians................
This species grows in the water..............!!!
Check it out............on Google Images..............
https://www.google.com.br/search?hl=pt-BR&rlz=1G1LEND_PT-BRBR503&tbm=isch&q=fervedouros+do+jalap%C3%A3o+banana&oq=fervedouros+do+jalap%C3%A3o+banana&gs_l=img.3...9335.10339.0.10764.7.7.0.0.0.0.177.354.0j2.2.0...0. 0...1c.1.DUtEP5ekjX0&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bpcl=38625945&biw=1600&bih=799
Yuri Barros
11-15-2012, 08:06 AM
Finally I found a good Image of the bunch.................but I“m not able to identify it...............
Bananeira | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lbarp/5120911482/)
Unfortunately.............the bunch is unripe..................
So..........this is an issue for experts.................
I realy would like to know what species is this..................
???
Some called it "Banana Marmelo".................???
Yuri Barros
11-15-2012, 08:29 AM
Hummmm...............after a extensive search...................I“m not able to find a good picture of a ripe bunch....................
What I see was wide angle pictures...............as every one can see............and what I think that is Purle-Brown color................maybe is a dry old bunch..........
I don“t know the ripe color of this Banana.....................
Also I“m not able to find scientific search.............both Botanical...........and Anthopological................that confirms that this specie was originaly cultivated by Indians.................or it“s a realy native species.................
???
bengtang
11-24-2012, 03:52 AM
I have Musa bananas growing well in marshy ground in Singapore. The ground is boggy with puddles of water and the corms are basically growing in wet mud. They seem to be doing fine.
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